238 GRASSES OF IOWA. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF EATONIA. 



Upper empty glume rounded-obovate, very obtuse; panicle usunlly dense 



—E. obtusata. 1 . 



Upper empty glume oblanceolate, obtuse or acutish, panicle longer and 



more empty E. Pennsylvanica. " . 



1. EATONIA OBTUSATA. 



Eatonia obtusata Gray. Man. 558. 1856. (2nd ed.) Watson and 

 Coulter. Gray. Man. Bot. 659 pi. 10. 1890. (6th ed.) Scribner. Grasses 

 of Tenn. Bull. Univ. Tenn. Agr. Exp Sta. 7: 100. f. 134. 1894 



Eatonia obtusata (Michx.) Gray. Beal. Grasses of N. A. 2: 492. /. 98 

 1896. Mash, in Britton and Brown . 111. Fl. 1: 192. /. 441. 1896 

 Scribner. Bull. U. S. Uept. Agr. Div. Agros. 7: 258. /. 252. 1900 

 (3d ed.) 



Eatonia obtusata var. robusta Vasey. Beal. Grasses of N. A. 2 

 493. 1892. 



Aira obtusata Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 62. 1803. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Blunt Scaled Eatonia or Early Bunch Grass. A tutted 

 perennial, i4 to 2 feet (3-5 dm.) high, very variable, with Hat Leaves 

 and rather densely-flowered, nodding panicles. Sheaths smooth or pubes- 

 cent, longer or shorter than the internodes ; ligule about 1 line (2 mm.) 

 long; leaf-blade 3 to 4 lines (6-8 mm.) wide, 4 to 6 inches (8-12 cm.) 

 long, scabrous on both sides and often downy. Panicle densely flowered, 

 3 to 4 inches (6-9 cm.) long. Spikelets a little over 1 line (2 mm.) 

 long; two to three-flowered; lower empty glume narrowly linear, cris- 

 tate, one-nerved, about 1 line (2 mm.) long, the upper of equal length, 

 very broadly obovate, three-nerved, hispid on the dorsal surface; flower- 

 ing glume oblong, carinate, hispid on the keel above. Low ground, 

 chiefly along streams, usually in shade; March to August. See figure 

 1 66. on page 236. 



Eatonia obtusata is widely distributed on sterile hills and gravelly 

 knolls. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Iowa. Ame>. ids and 159 and 8 (Ball, Crozier 1152, Louthan, 

 Weaver, Craig, P. H. Rolfs, Hitchcock, Sirrine, Bessey, Thurber 1089, 

 E. R. Wilson 1069, C. A. Wilson, Bessey) ; Eagle Grove (Crozier) ; 

 Emmet County, 1047 (Cratty) ; Marshalltown (R. B. Eckles) ; Green- 

 field (Stewart); Van Cleve (Warden); Colfax, 779 (Mead); Du- 

 buque, Council Bluffs, O67 and 908, Elmore, Minn., Iowa-Minnesota 

 line, Jefferson 1 43 1 , Carroll 660, Missouri Valley, Eagle Grove 



