71 



It ia an elesaiit form of 



No. 232. Stipa leucotricha Trin. & Enpr. Bearded Mesqnite. 



Au erect ]>ereiii)ial 1 to 3 feet bigli, with very nnrrow leaves aud a loose pauicle- 

 witli a ft'W loiiff-awDed spikclets. One of the best native hay grasses of oentnil 

 and southern Texas. 



No. 233. Stipa pemiata Linn. Feather-gra.s8. 



A native of southern Europe, 1 to 2 feet liigh, growing in dry, open ground, aud 

 often fultivated in gardens as an ornamental, the very long, slender awns being 

 clothed with spreading, silky hairs, presenting a very graceful plume-like 

 appearance. A variety of this grass {Stipa i^ennaia neo-mexicana) grows wild in 

 the mountain regions of western Texas aud Arizona, 

 the species, growing in clumps 6 1o 12 inches in di- 

 ameter, and is deserving the attention of the Hori.st. 



No. 234. Stipa setigera Presl. Bear-grass. 



A native of California, extending northward to Oregon 

 and eastward through New Mexico and Arizona to 

 Texas. It is common on the coast ranges and on 

 the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where it is re. 

 garded as one of the most valuable of the native 

 bunch gras.ses. 



No. 235. Stipa spartea Trin. Torcnpine-grass. 



Rather stout, 18 inches to 3 feet high, with long leaves 

 and few-flowered panicles. The stout and twisted 

 awns are 3 to 6 inches long, and at the base 

 of the tloweriug glume is a long aud very sharp- 

 pointed callus. When mature, the awned llowering 

 glumes soon fall off, leaving the large, pale, straw- 

 colored, |)ersistent empty glumes, which impart to 

 the panicle a characteristic oat-like appearance. 

 The awns, when dry, are bent and very strongly 

 twisted, but when moistened they gradually untwist, 

 a character which enables the seeds to bury them- 

 selves in the ground, this being possible on account 

 of the very sharp callus at the base of the fruiting 

 srlume. The same character also rendci's the seeds 

 of this grass dangerous to sheep, as they readily 

 become attached to the wool, and may penetrate the 

 tlesh of the animal, causing serious injur}-. Aside 

 from this danger of affecting the quality of the 

 wool, and possibly the life of the sheep, this grass 

 may be considered a good forage plant, as it makes a very good hay, although 

 somewhat coarse. It is particularly common in ihe prairie regions of Iowa, 

 Nebraska, South Dakota, aud Minnesota, extending westward to the Rocky 

 Mountains, where it frequently occurs upon the dry foothills and bench lands. 

 This is the Bntfalo-grass of the Saskatchewan region. In some localities it is 

 known as Needle-grass, but that name is reserved for Jrisiida fasciciilata. It is 

 also known as "wild oats" in North Dakota. 



No. 236. Stipa tenacissima Linn. Esparto. 



A native of the sandy regions of southwestern Europe and northern Africa. It is a 

 tall perennial, with long, stiff, and very tough leaves, from which ropes, baskets, 

 mats, hats, and other articles are woven. The leaves are employed largely in 

 England and this country in the manufacture of paper, for which purpose this 

 grass is superior to straw. It is one of the most important articles of export 

 from Algeria, and from northern Africa and .'^pain more than 2,000 tons of Esparto 

 are exported to Great Britain annually. " Ten tons of dry Esparto, worth from 

 $18 to $25 per ton, can be obtained from an acre under favorable circumstances.'* 



Fig. 86.— St. Augustine-grasa 

 ( Stenotaphrvm dimidiat'u.m) . 



