HomeEastern gama grass, Fakahatchee grass

Eastern gama grass, Fakahatchee grass

Tripsacum dactyloides -- Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

Tripsacum dactyloides

Native to Florida

Eastern gama grass

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    This is another large native clumping wetland grass, and is believed to be one of the dominant grassland plants of the southeast U.S. before human settlement. It has an atypical inflorescence that makes it easier to identify than most grassses, and which shows it to be closely related to corn. Eastern gama grass is sold in nurseries for home use. Tripsacum dactyloides is frequently found growing in river banks, hammocks, swamps, and wet, disturbed sites nearly throughout Florida (Wunderlin, 2003). It blooms from spring to fall and is equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).

    Eastern gama grass is a very large grass. stems clump-forming, to 6 ft. tall; leaf blades large, flat, smooth, to 2 1/2 ft. long, to 1 in. wide; sheaths smooth; inflorescences usually 2-3, narrow cylindrical, on stem tips, 4-11 in. long; spikelets single, embedded on opposite sides at each joint of axis