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Stenanthium gramineum

(Ker-Gawl.) Morong

Eastern Featherbells

G4Apparently Secure Found in 31 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145128
Element CodePMLIL1W010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderLiliales
FamilyMelanthiaceae
GenusStenanthium
Other Common Names
eastern featherbells (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (vol. 26, 2002) does not recognize distinct varieties in Stenanthium gramineum. In contrast, Weakley et al. (2025) recognizes S. gramineum var. robustum and S. gramineum var. gramineum (broad sense, including var. micranthum).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2022-11-07
Change Date2022-11-07
Edition Date1995-08-15
Edition AuthorsM.E. Stover, TNC-HO (1995), rev. L. Morse (1995)
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Stenanthium gramineum is a widespread, but infrequent perennial herb that is largely within the southeastern United States. Information for this species is skeletal. It is rare to uncommon rangewide. Surveys are needed to better understand the species' distribution, abundance, threats, and trends. See each variety of this species for additional information.
Range Extent Comments
Stenanthium gramineum occurs in the largely within the southeastern United States from Pennsylvania west to Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and south to North Carolina, the panhandle of Florida and Texas (Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team (2022).
Occurrences Comments
In North and South Carolina, this species can be frequent in the mountains. However, it is uncommon or rare across the rest of the species range.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Only one other species in the genus occurs in North America, and its range does not overlap with S. gramineum. This western species, S. occidentale, is distinguished by nodding, bell-shaped flowers. The genus Stenanthium is distinguished from other eastern North American Liliaceae by its terminal, paniculate inflorescence, its grasslike leaves, leafy stem from a bulb, small flowers, and petals fused and widest at the base (Radford et al. 1968, Gleason and Cronquist 1991)

Habitat

Thin woodlands, cut-over woodland borders, and meadows (Radford et al. 1968); rich woods, thickets, & borders of bottoms (var. gramineum), upland woods (var. micranthum) (Fernald 1950); moist woods and meadows (Gleason and Cronquist 1991); sandy prairie and open oak woods (Indiana) (Deam 1940); rich mesic floodplains and forests (Illinois) (Herkert 1991)

Reproduction

Flowers perfect or unisexual. According to Fernald, "the racemiform branches" have all staminate or staminate and perfect flowers, and the "terminal unbranched spiciform axis" has perfect flowers (Fernald 1950). Spreads by underground offshoots from the bulb (Steyermark 1963).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodWoodland - HardwoodGrassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiS1Yes
IndianaS1Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
West VirginiaS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
OhioS2Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
MarylandS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSXYes
TexasSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
ArkansasS3Yes
FloridaSNRYes
LouisianaS3Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
MissouriSNRYes
MichiganSNANo
AlabamaSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
IllinoisS1Yes
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, SUMMER-FLOWERING, FALL-FLOWERING
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (31)
Alabama (2)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Cheaha ATalladega National Forest236
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Georgia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Lance CreekChattahoochee National Forest9,025
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Tate BranchChattahoochee National Forest1,069
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Burden FallsShawnee National Forest485
North Carolina (12)
AreaForestAcres
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Big Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest1,155
Boteler PeakNantahala National Forest4,205
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Craggy MountainPisgah National Forest2,657
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
Sharptop Ridge (addition)Nantahala National Forest600
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
South Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bee CoveSumter National Forest3,025
Big MountainSumter National Forest2,337
Ellicott Rock 2Sumter National Forest517
Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
References (10)
  1. Deam, C. C. 1940. Flora of Indiana. Division of Forestry, Dept. of Conservation, Indianapolis, Indiana. 1236 pp.
  2. Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. Corrected printing (1970). D. Van Nostrand Company, New York. 1632 pp.
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
  4. Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.
  5. Herkert, J., ed. 1991c. Endangered and threatened species of Illinois: Status and distribution. Volume 1 - Plants. Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, Springfield. 158 pp.
  6. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  7. Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp.
  8. Steyermark, J.A. 1963. Flora of Missouri. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames. 1728 pp.
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2022. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 24, 2022. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2022 pp.
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).