Origin: Native   Season: Warm Habitat Description: Found in open, rocky or sandy slopes and washes, often weedy on disturbed soils. Plant Communities:Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Disturbed Areas Elevation: Below 6000 feet
General Description
Desc:
Small tufted short annual grass with numerous erect or spreading stems that grows to about 1 foot high. Seedheads have 4 to 12 comb-like branches. Identification Notes: Annual, many slender trailing stems. Sheaths smooth with hairs at the collar. Leaves <2mm wide. Ligule a fringe of hairs. Seedhead 4 to 12 branches of up to 40 one-sided spikelets, spikelets have one fertile and one rudimentary floret, lemmas awned. Grass Type: Annual Rhizomes: N Stolons: N Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N Bushy (highly branched): N Height with Seedheads: Less than 12 inches Seedhead Structure: Branched - comblike branches Seedhead Droops: N Flowering Period: Jul - Oct Flower Characteristics
Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered Spikelets One-sided: Y Awns: Less than 1/4 inch Three Awns: Y Awns Bent: N Flower and Seedhead Notes: Seedhead with 4 to 12 comb-like branches with up to 40 spikelets per branch. Spikelets have 1 to 2 or occasionally 3 florets. The basal floret is fertile, the distal florets are sterile.
Vegetative Charcteristics
Blade Hairy:
Y
Blade with White Margins:
N
Blade Cross section:
Flat or folded
Blade Notes:
Leaves are <1/8 inch wide, 2-1/2 inches long. Top surfaces are usually sparsely clothed with soft hairs or down, with a few nipple-like hairs basally.
Sheath Hairy:
N
Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar:
Y
Ligules:
Membranous and hairy Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area:
N
Forage Value:
Sixweeks grama provides poor forage for livestock. Plants are small, produce green feed for a short time, and have a weak root system that allows them to be pulled up easily during grazing. Sixweeks grama is almost worthless as forage after maturity.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590