66 _ The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. XIII, No. 4, 



The typical prairie grasses are the following four species, 



named in the order of their importance : 



Andropogon furcatus Mulil. Big Blue-stem. 

 Andropogon scoparius Mx. Little Blue-stem. 

 Sorghastrum avenaceum (Mx.) Nash. Indian-grass. 

 Panicum virgatum L. Tall Smooth Panic-grass. 



The Big Blue-stem may be regarded as the prairie grass. It 



grows in a close sod and formerly in certain years the flowering 



stems would be over ten feet high. On the richer uplands it grew 



with such luxuriance that the location of cattle and horses could 



frequently not be determined except by the waving of the tall 



stems as they passed through it. The Indian-grass usually 



occurs along with the big blue-stem, while the little blue-stem is 



characteristic of the higher drier slopes and hills. Along with the 



four large grasses mentioned above are the smaller gray-green 



grasses : 



Atheropogon curtipendulus (Mx.) Fourn. Racemed Atheropogon. 

 Bouteloua oligostachya (Xutt.) Torr. Smooth Mesquite-grass. 

 Bouteloua hirsute Lag. Hairy Mesquite-grass. 



In almost pure patches or mixed with the mesquite-grasses, is 

 the very low-growing buffalo-grass. Bulbilis dactyl oides (Nutt.) 

 Raf., the most remarkable of the gray-green grasses of the plains. 

 The patches of buffalo-grass are usually on the poorer clayey 

 banks and slopes, a few yards to a number of rods in extent. The 

 Texas spike-grass, Schedonnardus paniculatus (Nutt.) Trel., is 

 frequently found on the buffalo-grass patches. 



In the wet ravines and level, poorly drained second-bottom 

 lands, Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Willd, tall slough-grass, forms 

 large close patches, and in "gumbo spots" subject to moisture 

 the salt marsh-grass, Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene, occurs. 



On the ends of spurs or ridges between ravines where coyotes, 

 burrowing owls, badgers, and other animals delight in making 

 their burrows and thus cultivate the ground very thoroughly, 

 the western couch-grass, Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) Scribn. & 

 Sm., is often abundant. This grass was formerly the first to grow 

 after the prairie had been burned off in the spring and was thus 

 usually the first available green pasture for the pioneer's cattle. 



There are several sedges on the upland and various species 

 abound in moist ravines and about ponds. Many grasses besides 

 those mentioned above also occur on the u]3land and in the ravines 

 but those named are generally the characteristic species. The 

 Republican River flows through this region with its wide flood- 

 plain and there are here numerous species which do not extend to 

 the ui^land. Such strips or ribbons of vegetation are, however, 

 more or less edaphic and do not belong to the general floristic 

 picture ; just as the forest belts along the streams are not essentially 

 different, except for the small number of species, from the vegeta- 



