Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK

Oklahoma Alfalfa
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

Sprangletops

COMMON NAME: Sprangletops
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leptochloa spp. (see below)
TYPE: Annual Warm-season Weedy Grass
DESCRIPTION  
Germination: September to October.
    Reproduction: By seeds in July to September.
Stem: Upright to spreading, up to 3 feet tall.
Leaves: Leaves of bearded scabrous with blade rolling when dry.  Leave blades of red with no hair, sheath pubescent, often red.
Flowers/
Inflorescence:
Seed head of both have a large open panicle.  Uppermost leaf of bearded is often longer than seed head.  Spikelets of bearded have 5- to 12-flowers, compared to 2- to 4-flowers for red sprangletop.
Fruit: Seed unit of both with lemma and palea attached.

FOUND:

Bearded and red sprangletops are the two major species in Oklahoma.  Red sprangletop has a large reddish panicle, often as long as 18 inches.  Both are competitive with spring planted alfalfa and will invade thinning older stands.

CONTROL:

Good selective control of both species is possible in alfalfa with POAST PLUS and SELECT, but plants must be treated when small seedling.
Bearded Sprangletop
Leptochloa fascicularis (Lam.) Gray
In Alfalfa tn_bearded-sprtop-064_jpg.jpg (1116 bytes)
Plant
tn_bearded-sprtop-063_jpg.jpg (1135 bytes)
Leaf
tn_bearded-sprtop-061_jpg.jpg (1723 bytes)
Plant
tn_bearded-sprtop-065_jpg.jpg (1711 bytes)
Seed Head
Additional Bearded Sprangletop Images
Red Sprangletop
Leptochloa filiformis (Lam.) Beauv.
In Alfalfa tn_rsprangletop-03_jpg.jpg (2378 bytes)
Plant
tn_rsprangletop-04_jpg.jpg (1515 bytes)
Leaf
tn_rsprangletop-01_jpg.jpg (1540 bytes)
Plant
tn_red-sprtop-068_jpg.jpg (1106 bytes)
Seed Head
Additional Red Sprangletop Images
Jim Stritzke
Former Alfalfa Weed Control Specialist
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
Oklahoma State University

oces_o.gif (1925 bytes)

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