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Whitegrass (Leersia virginica)

• Family: Grass (Poaceae)
• Flowering: June-October.
• Field Marks: Whitegrass differs from all other species of Leersia by its tiny spikelets only about 1/6 inch long and 1/20 inch across.
• Habitat: Moist woods, swamps, sloughs.
• Habit: Perennial herbs with very slender rhizomes.
• Stems: Spreading or ascending, branched, smooth or slightly hairy, very slender, up to 3 feet long.
• Leaves: Slender, smooth or hairy, up to 6 inches long, up to 1/2 inch broad.
• Flowers: 1 per spikelet, with several spikelets forming a slender panicle, each spikelet flattened, about 1/6 inch long and 1/20 inch across, rounded at the tip, hairy.
• Stamens: 1-2.
• Pistils: Ovary superior; styles 3.
• Grains: Red-brown, ellipsoid, 1/10 inch long.
• Notes: The saw-toothed leaf edges can readily tear the flesh.