Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Dichanthelium commutatum (Schult.) Gould var. ashei (Peason ex Ashe) Mohlebr.
Synonomny: Panicum ashei Peason ex Ashe; Panicum commutatum Schult. var. ashei (Pearson ex Ashe) Fernald
Lower Taxa: none
Origin: Native
Habit: Perennial, rosette forming grass
Habitat: Dry sandy soils; Open dry road edges, fields and sparsely canopied upland woodlands
Range: Coastal Plain – OC, IC
Frequency: Common
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 Coastal Variable rosette panic grass is species found in the mixed oak and oak pine forests of New Jersey Inner and Outer Coastal Plain. It is also a more diminutive specimen of the species, with thin (<2mm) culine internodes and broad leaf blades. Often found with Dichanthelium dichotomum, Danthonia spicata, Carex albicans var. emmonsii and other upland acid loving herbaceous plants.
Specimen: Clayton Borough Gloucester Co. , J. Arsenault, #2266, open, dry old field south of Carpenter Avenue, Glassboro Fish and Wildlife Management Area, July 12, 2010.
Current distribution map reflects author, Chrysler herbarium specimens and Mary Hough, 1983. JRA, 10/2013
