Addison's rosette grass
Dichanthelium columbianum (Scribn.) Freckmann
Addison’s rosette grass, understood through its original type, belongs to Dichanthelium columbianum. This grass can become a dominant component of upper Midwestern sand prairies and dunes. Its close association with exceptionally sandy ground defines its ecological setting. Thomas 2015: Revision of Dichanthelium sect. Lanuginosa
Botanical name
The catalogued variety is treated here as a synonym of Dichanthelium columbianum, following World Flora Online and Thomas’s type-based revision. This profile excludes differing regional applications of the name addisonii. World Flora Online: Dichanthelium columbianumThomas 2015: Revision of Dichanthelium sect. Lanuginosa
Recognizing the plant
Plants stand 10–50 cm tall, rising from a bent stem base. Short hairs cover the stem segments and leaf sheaths, sometimes beneath a second layer of longer hairs. Spreading or ascending leaf blades are 3–9 cm long and 3–8 mm wide. The branching flower clusters measure 2–8 cm long. Their hairy, elliptical spikelets are usually 1.5–1.9 mm long; the first glume covers roughly one-third to one-half of each spikelet. Thomas 2015: Revision of Dichanthelium sect. Lanuginosa
Native range
Thomas records the species chiefly in northeastern North America, around the Great Lakes and in the upper Mississippi watershed. Habitats include dunes, pine woodland, open woods and sand prairie. The southernmost collections in that revision come from southeastern Missouri’s sand prairies, on ancient Mississippi River outwash. Thomas 2015: Revision of Dichanthelium sect. Lanuginosa
Botanical sources
- World Flora Online: Dichanthelium columbianum
- Thomas 2015: Revision of Dichanthelium sect. Lanuginosa
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.