GRASSES OF IOWA. 155 



It is not common in Iowa, has spread chiefly from fields where it 

 has been introduced as a forage plant. It is, however, of little value 

 as a forage plant in this state. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Iowa. Ames, 154 (Ball, Stewart, Si nine, Hodson). 



North America. Naturalized in meadows from Nova Scotia to 

 southern New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio; Michigan and Oregon. 



General. Europe, northern Africa, Siberia, Dahuria and western 

 Asia, to northwestern India. 



9. SPOROBOLUS. 



SporobolusK. Br. Prodr. 1: 169. 1810. Endlicher. Gen. PI. 89. Ben- 

 tham and Hooker. Gen. PI. 3: 1148. Hackel in Engler and Prantl. Nat. 

 Pflanz. Fam. II. 2: 49. /. 51. Scribner. Bull. U. S. Dept. Agrl. Div. Agros. 

 20: 73. 1900. (Rev. ed.) 



Vilfa Beauv. Agros. 16. pi. 5. f. 8. 1812. 



Agrosticula Raddi. Agros. Bras. 33. pi. 1. /. J. 



Triachyrum Hochst. Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. 1: 186 1855. 



Cryptostachys Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. 1: 181. 1855. 



Diachyrim Griseb. PI. Lorentz. 209. pi. 2. f. 8. 1874. 



Spcrmachiton Llanos. Frag. PI. Filip. 25. 1851. 



Spikelets small, 1- (rarely 2-) flowered, in an open or contracted 

 or spiked panicle. Lower glumes persistent, 1 to 3-nerved, not awned 

 or -pointed, the lower smaller; flowering glume of the same texture as 

 the lower ones (membranaceo-chartaceous) and usually longer than 

 they, naked ,awnless and mostly pointless, 1 -nerved (rarely somewhat 3- 

 nerved) ; palet similar, 2-nerved. Stamens chiefly 3. Stigma simply 

 feathery. Grain globular to oblong or cylindrical, deciduous, often very 



