Structural Attributes of Schizachyrium scoparium in Restored Texas Blackland Prairies

Authors

Justin D. Derner, USDA-ARSFollow
H. Wayne Polley, USDA-ARSFollow
Hyrum B. Johnson, USDA-ARS
Charles R. Tischler, USDA-ARS

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2004

Comments

Published in Restoration Ecology Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 80-84.

Abstract

Structural attributes of the C₄, perennial bunchgrass Schizachyrium scoparium in restored prairies may be affected by the time since restoration. One hundred plants each in 8-, 17-, and 23-year-old restored prairies and a native Texas Blackland prairie were assessed for the presence/absence and diameter of a hollow crown (i.e., dead center portion), degree of fragmentation, plant height, and tiller density.