90 



GRASSES OF IOWA. 



description. 



Italian Millet or 

 Hungarian Grass. A 



stout, erect, somewhat 

 glaucous annual, 3 to 8 

 feet (10-24 dm.) high, 

 with broad leaves and 

 large, dense, compound, 

 spiciform panicles 3 to 

 8 inches (8-20 cm.) in 

 length. Nodes bearded, 

 with short, appressed 

 hairs; leaf-blades lanceo- 

 late, narrowed at the 

 base, long-acuminate, 8 

 to 16 inches (2-4 dm.) 

 long, I to i| inches (iJ,- 

 3 cm.) wide, scabrous. 

 Panicles dense, cylindri- 

 cal. ! 2 to I \ inches (2-3 

 cm.) in diameter; rachis 

 densely villous; setae one 

 to three, green or pur- 

 plish, antrorsely sca- 

 brous. Spikelets elliptical, 

 strongly convex, \\ to 2 

 lines (2^-3 mm.) long, 

 obtuse ; second and third 

 glumes about equalling 

 the flowering glume, five to seven-nerved ; flowering glume glossy, nearly 

 smooth. Widely cultivated. Quebec to Minnesota, south to Florida 

 and Texas. July to September. 



FfG. 64. Setaria Italica.—a, b, Spikelets with 

 bristles ; c, flowering glume. (Div. Agros. U. S. De.pt. 

 Agrl.) 



This form is usually regarded as only a variety of the Italian Millet, and is only found 

 in cultivation or perhaps springing up from seed on land where cultivated the season 

 previous. The German differs from the Italian Millet in having a more dense or compact, 

 and usually erect panicle or ' 'head. " Widely cultivated in most parts of the world. 



DISTRIBUTTON. 



Iowa. Forms which may be regarded as this have been found in Carnarvon, Carroll, 

 Jefferson (Pammel); 924 Emmet County (Pammel and Cratty); Scott County, (Bartsch) ; 

 Waterloo (Hitchcock). 



North America. Occasionally spontaneous after cultivation in the eastern, southern 

 and northwestern states and on the Pacific Coast. 



