Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Dicanthelium columbianum (Scribner) Freckman 
Synonymy: Dichanthelium sabulorum (Lam.) Gould & C.A. Clark var. thinium Hitchc.; Panicum acuminatum Sw. var. columbianum (Scribn.) LeLong; Panicum columbianum Scribn.; Panicum columbianum Scribn.var. oricola (Hitchc. & Chase) Fernald; Panicum columbianum Scribn.var. thinium Hitchc. & Chase; Panicum portoricense Desv. Ex. Ham.; Panicum sabulorum Lam. Var. thinium (Hitchc. & Chase) C.F. Reed; Panicum tsugetorum Nash
Lower Taxa: none
Origin: Native
Habit: Perennial, rosette forming grass
Habitat: Dry sandy soils; Open dry road edges, fields and sparsely canopied xeric woodlands
Range: OCP, PB; old records from Sussex Co.
Frequency: Common on Outer Coastal Plain
Rank/Status: S5/G5
Wetland Status: FACU
Flowering & Reproduction: Early Summer, June-early July, vernal panicles, autumnal panicles late July-September; spikelets mature within month of pollination
Comments: The American or Columbian rosette panic grass is a species that has been assigned to a variety variously related taxa. The Flora of New Jersey chose to identify this species as a distinct rather than as a variety due to its distinct morphology. Its ashy pubescent stems and rounded spikelets are distinct enough to separate it from D. acuminatum and D. sabulorum var. patulum. Mary Hough (1983) describes the species as a common member of the Pine Barrens flora, and recent field work substantiates her findings. The species is often on the Outer Coastal Plain, from eastern Salem County to Ocean County, in association with a variety of xeric plants including Dichanthelium ovale and Dichanthelium depauperatum.
Reference Specimen: Atlantic Co., Egg Harbor City, Joseph Arsenault #1257; open dry sands with Cyperus filiculmis at Clarks Landing, 9/18/1982.
Current distribution map reflects author, Chrysler herbarium specimens and Mary Hough, 1983. JRA, 10/2013
