Please Identify this grass.

[willshak]

This grass suddenly caught my attention this Spring. I don't remember it being there last year, since I do not mow in that area. In any event, it was never this high or robust. It is near the woods at the back of my property. I doesn't resemble any of the grass seed I use and doesn't appear to be a weed. The leaves are about 3 feet long and cascade like a water fountain. The seed heads are lower than the height of the leaves. They are down inside the cluster. Usually, with grass or weeds, the seed heads grow above the height of the leaves. Note the center 'seam' running the length of the blades. This is not one clump of grass, there are 4 or 5 clumps there. It appears to be more of an ornamental grass plant than lawn grass, but I have never planted an ornamental grass plant anywhere on my property and I don't see any of this grass on my neighbors property. I tried looking it up on the web and the nearest I came to was Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed), but I live in NY. I like it, and even if it is a weed, I'm thinking of splitting it up and replanting it somewhere else on my property

[willshak]

Thanks. If it is that P. alopecuroides, then it is an ornamental grass. But i have no idea where they came from. Also, they recommend covering the plants in the winter. They weren't covered and we had daytime temps of 20º for days. Anyway, it's going to be an ornamental plant for my purposes. I just wanted to know in case someone asks what it is.

[Eggs Zachtly]

height of the 'blades'". ;)

That being said, I doubt it to be /S. heterolepis/. It's WAY too early for the seedheads to be forming. More likely, it's a variety of /Pennisetum/ (possibly /P. alopecuroides/). Pics of the seedheads, when they mature, will help. =)

[Eggs Zachtly]

Yes. The most common, invasive one. =)

Wind? Birds? Wind + Birds? Grass seed's pretty light, man. It'll carry farther than you think. (This is just a light, little ol' grass seed. After the Joplin tornado, they found x-rays from the destroyed hospital, 70 miles away. How far ya think a grass seed would carry in a thunderstorm? ) When the seeds on this particular plant ripen, have a close look at them. It's probably got a pretty ingenious delivery system. Through millions of years of evolution, it was able to finally target your property. That's how it starts, you know. In three years, you'll be starting a "How the eff do I kill this stuff?!?" thread. =)

/Pennisetum/'s pretty tough. The winter temp here regularly stays below 10 for the daytime high for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. The grass survives (and adds cool winter interest to the landscape). If you don't mind the turf grass looking like shit (cause this stuff's gonna reseed, and it's a GRASS, so a broadleaf weed killer won't take it out). Just food for thought, before adopting a wild grass. ;)

I wouldn't call it a positive id, until you see the ripened seedheads. =)