GRASSES OF IOWA. 11 



DESCRIPTION. 



Culms variable in height, 6-10 feet (18-30 dm.), several from the 

 same root; ascending branched, staminate racemes short or elongated 

 and drooping; spikelets 2-4 but usually 3 at each node. One or more 

 with short pedicels; empty glume 3-5 nerved, keeled (bicarnate), 

 pistillate spikes, sessile in the axis and terminal; ears small, 4-12 

 rowed, separating more or less readily at the joints; kernels 

 small, 3-4 lines long, white, hard, smooth, ovate, acute, constricted 

 at the base. Sent to Doctor Watson by Professor Duges from 

 Mora Leon about four Mexican leagues from Lake Cuitzo. The 

 natives consider this mais de coyte to be the source of the cultivated 

 varieties of maize. I will append an interesting account of this given 

 by Doctor Watson. 



"Prof. W. H. Brewer, in a communication to Doctor Sturtevant, to be found in 

 the paper of the latter upon "Indian Corn" in the Report of the New York State 

 Agricultural Society for 1878 gives a statement which Roezl, the well known 

 German collector, made to him in 1869 to this effect: that "he found in the State 

 of Guerero a Zea which he thinks specifically distinct, and he thinks undescribed; 

 the ears very small, in two rows truly distichous; the ear (but not each grain 

 separately) covered with a husk, the grain precisely like some varieties of maize, 

 only smaller and harder.'' 



"Specimens of Zea which are in all probability the same that Roezl 

 referred to, were received by me in 1888 from Prof. A. Duges of Guan- 

 ajuato under the designation of ?nais de coyte. It was reported to him 

 as growing wild in Moro Leon, to the south of the State of Guanajuato, 

 and as not at all resembling ordinary varieties of maize. The specimens 

 sent were two very slender stalks about four feet high, with a very 

 small terminal staminate inflorescence but no trace of fertile spikes. 

 These were probably very depauperate stalks, that had been selected for 

 easy carriage. Accompanying them was a united cluster of about half 

 a dozen small ears enveloped in their husks, each about two inches long 

 and bearing a few rows of small white pointed kernels. 



"Some of the peculiarities of this remarkable corn were noted at the 

 time, but nothing more was done until last year, when an attempt was 

 made to grow it at the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, with quite unex- 

 pected results. The corn was planted early under glass, and as soon 

 as danger from frosts was over the plants were transferred to a warm, 

 sunny location, where they soon began to grow vigorously and to send 

 out numerous offshoots from the base. These "suckers" grew as rap- 

 idly as the main stock, so that the plants, which had fortunately been 

 placed some feet apart, had the appearance of "hills" one of the two 

 having nine and the other twelve stalks ascending from a common base. 



