328 Bulletin No. 205 [March, 



Zizania palustris L. 

 Wild Rice. AVater Oats. Indian Rice (Fig. 107) 



Zizania aquatica, Lapham '57, 544, 561 (Plate 1, Fig. 2); Babeock '73, 96; 

 Patterson '76, 49; Flagg '78, 279; Brendel '87, 63; Higley and Eaddin '91, 140; 

 Huett '97, 129; Cowles '00, 155. 



Culms erect, 3 to 10 feet tall ; sheaths loose, smooth ; ligule mem- 

 branous, 5 to 6 mm. long; blades 1 to 3 feet long, 1.5 to 4 cm. wide, 

 smooth ; panicles 1 to 2 feet long ; pistillate spikelets 8 to 24 mm. long, 

 avv'ned ; staminate, 6 to 12 mm. long, not awned. 



This species was once very abundant in Illinois but is now rare. 

 Patterson '76 describes it as being very common along the margins 

 of ponds and sloughs. Mr. R. E. Richardson of the Illinois State 

 Laboratory of Natural History, who is stationed at Havana, says that 

 from inquiries he has made there seems to be no doubt that prior to 

 1900 wild rice was abundant along the Illinois river as far north as 

 the head of Peoria lake. In that year the permanent increase in water 

 levels caused by the addition of water from Lake Michigan probably 

 led to its extermination in many situations, tho it is reported to be 

 still found along Rice lake and Beebe lake. Mr. Elmer Caldwell, 

 formerly a member of the State Fish Commission, has reported it from 

 his land around Slim lake and Moulden lake, which are not far from 

 West Matanzas lake. One of the old residents of Havana reports that 

 in the '90 's a Mr. Thomas High used to cut it regularly for hay on 

 his land about Duck lake. 



COOK CO. Chicago, Babeock, Aug., 1874; Desplains river, Lyons, A. Chase, 

 Aug., 1901; Thornton, Hill, Sept., 1866. du page CO. Hinsdale, Smith, Sept., 

 1902. FULTON CO. Canton, Wolf; Breeds, Clinton, Aug., 1897. kankakee CO. 

 In Kankakee river. Hill, Aug., 1870. lake CO. Fourth lake, Walcott, Aug., 1911. 

 MCHENRY CO. Kingwood, Vasey. peoria co. Peoria, Brendel. union co. Bluff 

 lake, Seijmoxir. will co. Joliet, Skeels, Aug., 1904. 



14. HOMALOCENCHRUS Mieg. 



These grasses are found in wet, usually marshy places and are 

 easily distinguished by their panicles of laterally flattened spikelets, 

 their narrow, rough leaves, and very short membranous ligules. The 

 spikelets are perfect, the glumes obsolete. There are two kinds of 

 panicles, however, — a broad, spreading one, in which the spikelets are 

 usually sterile, and a small, narrow, hidden one inclosed by the sheath, 

 in which the spikelets ripen seed. The species are all native to Illinois. 



Spikelets longer than broad, with bristly hairs on the margins and veins, the sur- 

 face pubesco7it. 



Spikelets 2.5 to 3.5 mm. long, sparsely covered with short, stiff hairs all of 



the same length; branches single. H. virginicus 



Spikelets 4 to 5 mm. long, with longer, stiifer hairs around the margin; 



branches fascicled. H. ori/soides 



Spikelets about as broad as long, with strong, bristly hairs on margins and veins, 



the surface smooth and glabrous. ' S. Icnticularis 



