1918] The Grasses of Illinois 373 



This was one of the important grasses of the prairie and it is still 



found thruont the state. It is an excellent forage grass. 



CASS CO. Chandlerville, Seymour, Aug., 1886. cakroll CO. Savanna, A 

 Chase 1886. champaign co. Experiment Station, Urbana, Clinton, Oct., 1897 

 COOK CO. Summit, Umhach, July, 1901; Palatine, Gates 1895.2. du page CO 

 Without locality, by railroad track, Moffatt, Aug., 1891. fulton co. Without 

 locality, Pepoon. jo daviess co. Without locality, Pepoon, Aug., 1908; hen 

 DERSON CO. Oquawka, Patterson. Kankakee co. Kankakee, De Selm, Oct. 

 1913; Kankakee, Hill, July, 1874. mchenry co. Algonquin, Nason, Aug., 1878 

 MASON CO. Manito, Wilcox, July, 1902; Havana, Gleason, Aug., 1903. menard 

 CO. Athens, Hall in 1862 and 1864. peoria co. Peoria, Brendel; Peoria, Mc 

 Donald, Aug., 1887; Princeville, V. H. Chase 1875. ogle co. Oregon, Waite 

 Sept., 1887. ST. CLAIR co. Mascoutah, Welsch. avill co. Troy township. Hill 

 Sept., 1906; Joliet, Skeels, Sept., 1904. winnebago co. Fountaindale, M. S 

 Bebb. WOODFORD co. Kappa, Seymour, Sept., 1879. 



Bouteloua gracilis H. B. K. 



(Fig. 197) 



Bouteloua oligostachya, Patterson '76, 50; Flagg '78, 281; Brendel '87, 88; 

 Gleason '10, 149. 



Culms erect, 6 to 20 inches tall ; sheaths smooth ; blades smooth, 1 

 to 5 inches long, about 2 mm. wide, often involute; spikes 1 to 3, 

 2 to 5 cm. long; spikelets 5 to G mm. long; glumes narrow, the first 

 about half as long as the second, which is glabvous or has a few long 

 hairs on the keel ; fertile lemma split up into three points at the summit, 

 each of these with a short awn; sterile lemma with two lobes at the 

 end and three short awns, with a tuft of long hairs at the base. 



This species has the general appearance of B. liirsuta. It is a 

 prairie species found in the same situations as the other species of the 

 genus, tho it is much less common. 



JO DAVIESS CO. Without locality, Pepoon 173. 



Bouteloua hirsuta Lag. 

 Hairy Mesquite. Black Grama (Figs. 196 and 198) 



Atheropogon papilhis, Engclmnnn '44, 104. Chondrosium hirtum, Lapham 

 '57, 571 (Plate 2, Fig. 4). Bouteloua hirsuta, Vasey '61; Patterson '76, 50; 

 Flagg '78, 281; Brendel '87, 88; McDonald '00, 103; Gleason '10, 148. 



Culms 8 to 20 inches tall, the leaves crowded at the base; sheaths 

 usually smooth, sometimes prominently papillose-pubescent ; blades 1 

 to 5 inches long, 2 to 3 mm. wide, sparsely ciliate on the margins, 

 usually involute when dry ; spikes single or at most 2 or 3, 1 to 2 

 inches long, the rachis extending as a prominent point beyond the 

 spikelets ; spikelets 5 to 6 mm. long, the glumes with prominent, usually 

 black papillae, bearing long hairs, the lemma split up into three awn- 

 like points, the sterile floret bearing three awns. 



This species is found on sandy prairie ground, tho it does not extend 

 as far north as B. curtipendida. Like that species it is a good forage 

 grass. 



