Plains Lovegrass

More info for the terms: basal area, cover, density, frequency, grassland, herbaceous, litter, prescribed fire, relative frequency, wildfire

Plains lovegrass abundance was lower on burned than unburned sites
during the first growing season after prescribed fire in Kerr County,
Texas. Plateau oak (Quercus fusiformis) and post oak (Q. stellata)
savanna containing plains lovegrass was burned between 12:30 and
1:15 p.m. on February 1, 1982.  Air temperature was 55 degrees
Fahrenheit (12.8 deg C), relative humidity was 42 to 48 percent, and
wind speed was 10 to 32 miles per hour (16-51 km/hr).  Highest recorded
fire temperatures were at the litter surface.  Maximum temperature was
412 degrees Fahrenheit (211 deg C) at the litter surface in the grasslands
surrounding trees. Temperatures above and below the litter surface were
substantially lower.  In July and early August 1982, samples from quadrats
in control and burned units were collected.  Plains lovegrass biomass was
lower on burned than on control sites.  Dominance (lbs/ac), relative
dominance (%), relative frequency, and importance are reported [28]:

                               Relative   Relative
                        Dom      Dom        Freq      Importance

   Plateau Oak Units
     Control           10.08     6.12       8.09         7.10       
     Burn               3.97     3.37       7.69         5.53
   Post Oak Units                                                      
     Control            5.95     3.33       8.70         6.01       
     Burn               5.43     2.97       6.89         4.92

The Research Project Summary Response of herbaceous vegetation to winter
burning in Texas oak savanna provides information on postfire response of
other herbaceous species in this study.

Plains lovegrass decreased the first growing season following a fire in
south-central Arizona desert grassland, but then increased.  In June
1963 a wildfire burned a 17-square-mile area in Pima County near Sasabe,
Arizona.  After the fire, study sites were located on burned and
unburned slopes at elevations from 4,000 to 4,400 feet (1,219-1,341 m).
Indicators of plains lovegrass basal area (basal area index) before and
for two growing seasons following the fire showed that plains lovegrass
was at first reduced as a result of the fire.  However, by the second
growing season, it equaled or exceeded prefire density [48]:

                           Basal Area Index

          West-facing        North-facing        East-facing
             Sites              Sites               Sites

         Burned  Control    Burned  Control        Burned 

Prefire    0.7     0.7        0.5     0.2            0.8 
1963       0.2     0.4        0.2     0.1            0.3 
1964       1.0     0.5        0.6     0.3            0.8 

The numbers of plains lovegrass plants measured along transects
decreased on burned areas in postfire year 1.  In postfire year 2,
plains lovegrass numbers increased slightly on control sites, but the
increases on burned sites were significantly greater than on control
sites [48]:

          West-facing        North-facing        East-facing
             Sites              Sites               Sites

         Burned  Control    Burned  Control        Burned 

Prefire    19      18         10       8             29   
1963       10      16          9       7             22   
1964       76      30         52      25             71   


Plains lovegrass on the north slope burned area had significantly more
seedstalks and fewer plants without seedstalks during the second growing
season than did the control area.  Plains lovegrass apparently was well
adapted to utilize the above normal winter precipitation of 1963.
Greater seedling survival and larger plants occurred on the north and
west study areas, which received more favorable precipitation, than on
the east study area [48].

Plains lovegrass was more plentiful in recent than old burns in
southwestern Oklahoma prairie and buffalo wallows.  Plains lovegrass was
common on plots close to and in buffalo wallows.  The wallows and
surrounding land were first prescribed burned in early April 1979; some
were burned again in late February 1982.  Sampling occurred between late
June and early July 1982.  At the time of sampling all wallows had 2 to
4 inches (5-10 cm) of standing water.  Exterior quadrats were placed
just adjacent to wallows for comparison of compositional differences
between wallow and other prairie vegetation.  Plains lovegrass was found
only outside the eight buffalo wallows burned in 1972, with average
cover of 43.6 percent.  It occurred throughout the six recently burned
wallows (average cover 18.6% on burned land outside the wallows, 17.3%
at the edge of the burned wallows, and 4.0% in the interior of the
burned wallows) [16].

plains lovegrass

More info for the terms: caryopsis, fruit, warm-season

Plains lovegrass is a native, warm-season, C-4, perennial bunchgrass
[24,31,33,34].  Culms are wiry [19], erect, pith filled to hollow [24],
and 12 to 35 inches (30-90 cm) tall [19].  Leaf blades are 4 to 10
inches [10-25 cm] long [25,26]. The inflorescence is an erect, open,
diffuse, pyramidal panicle [24,25] 6 to 14 inches (15-35 cm) long.
Spikelets are three- to nine-flowered [19,25,31]; the fruit is a
caryopsis [25].

Plains lovegrass occurs from Florida and Georgia west to Arizona
[19,49].  It extends north into Missouri and eastern Kansas [24,25] and
south through Mexico to Costa Rica [25,29,31].

More info for the terms: culm, fire regime

Plains lovegrass has basal culm buds [24] which may sprout after aerial
portions are burned.  If thick tufts form, they may protect the basal
buds from fire damage.

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire management, fireline intensity, forest, fuel, fuel moisture, grassland, natural, prescribed fire, shrubs, succession, woodland

In interior chaparral in Arizona, presettlement fire intervals were
usually 50 to 100 years.  Postfire succession is rapid and species
composition is changed little by natural fires [38].

Burning can be used in desert grassland ranges to reduce the number of
shrubs competing with plains lovegrass and other perennial grasses [48].
Grazing should be deferred before burning to insure enough fuel to carry
fire [50,51].
 
Plains lovegrass was subjected to prescribed fire in ungrazed
southeastern Arizona grassland.  The fire had no persistent negative
impact on plains lovegrass density [10].




FIRE CASE STUDY
SPECIES: Eragrostis intermedia
FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION :
Walsh, Roberta A., compiler. 1994. Plains lovegrass response to prescribed fire in an oak/grass
woodland in the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona. In: Eragrostis intermedia. In:
Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer).
Available: https://www.fs.fed.us
/database/feis/ [
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].


REFERENCE :
Bock, Jane H.; Bock, Carl E. 1987. Fire effects following prescribed
burning in two desert ecosystems. Final Report on Cooperative Agreement
No. 28-03-278. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 20 p. [9].

Bock, Jane H.; Bock, Carl E. 1992. Short-term reduction in plant
densities following prescribed fire in an ungrazed semidesert
shrub-grassland. Southwestern Naturalist. 37(1): 49-53. [10].


SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
spring/moderate


STUDY LOCATION :
Prescribed fires were carried out at the Appleton-Whittell Research
Sanctuary of the National Audubon Society in Santa Cruz County, Arizona.
The field site is located in southeastern Arizona on the west side of
the Huachuca Mountains.


PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
Prefire vegetation at the oak woodland site in Lyle Canyon included
Emory oak (Quercus emoryi), Arizona white oak (Q. arizonica), plains
lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia), sideoats grama (Bouteloua
curtipendula), Texas beardgrass (Andropogon cirratus), Hall's panic
grass (Panicum hallii), longleaf falsegoldeneye (Heliomeris longifolia
var. annua), spreading snakeherb (Dyschoriste decumbens), Louisiana
sagewort (Artemisia ludoviciana), bindweeds (Convolvulus spp.), warty
caltrop (Kallstroemia parviflora), catclaw mimosa (Mimosa biuncifera),
velvet-pod mimosa (M. dysocarpa), and yerba de pasmo (Baccharis
pteronioides).

Prefire vegetation at the grassland site on Bald Hill included plains
lovegrass, wolftail (Lycurus phleoides), threeawns (Aristida spp.),
sprucetop grama (Bouteloua chondrosioides), sideoats grama, spreading
fleabane (Erigeron divergens), shrubby false mallow (Malvastrum
bicuspidatum), dwarf morningglories (Evolvulus spp.), spreading
snakeherb, tanseyleaf aster (Machaeranthera tanacetifolia), catclaw
mimosa, velvet-pod mimosa, and yerba de pasmo.

Prefire vegetation data was collected during August 1983.


TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
Unknown


SITE DESCRIPTION :
The study sites have 17 inches (430 mm) average annual precipitation,
with half to two-thirds occurring between July and September.  Elevation
is 4,922 feet (1,500 m).  At the time of the study no fires or grazing
had occurred at the sites since 1969.


FIRE DESCRIPTION :
There were five burned plots and five control plots each at the
grassland and woodland sites.  All fires were conducted under hot, dry,
relatively calm conditions prior to the onset of summer rains.

Plots in oak woodland were burned between 10:00 a.m. and noon on May 25,
1984.  Air temperatures ranged from 90 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit (32-33
deg C).  Relative humidity varied from 16 to 18 percent.  Winds were
variable, gusting from 5 to 10 miles per hour (8-16 km/hr).  Fine dead
fuel moisture was estimated at between 5 and 6 percent.  In four of the
five burned plots, fires moved slowly (1.6 to 4.9 feet per minute
[0.5-1.5 m/min]) with flame lengths of 0.7 to 1.6 feet (0.2-0.5 m) and
fireline intensities of 8-58 kW/m.  In the fifth plot the fire moved
very rapidly (about 98 feet per minute [30 m/min]) with fireline
intensity of 260 kW/m.

Semidesert grassland plots were burned between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. on
June 12, 1984.  Air temperatures ranged from 84 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit
(29-31 deg C).  Relative humidity varied from 13 to 16 percent.  Winds
were variable, gusting from 5 to 22 miles per hour (8-35 km/hr).  Fires
moved slowly on all burned plots (3.3-13.1 feet per minute [1-4 m/min])
with flame lengths ranging from 2.6 to 4.6 feet (0.8-1.4 m).  These
fires produced fireline intensities of 160 to 540 kW/m.


FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
Prefire vegetation data were collected on all plots during summer 1983.
Postfire data were collected on the burned plots and their controls
during the summers of 1984 and 1985.  All vegetation sampling was
carried out in August, the time of maximum growth during the summer wet
period.  Density and plant height were recorded within each quadrat each
year, as were bare ground cover and overall aboveground plant biomass.

In oak woodland plots, plains lovegrass densities on burned and control
plots were similar prior to the fires.  Plains lovegrass declined
significantly (p less than 0.5) in density on burned plots in the first postfire
growing season of 1984, but this difference had disappeared by the
growing season of 1985.

In semidesert grassland plots, plains lovegrass densities on burned and
control plots were similar prior to the fires.  Plains lovegrass
declined significantly (p less than .01) in density on burned plots in 1984, the
first postfire growing season, but this difference had disappeared by
the second postfire year.


FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
Plains lovegrass usually declines the first growing season after fire,
but by the second growing season it has regained or exceeded its
original cover. This fire study was part of an extensive of body of
research on fire effects in semidesert grassland, oak savanna, and
Madrean oak woodlands of southeastern Arizona. See the Research Project Summary of this work for more information on burning
conditions, fires, and fire effects on more than 100 species of plants,
birds, small mammals, and grasshoppers.

More info for the terms: cover, grassland

Plains lovegrass usually declines the first growing season after fire,
but by the second growing season it has regained or exceeded its
original cover. This fire study was part of an extensive of body of
research on fire effects in semidesert grassland, oak savanna, and
Madrean oak woodlands of southeastern Arizona. See the Research Project Summary of this work for more information on burning
conditions, fires, and fire effects on more than 100 species of plants,
birds, small mammals, and grasshoppers.

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

  
   Hemicryptophyte

More info for the term: grassland

Plains lovegrass is found on dry or sandy prairies [25], dry slopes
[19], rocky hillsides, in canyons [29], open woods [24], and on
disturbed sites [49].  Its occurrence is related to topography, but
varies from one area to another.  Plains lovegrass in south-central
Arizona showed a strong positive correlation with slope.  Over 60
percent of occurrences were on slopes steeper than 30 percent [14].  In
southeastern Arizona, plains lovegrass on undisturbed grassland occurred
on level to gently rolling uplands [8].  In northwestern Arizona, plains
lovegrass was found on rocky ledges and among boulders in interior
chaparral [13].

Plains lovegrass grows on most soil textures [15,16,20,21,35,36,48].  In
south-central Arizona it is most productive on sands and sandy loams
with weak profile development.  It shows intermediate productivity on
soil with well developed horizons and clayey subsoils.  It is least
productive on shallow, stony, and cobbly soil [14].

Plains lovegrass often grows in areas where annual precipitation is
bimodal, with a wet season in winter and another in summer.  Over half
the annual rainfall usually occurs in summer, when the bulk of plains
lovegrass forage is produced [47,48].  Spring and fall are generally
characterized by drought [48].  Mean annual precipitation usually
exceeds 15.7 inches (400 mm).  Winters are mild [11,12].

In Arizona, plains lovegrass is found at elevations from 3,500 to 6,000
feet (1,067-1,829 m) [15,29,36,40].  In New Mexico, it grows at
elevations from 3,800 to 8,500 feet (1,158-2,591 m) [21].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

    40  Post oak - blackjack oak
    68  Mesquite
    83  Longleaf pine - slash pine
   239  Pinyon - juniper
   241  Western live oak
   242  Mesquite

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES12  Longleaf - slash pine
   FRES15  Oak - hickory
   FRES30  Desert shrub
   FRES32  Texas savanna
   FRES33  Southwestern shrubsteppe
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES40  Desert grasslands

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: forest, shrub, woodland

   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K027  Mesquite bosque
   K031  Oak - juniper woodlands
   K044  Creosotebush - tarbush
   K054  Grama - tobosa prairie
   K058  Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
   K059  Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
   K060  Mesquite savanna
   K069  Bluestem - grama prairie
   K082  Mosaic of K074 and K100
   K085  Mesquite - buffalograss
   K100  Oak - hickory forest
   K112  Southern mixed forest

Plains lovegrass culms and leaves are killed by fire.

More info for the term: woodland

Plains lovegrass produces quality forage on the grazing lands of Arizona
and New Mexico [23,25,26].  It is an important cattle forage species in
oak woodland of southern Arizona [33].  However, because it has a high
seedstalk to leaf ratio it is a relatively low forage producer [31].

Cattle in south-central Arizona ate plains lovegrass at 45 percent of
availability.  Plains lovegrass was intermediate in preference and
production compared to other grasses growing on the range [14].

Upland game birds eat plains lovegrass seeds [31,46].

More info for the term: shrub

Plains lovegrass associates in south-central Arizona desert grasslands
include sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), sprucetop grama (B.
chondrosioides) and other gramas (Bouteloua spp.), threeawns (Aristida
spp.), muhlys (Muhlenbergia spp.), green sprangletop (Leptochloa dubia),
Arizona cottontop (Digitaria californica), wolftail (Lycurus phleoides),
velvet-pod mimosa (Mimosa dysocarpa), ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens),
Wheeler sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri), sacahuista (Nolina microcarpa),
false-mesquite (Calliandra eriophylla), and larchleaf goldenweed
(Aplopappus laricifolius) [14,15,34,37,47,48].

Associates in interior chaparral of Arizona include shrub live oak
(Quercus turbinella), desert ceanothus (Ceanothus greggii), deerbrush
(Ceanothus integerrimus), pointleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens),
Pringle manzanita (A. pringlei), silktassels (Garrya spp.), and
Stansbury cliffrose (Purshia mexicana var.  stansburiana) [38,43].

Associates of plains lovegrass in the mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie
of the Southwest include buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), Indian
ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), galleta (Hilaria jamesii), prairie
junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), vine-mesquite (Panicum obtusum), alkali
sacaton (Sporobolus airoides), fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens),
sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), soapweed
yucca (Yucca glauca), and broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) [12].

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

More info for the terms: cover, grassland, seed, shrubs

Plains lovegrass has decreased in abundance in Arizona.  This reduction
is probably the result of long-continued grazing.  Because of its
palatability and early greening habit, plains lovegrass is often
overgrazed in early spring [26].  To renew its vigor [31] and also allow
for seed production and establishment of seedlings [32], plains lovegrass
should be rested from grazing during July and August about every third
year [31].

In southeastern Arizona, plains lovegrass was measured in 1983 on
grassland ungrazed since 1968 and on adjacent grazed grassland.  Plains
lovegrass was increasing on the ungrazed area, but not on adjacent
grazed sites. In an area ungrazed since the early 1950's, plains
lovegrass occurred in dense, nearly pure stands [8].  In the same area
in 1990, plains lovegrass made up 15 percent of canopy cover on ungrazed
quadrats, but only 5 percent on grazed quadrats [5].  The grass canopy
was significantly taller (p less than .01) where it was protected from grazing.
Plains lovegrass is not found in pure stands in areas where it is grazed
[31].

Plains lovegrass production in southern Arizona semidesert grasslands is
related to current summer rainfall and also to rainfall during previous
growing periods [32].  (See SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT)

Plains lovegrass in southwestern semidesert grass-shrub ranges is
favored by light to moderate grazing.  When overgrazed, the plants lose
vigor, die, and are replaced by less palatable species [32].  Plains
lovegrass is a component of Southern Plains grasslands which, when
overgrazed, are invaded by large-shrub monocultures and/or by short
semishrubs [12].  Plains lovegrass in south-central Arizona grasslands
has been greatly reduced where mesquite (Prosopis spp.) has invaded the
range [37].

In the Southwest, plains lovegrass and other native species do not
reestablish in areas planted with the African species Lehmann and
weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana and E. curvula).  In
southeastern Arizona, areas of the Appleton-Whittell Research Sanctuary
were seeded with mixtures of Lehmann and weeping lovegrass in the 1940's
and 1950's.  By 1984, African lovegrasses covered more than 50 percent
of the ground; native grass cover was reduced by nearly 60 percent.
Plains lovegrass was one of the indigenous grasses significantly
reduced.  Nearby unseeded areas supported mixtures of native herbs,
shrubs, and perennial grasses including plains lovegrass.  Since cattle
were removed in 1968, species-rich plant assemblages have developed on
the Sanctuary in all areas except those planted with African lovegrasses
[6].

Plains lovegrass seed is available commercially [17].

Plains lovegrass was collected in Sutton County, Texas, in 1973.
Nutrient composition (percent) of leaves and stems was as follows [27]:

           Water    Ash    Cell Wall   Phosphorus   Protein   DOM*

July        59       8        70          0.12         7       52  
October     54       7        69          0.09         6       50
November    37       9        72          0.11         5       37

*DOM:  Digestible Organic Matter

     AL  AZ  AR  FL  GA  HI  KS  LA  MS  MO
     NM  OK  TX  MEXICO

Plains lovegrass is palatable [46].  Even on steeper slopes it is often
the first species to be grazed [26].

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: seed, succession, tiller

Plains lovegrass growth starts in early spring; it is one of the first
herbs to green up [31].

Plains lovegrass blooms in spring in central Florida [49] and from June
to September in Arizona [29].  Seed dispersal in Arizona begins in late
summer [8].

A minimum of 2 years is required for plains lovegrass to tiller.  Culms
produced during the current summer originated as basal buds that broke
dormancy either during the preceding spring, or more commonly, the
preceding fall.  A wet fall, or a wet winter and spring, activates basal
buds and enlarges individual plants.  Two good rainfall summers in
succession, or a good rainfall summer preceded by an exceptionally wet
spring, can be expected to produce high forage yields.  Production will
be low in drought years because few culms are produced [32].

More info for the terms: cover, frequency, grassland, wildfire

Plains lovegrass frequency decreases the first year after fire [28], but
generally increases thereafter [7,9,48].  Seedstalk production sometimes
increases after fire [48].

Plains lovegrass on native grassland in southeastern Arizona was burned
in a July 16 to 17, 1987, wildfire.  When measured in August 1987, it
was reduced to one-third of its prefire cover.  However, by August 1988,
plains lovegrass cover had increased over prefire levels.  By August
1990, it had increased to twice its prefire cover [4,7].

More info for the terms: graminoid, secondary colonizer, tussock

   Tussock graminoid
   Secondary colonizer - on-site seed

More info for the terms: grassland, seed

Plains lovegrass sprouts from perennating buds at the bases of culms
[24].  It also reproduces by seed [25].  Dispersal occurs when the
large, loose, fruiting stalks detach and tumble across the ground,
releasing seed [8].

Plains lovegrass seeds were collected from plants growing at two
semidesert grassland sites in south-central Arizona, one not irrigated
and one irrigated.  Rate of germination was tested 7 months after
harvest.  The seeds from irrigated land were germinable (18%) in the
laboratory at moderate temperature alternations representative of wet
seedbeds in April (50/86 degrees Fahrenheit [10/30 deg C]).  However,
maximum germination (47%) occurred at temperature alternations of 68/104
degrees Fahrenheit (20/40 deg C), which is similar to wet seedbed
temperature extremes during the summer rainy period when plains
lovegrass usually emerges.  Plains lovegrass seeds from unirrigated
plants had much lower germination rates than those from irrigated
plants.  Germination response varied with seed collection year [41].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    7  Lower Basin and Range
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains

spring/moderate

The study sites have 17 inches (430 mm) average annual precipitation,
with half to two-thirds occurring between July and September.  Elevation
is 4,922 feet (1,500 m).  At the time of the study no fires or grazing
had occurred at the sites since 1969.

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: cover, herb, shrub, succession

Plains lovegrass is apparently not tolerant of dense cover.  In Arizona,
plains lovegrass is not abundant in interior chaparral with dense crown
cover (>70%) except in the scattered interscrub openings, on rocky
outcrops, or in early postfire succession [38].  Plains lovegrass did
occur in chaparral with shrub cover of 60.5 percent and average herb
cover of 12.4 percent.  The sparse herb layer was composed of plains
lovegrass and red brome (Bromus rubens) [43].

The currently accepted scientific name of plains lovegrass is Eragrostis
intermedia A. S. Hitchc. [25,29,49]. It is in the family Poaceae.
There are no currently accepted infrataxa.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes solid or spongy, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath hairy at summit, throat, or collar, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf sheath indurate basally, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule a fringe of hairs, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branche s spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 3-7 florets, Spikelets with 8-40 florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea membra nous, hyaline, Palea shorter than lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Palea keels winged, scabrous, or ciliate, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Eragrostis intermedia is a species of grass known by the common name plains lovegrass. It is native to North and Central America, where it is distributed from the southeastern and southwestern United States south to Costa Rica. Its range may extend to South America.

This grass grows in tufts up to 90 centimeters tall, sometimes exceeding one meter. The leaves are up to 25 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a panicle with a pyramidal or ovate shape. The spikelets have up to 11 flowers each. The plant reproduces by seed or by sprouting from buds at the stem bases.

This plant grows in desert grassland, prairie, chaparral, shrubsteppe, pinyon-juniper woodland, and oak-dominated woodlands. It is often found in dry, sloping areas. It can take hold easily in disturbed habitat. It does best in sandy soil types, and areas with bimodal precipitation patterns, having wet seasons in winter and summer. In its native habitat it is one of the first plants to turn green in the spring. It has been observed to increase in abundance after wildfire.

This grass makes a good forage for livestock, but it decreases with overgrazing. Some game birds have been noted to eat the seeds.