Sleepy grass facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sleepy grass
Line drawing of Achnatherum robustum from Lamson-Scribner's American grasses (illustrated), 1899
Scientific classification
Genus:	Achnatherum
Species:	robustum

Achnatherum robustum, commonly known as sleepy grass, (synonyms Stipa robusta, also Stipa vaseyi subsp. robusta) is a perennial plant in the Poaceae or grass family.

Distribution

It grows on dry soil in the U.S. Midwest, ranging from South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico to Texas and Arizona and Hawaii.

Ecology

Sleepy grass plants harboring a fungal species (of the genus Neotyphodium), contain ergoline compounds, such as lysergic acid amide (common name, ergine). These compounds appear to be responsible for the sedative effects on mammals when they ingest the infected grass.