3 o 4 THE WHEAT PLANT 



All the forms are very early with the erect spring habit, and belong to Groups 

 I., II., and V. 



The Indian forms have yellowish-green leaves, slender straw, and lax ears 

 (D = 17-21), with the spikelets sometimes arranged irregularly on the rachis. 



The South African and Californian forms are similar, but have denser ears 



(D = 22-27). 



The Persian forms are distinct from these, having bluish-green leaves, taller 

 straw and ears with broader inflated glumes, and tortuose or hooked awns 

 often 1-2 cm. long. 



1. Sonora. An early form received from California. It comes into ear 

 at Reading at the end of May. 



Young shoots, erect. 



Straw, slender, of medium height, 90-102 cm. (about 36-40 inches) high; 

 leaves pale yellowish-green. 



Ear, lax, 9-10 cm. long, 15 mm. across the face, 10-12 mm. across the side ; 

 spikelets 21, spreading ; D = 22-26 (Ear type i, Fig. 185). 



Empty glume, 8 mm. long ; apex narrowed ; apical tooth acute, 1-5 mm. long ; 

 flowering glumes with awns 3-8 mm. long (15, Fig. 165). 



Grain, flinty, 6-2 mm. long, 3-65 mm. broad, 3-15 mm. thick. 



Closely similar forms with more hairy leaf-surfaces were obtained from 

 Rhodesia under the name Victoria, and from the Transvaal under the name 

 Rooi Wol Koren. 



A form resembling Sonora, but with laxer ears (D = 20-22) and slender straw 

 about 114 cm. (45 inches) high, was sent from Bombay, the Punjab, and other 

 parts of India. 



From Sind, India, I obtained two lax forms (D = 17-18) of var. Delfiiwith ears 

 10-11 cm. long, one of them possessing awns 1-5-2 cm. long on the flowering 

 glumes of the upper spikelets (Ear type 2, Fig. 184). 



2. Kalkori. Sent by Sir Percy Sykes from Khorasan, Persia, where it is 

 grown as a rain-fed or non-irrigated crop. 



Young shoots, erect. 



Straw, of medium height, 100 cm. (about 39 inches) high ; leaves bluish- 

 green. 



Ear, lax, 9-10 cm. long ; spikelets swollen, 19-20, somewhat irregularly 

 arranged on the rachis ; D = 21 (Ear type i, Fig. 179). 



Empty glume, inflated, 8 mm. long, 4-5 mm. broad, more or less keeled to the 

 base ; apical tooth 2-3 mm. long, narrow and strongly curved inwards ; flower- 

 ing glumes with short tortuose and hook-like awns 1-2 cm. long (4, Fig. 165). 



Grain, flinty, 6-5 mm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, 3-35 mm. thick. 



Associated with it is a similar semi-bearded form with straighter awns 2-3 

 cm. long. 



Ear beardless ; glumes red, pubescent ; grain red. 



T. vulgare, var. pyrothrix, Korn. Handb. d. Getr. i. 46 (1885). 

 i. A very early form, received from the Punjab, the United Provinces, and 

 other parts of India. It comes into ear at Reading about May 20. 



