August, 1955 



EvERS: Hill Prairies of Illinois 



425 



Danthonia spicata (L.) Eeauv. ex 

 Roem. ^- Schult. Poverty oat-grass was 

 observed in rock prairie at Devil's Back- 

 bone. It is usually found in dry woodlands. 



Elyinus canadensis L. Canada wild- 

 rye was found in 16 of the 61 hill prai- 

 ries visited. 



Elymus virffinicus L. Virginia wild- 

 rye was found in three hill prairies. It 

 was more common in the adjacent wood- 

 lands than in prairie areas. 



Eragrostis capillaris (L.) Nees. Lace- 

 grass, a species of fields, clearings, rock 

 ledges, and glades, was collected from hill 

 prairie areas only on the rocky slope at 

 Fountain Bluff. 



^Eragrostis cilianensis (All.) Lutati. 

 Stinkgrass was found only on the dis- 

 turbed crest of the bluff-ridge at Clen- 

 denny. 



Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. 

 Purple lovegrass was found scattered in 

 17 loess prairies. 



Festuca octoflora ^Valt. Six-weeks fes- 

 cue (including the variety tenella) ivas 

 observed in six hill prairies, either on 

 rocky or loess slopes. It \vas seen also 

 on limestone ledges at three prairie sites. 



Hordeum pusillum Nutt. Little barley 

 was found only at Phegley hill prairie. 



Koeleria cristata (L.I Pers. Junegrass 

 occurred in scattered patches in 14 hil! 

 prairies, but it was never abundant. 



Leptoloma cognatum (Schult.) Chase. 

 Fall witchgrass, more frequent in sand 

 prairie than in hill prairie, was observed 

 at only two sites. Hidden Lake and Dev- 

 il's Backbone. 



Melica nitens (Scribn.) Nutt. ex Piper. 

 Three-flower melic, a plant of rocky 

 woods, bluffs, and glades, was found 

 growing at Chautauqua on stony prairie 

 slopes, at Valmeyer and Fults on the rock 

 ledges. 



Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin. 

 This muhly of rocky or sandy woodlands 

 was found only in rock prairie at Go\ - 

 ernment Rock. 



Muhlenbergia cuspidata (Torr. ) Rydb. 

 Plains muhly. a plant of rocky bluffs, 

 sandy woods, and loess hills, was found 

 only in loess at Bluff Springs. 



Slithlenbergia racemosa (Michx.) 

 B.S.P. This species occurred on loess 

 slopes at Wiersma, on rock-strewn slopes 



of El Rancho, and on rock ledges at Foun- 

 tain Bluff' anS Sampson. 



Panicuw capillare L. W'itchgrass was 

 observed in two hill prairies, Bluff Springs 

 and Richwood. 



Panicum dichotomum L. This panic 

 grass was collected on the stony slopes at 

 Fountain Bluff. 



Panicum huachucae Ashe. [P. lanugi- 

 nosum var. jasciculatum (Torr.) Fern.] 

 This prairie species of panic grass was 

 found in five hill prairies on the bluffs of 

 the Mississippi River. 



Panicum linearifolium Scribn. This 

 species, usually of dry woods, was found 

 on stony slopes of Fountain Bluff and 

 Government Rock. 



Panicum scribnerianum Nash. [F. oli- 

 gosanthes var. scribnerianum (Nash) 

 Fern.] This species was seen in 27 hill 

 prairies, mostly on loess but occasionally 

 on rocky slopes. 



Panicum sphaerocarpon Ell. This pan- 

 icum of sand\ soil was collected at Pheg- 

 ley hill prairie in loess. 



Panicum tennesseense Ashe. \P. lanu- 

 ginosum var. jasciculatum (Torr.) 

 Fern.] This plant grew in loess at Me- 

 nominee Station and on stony slopes at 

 Standard. 



Panicum rirgatum L. Switchgrass, 

 common throughout most types of prairie 

 in Illinois, was observed in hill prairie 

 only at South Palisades and Hill-Top. 



Paspalum stramineum Nash. This spe- 

 cies was found in loess of five hill prai- 

 ries. 



*Poa compressa L. Canada bluegrass 

 occurred on two loess slopes and also two 

 stony slopes. 



Poa pratensis L. Kentucky bluegrass 

 was found in more than 20 hill prairies. 

 In some it was locally dominant but more 

 often occurred scattered throughout the 

 prairie area. It becomes dominant in pas- 

 tures, and spreads from them. 



*Setaria lutcscens (Weigel) Hubb. 

 [S. glauca ( L. ) Beauv.] \'ellow bristle- 

 gra.-s, or yellow foxtail, was found at 

 Hidden Lake in loe-s and on the rock 

 ledges at Valmeyer. 



*Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. Green 

 bristlegrass, or green foxtail, was seen on 

 three prairie slopes. It was more common 

 on rock ledges than in hill prairie. 



