HOW TO KNOW THE GRASSES 



8a. Spikelets unisexual, the pistillate ones with lemmas each bearing 

 3 long awns, the staminate ones awnless; stolon-bearing plants of 

 the southwestern states. Fig. 46. 



BURRO GRASS 



Scleropogon brevUoUus Phil. 



Figure 46 



Burro grass is a low perennial, 10 — 20 

 cm. tall, spreading by stolons and mak- 

 ing patches. Staminate and pistillate 

 inflorescences on the same or different 

 plants. The inflorescences are small 

 tufts of a few erect spikelets. Each 

 pistillate spikelet has a number of 

 florets, which are shed from the glumes 

 as a unit, covered with numerous awns. 

 Each lemma looks much like a floret of 

 Aristida, with three long awns. The 

 sharp awns and callus of the pistillate 

 lemmas can penetrate hair, wool, and 

 facial tissues of grazing animals. Bur- 

 ro grass tends to replace more desirable 

 grasses on overgrazed lands of the arid 

 Southwest. Forage value very low. 

 June — September. 



8b. Spikelets perfect or sterile, the lemmas awnless or with single 

 awns; tufted plants of humid areas; stolons lacking. Fig. 47. 



CRESTED DOGTAIL 



CynosuTus cristatus L. 



Figure 47 



Perennial; tufted, culms 30 — 60 cm. tall. The 

 sterile spikelets are paired with fertile ones 

 in the same inflorescence. The sterile spike- 

 let is made up of slender empty owned lem- 

 mas. Inflorescence a dense, spikelike pani- 

 cle. Dogtail is a European grass which has 

 been imported for use in lawn and meadow 

 seed mixtures. It is occasionally found in 

 lawns, pastures and waste places in the east- 

 ern states and also in the Pacific Northwest. 

 Apparently it has httle value for forage. June 

 — August. 



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