Leersia oryzoides
Rice Cutgrass
General
A tall, rhizomatous grass. Provides excellent and dense cover and food for wildlife. Can be used for soil stabilization. The stiff blades and hairs of this grass are sharp enough to damage human skin, hence the common name "cutgrass".
Plant Description
Rice cutgrass is a colony-forming, cool-season grass. As its name implies, both the stems and seeds have many small teeth lining the edges. The teeth are quite aggressive- easily cutting exposed skin. The panicle inflorescence with spikelet flowers is open, drooping, and delicate in appearance.
Height (ft)
3-5
Soil moisture
Wet
Soil types
Coarse to fine textured mineral soils
Wetland indicator
OBL
Shade tolerance
Intolerant, Full Sun
Bloom color
Yellow/Green
Bloom period
Summer
Drought tolerance
Low
Salinity tolerance
Low
Range
Occurs abundantly throughout the majority of the United States and southern Canada.
Kartesz, J.T. 2024. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP) [website http://bonap.org/]