202 



GRASSES OF IOWA. 



Lepturus paniculatus Nutt. 

 Gen. 1: 81. 1818. 



Schedonnardus Texanus Steud. 

 Syn. PI. Gram. 146. 1854. Watson 

 and Coulter Gray. Man. Bot. 655. 

 1890. 



Rottboellia paniculata Spreng. 

 Syst. 1: 1825. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Texan Crab Grass. A low, 

 diffusely branching annual, with 

 short, narrow leaves and numer- 

 ous slender, paniculate spikes, 1-4 

 inches (2-10 cm.) long, and 

 tufted stems iKom \ to 3 feet 

 (1 to 9dm) high. Sheaths loose, 

 compressed ; ligule acute, lacer- 

 ate, decurrent ; leaf-blades plain 

 or folded, spirally twisted, 

 smooth, 2-3 inches (5 to 8 cm.) 

 long. Spikelets sessile and ap- 

 pressed, \\ to 2 inches (3 to 4 

 mm.) long, alternate; empty 

 glumes lanceolate, 1 -nerved; 

 flowering glume 3-nerved, scab- 

 rous on the keel, slightly pubes- 

 cent at the base. Palet ovate, 

 2-nerved, 2.5-3 mm. long. 



Fig. 142. Schedonnardus paniculatus— a, 



spike; b, spikelet ; c, flowering glume; d, 

 palea. (Div. Agros. U. S. Dept. Agrl. ) 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Iowa. N. W. Iowa, Lyon County (Shimek). 



North America. From western Minnesota, northwestern Iowa; 

 through Nebraska (Hastings; Broken Bow, 14; Alma, 15, North 

 Platte; Kearney; McCook, 236, 380; Crete, 214; Oxford, 263 Pam- 

 mel), Kansas, western Arkansas; South Dakota (Pierre, Griffith); 

 to Texas (Thurow), New Mexico (Chaves, Tracy; Parry. 235), 

 Colorado (Ft. Collins, F. D. Ball; Greeley, Larimer County, Pammel ; 

 Ft. Collins, Cowen), Wyoming (Headwaters Missouri and Yellow- 

 stone Rivers, Hayden), Montana, Alberta and Manitoba. 



