GRASSES OF IOWA. 315 



vex on the back, five to seven-nerved, pointed or awned from the tip; 

 palet flattened, bristly-ciliate on the nerves, adherent to the groove of the 

 grain. Stamens 3. (Name from Greek words for field and wheat.) 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF AGROPYRON. 



A. Culms tufted, no creeping rootstock or stolons. 



1. Flowering glumes long-awned. 



a. Culm stout; spike stout, somewhat one-sided; awn 3-4 times as 



long as the flowering glume . A. Richardsoni? . 



b. Culm slender, spike rather slender; awn 1-2 times as long as 



the flowering glume A . caninutn " . 



2. Flowering glumes awn-pointed or awnless A. tenerum . : . 



B. Culms from creeping rootstocks. 



1. Flowering glumes glabrous or only scabrous. 



a . Spikelets compressed , ascending A . occidental . 4 . 



b. Spikelets narrow, nearly clindrical, erect. 



(1) Leaves becoming involute, scabrous on both sides. 



— A.pseudo-repens ." . 



(2) Leaves flat, smooth below, pubescent above. 



— A. repens."'. 



2. Flowering glume pubescent A. occidentale var. molle . 5 . 



1. AGROPYRON RICHARDSONI. 



Agropyron Richardsoni Schrad. Linnaea 12: 467. 1838. (fide Kew Index. ) 

 Scribner. Bull. U. S. Dept. Agrl. Div. Agros. 17: 301. /. 5^7. 1899. Shear. 

 Bull. U. S. Dept. Agrl. Div. Agros. 4: 29. 1897. 



Agropyron caninum (L) R. and S. Nash in Britton and Brown. 111. 

 Fl. 1: 228 (in part.) 



Agropyrum uni/atera/e Cassidy. Bull. Colo. Agrl. Exp. Sta. 12: 63. 

 1890. 



Agropyrum violacescens Beal. Grasses of N. A. 2: 635. 1896. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Richardson's Wheat Grass. An erect, smooth perennial, 3 to 

 4 feet (6-8 dm.) high, with rather rough, involute, pointed leaves, and 

 erect, usually one-sided, bearded spikes, 14 to 20 inches (7-10 cm.) 

 long. Spikelets three to four, with long-awned, flowering glumes 4 to 

 4]- lines (8-9 mm.) long. Dry soil. June to September. 



Considered a good forage plant. 



distribution. 



Iozva. Armstrong 3269 and 3264 (Pammel) ; Ames (Sirrine, 

 Stewart (679 Combs and Ball) ; Ontario 3274 (Faurot) ; Armstrong 

 (Cratty) ; Cedar Falls (Carver) ; Milford (Shimek). 



