. Common plants of longleaf pine-bluestem range. Plant ecology; Grasses; Forage plants. COMMON CARPETGRASS Axonopus affinis Chase Carpetgrass differs markedly in growth habit from most southern range grasses. Under favorable conditions it spreads rapidly by stolons, developing a dense sod. The best carpetgrass site is a moist, medium- to fine-textured soil where grazing is in- tense. On dry, sandy soils it occurs sparingly, growing in shallow depressions or as small, widely scattered colonies along animal trails and on in- tensely grazed areas. Where use is light, carpetgrass cannot compete su
. Common plants of longleaf pine-bluestem range. Plant ecology; Grasses; Forage plants. COMMON CARPETGRASS Axonopus affinis Chase Carpetgrass differs markedly in growth habit from most southern range grasses. Under favorable conditions it spreads rapidly by stolons, developing a dense sod. The best carpetgrass site is a moist, medium- to fine-textured soil where grazing is in- tense. On dry, sandy soils it occurs sparingly, growing in shallow depressions or as small, widely scattered colonies along animal trails and on in- tensely grazed areas. Where use is light, carpetgrass cannot compete successfully with taller grasses. On a Louisiana range that had been grazed heavily for 12 years, it comprised 15 percent of the vegetation. During 3 years after grazing was discontinued, it declined to 3 percent. Slender flower stalks up to 2 feet tall are pro- duced throughout the growing season. The inflor- escence consists of two to four slender racemes 1 to 3 inches long. Leaf blades are mostly 4 to 6 inches long and about xk inch wide, with bluntly rounded tips. Vegetatively, carpetgrass resembles St. Augustine grass, Stenotaphrum seciindatum (Walt.) Kuntze, and centipedegrass, Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack. Its inflorescence consists of several racemes, however, while that of the other grasses is a solitary spike. Big carpetgrass, A. furcatas (Fl'ugge) Hitchc, and tropical carpetgrass, A. compressus (Swartz) Beauv., also grow on southern pine forest ranges. Their characteristics and forage values are similar to those of common carpetgrass. Common carpetgrass is nutritious and highly palatable throughout the growing season. Al- though cattle usually prefer it over most of the associated grasses, it is too sparse on well-managed ranges to contribute much forage. Grazing intense- ly enough to maintain carpetgrass stands adversely affects soil conditions and pine regeneration; it also leaves little forage for winter use. Carpetgrass is valuable mainly as cover on range a
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