Eustachys petraea
blackseed windmill grass, pinewoods fingergrass
Family
Poaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
linear
Growth Form
graminoid
Flower Color
inconspicuous
Flower Month
May - November
Height (meters)
0.3 - 0.6
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FACU
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
6
Field Characters
When flowering the inflorescence has very distinctive black fertile and sterile lemmas making the spikes appear to be full of ripe, black seed (see photo).
Animal Use
Poor livestock and wildlife values.
Natural History
In Louisiana it is found infrequently in sandy soil along the coast. In Texas it occurs in moist situations on sandy soils, often near brackish water. Blackseed windmill grass ranges throughout the Southeastern United States and west to Texas.
Habitat
Occasional on sandy and sandy loam soils, usually in moist situations near permanent brackish water, islands, and dredge materials throughout the Gulf Coast.