Deer Tongue Rosette Grass

Panicum clandestinum L. Sp. PI. 58. 1753
Milium clandestinum Moench, Meth. 204. 1794.
Panicum latifolium clandestinum Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 68. 1814.
Panicum pedunculatum Torr. Fl. U. S. 141. 1823.
Panicum clandestinum pedunculatum Torr. Fl. N. Y. 2: 426. 1843.
Panicum decolor atum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 570. 1899.
Chasea clandestina NieuwI. Am. Midi. Nat. 2: 64. 1911.
Vernal phase in large, dense clumps, sometimes with strong rootstocks, 5-10 cm. long; culms stout, 70-150 meters high, erect, scabrous to papillose-hispid, at least below the nodes; leaf-sheaths as long as the internodes or overlapping until after the branches appear, loose, strongly papillose-hispid to nearly glabrous, a puberulent ring at the summit; ligule 0.5 mm. long; blades spreading or finally reflexed, 10-20 cm. long, 1.2-3 cm. wide, slightly tapering to the cordate-clasping base, acuminate, scabrous on both surfaces, at least toward the end, usually ciliate at the base; panicles finally rather long-exserted, 8-15 cm. long, about three fourths as wide, many-flowered, the flexuous branches in distant fascicles, with short spikeletbearing branchlets in the axils; spikelets 2.7-3 mm', long, 1.4-1.5 mm. wide, obovate-oblong, sparsely pubescent; first glume one third the length of the spikelet, subacute or obtuse; second glume slightly shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma ; fruit elliptic, 2.1-2.3 mm. long, 1.2-1.3
mm. wide.
Autumnal phase erect or leaning, sparingly branching, often before the maturity of the
primary panicle, from the middle and upper nodes, the branches leafy, the swollen, bristly
sheaths overlapping on the shortened internodes and inclosing wholly or partially the secondary
panicles; spikelets more turgid than those of the primary panicles.
Typb locality: Pennsylvania.
Distribution: Maine to Kansas, and south to Florida and eastern Texas.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems mat or turf forming, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem inte rnodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath hairy, hispid or prickly, Leaf sheath hairy at summit, throat, or collar, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf sheath enlarged, inflated or distended, Leaf blades lanceolate, Leaf blades ovate, Leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, Leaf blades 2 or more cm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Leaf blades scabrous, roughened, or wrinkled, Ligule a fringe of hairs, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence a contracted panicle, narrowly paniculate, branches appressed or ascending, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bise xual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets dorsally compressed or terete, Inflorescence or spikelets partially hidden in leaf sheaths, subtended by spatheole, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets with 2 florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating below the glumes, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longer than spikelet, Glumes 3 nerved, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma coriaceous, firmer or thicker in texture than the glumes, Lemma becoming indurate, enclosing palea and caryopsis, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma 8-15 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex truncate, rounded, or obtuse, Lemma awnless, Lemma margins inrolled, tightly covering palea and caryopsis, Lemma straight, Palea present, w ell developed, Palea about equal to lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis.

Dichanthelium clandestinum is a species of grass known by the common name deertongue. It is native to eastern North America, including eastern Canada and the eastern United States.

This species is a rhizomatous perennial grass forming clumps of hairy stems up to 1.4 meters tall. Five to 10 leaves are located along the stem. Each is up to 25 centimeters long by 3 wide, lance-shaped, sometimes rigid, and hairless to slightly hairy. There are two types of inflorescence. The main panicle contains many spikelets with flowers that open and are pollinated. Another type of inflorescence contains cleistogamous flowers: flowers which do not open and pollinate themselves. These are located in the sheaths of the stem leaves and are sometimes hidden. They are produced later in the year than the open panicle. There are about 400,000 seeds per pound.

This plant is tolerant of high levels of aluminum in soils. It tolerates acid soils and thin, infertile soils. It can be used to revegetate reclaimed land such as mine spoils. The cultivar 'Tioga' has been available since 1975.

The seeds of deertongue attract many types of birds, such as turkeys. The grass is not considered a good forage for livestock because it is low in nutrients.