152 



GRASSES OF IOWA. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Marsh Fox Tail. A slen- 

 der perennial, more or less 

 decumbent, and branched at 

 the base, the lower joints 

 geniculate ,the stems finally 

 ascending or erect, 6 to 24 

 inches (1-5 dm.) high, with 

 rather short, spreading, flat 

 leaves and spike-like, densely 

 flowered panicles, 1 to 3 

 inches (2-6 cm.) long. 

 Sheaths smooth, the upper 

 usually somewhat inflated; 

 ligule I to 2 lines (2-4 mm.) 

 long; leaf-blades smooth or a 

 little scabrous, the lower 3 to 

 6 inches (6-12 cm.) long, the 

 upper shorter, 1 to 3 lines (2- 

 6 mm.) wide. Spikelets 

 strongly compressed laterally, 

 oblong, about one line long; 

 empty glumes rather obtuse, 

 equal, nearly distinct or only 

 slightly connate near the base, 

 silk\-, hairy on the keels and 

 sparingly pilose on the sides ; 

 flowering glume a little 

 shorter than the outer ones, 

 awned from near the base ; awn very slender, nearly twice as long as 

 the glumes. Wet meadows, banks of streams and ditches throughout 

 the United States, and from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Maj 

 to September. Common along all of the larger streams, abundant 

 along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Iowa. Sedan, 337.; ( Pummel) ; Ames (Rich and Gossard) ; Des 

 Moines (Carver); Lyon County, Johnson County (Shimek); Osgood 

 (Roberts;; Maquoketa (Goodenow) ; Armstrong, Emmet County, 

 Lyon County (Cratty) ; Lake Okoboji (Hitchcock) ; low a City (Mac- 

 bride, Shimek, Bartsch) ; Johnson Count}- (Mis- Linder) ; Decatur 

 County, (Shimek). 



North America. Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. Ontario. Mani- 

 toba, Vancouver north to lat. 55 ; from Maine south to New York 



Fro. 103. Alopecurus geniculalus—a, b, -pike 



lets; c, flowering glume. (Div. of Agros. U. S 

 Dept. Agrl. ) 



