Dichanthelium leibergii

Leiberg's panicgrass is a small perennial grass forming loose rosettes with culms between in height. It is distinguished from other similar species of Dichanthelium by a combination of the following characters: • leave less than wide and less than 15-20 times as long as wide • leaves hairy • stem slender with narrowly ovoid panicle • spikelets with long, soft hairs up to in length • first glume narrowly ovate, reaching the middle of the spikelet ==Distribution==

Dichanthelium leibergii ranges north to Alberta, west to Kansas, and east to New York state. Although it is "fairly common" in Manitoba it is now a rare species across much of its range. In most surviving prairies and oak savannas, it has decreased in abundance, likely because of fire exclusion and late-spring fire, which favor big bluestem and indiangrass because of their long rhizomes that let them emerge through litter and the belowground buds along their rhizomes that permit them to resprout when their culms or rhizome tips are damaged by fire. It is state threatened in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio and state endangered in New York. It is extirpated in Pennsylvania. ==Ecology==

In the Chicago region, it is a highly conservative species, with a coefficient of conservatism of 10. ==Conservation==

Leiberg's panicgrass is threatened by habitat fragmentation, destruction, and invasive species. Appropriate management to maintain and increase populations of Leiberg's panicgrass includes removal of woody and invasive plant populations, prescribed burning, and prairie restoration. ==References==