Winter redtop, a slender, fine-leaved open-ground species, is also 

 called ticklegrass and hairgrass because of its large, open panicles 

 with their widely spreading, hairlike branches. The name, winter 

 redtop, is preferred because the other two names have been applied to 

 other grasses. Ticklegrass is a term loosely applied to a number of 

 grasses which have fine panicles; hairgrass is the generally recog- 

 nized English name for plants of the DescJumifpsia, genus. This 

 species appears in some of the manuals as A. hy emails. 



This widely distributed grass occurs throughout most of North 

 America, from the lower valleys, plains, and foothills to alpine situa- 

 tions, up to about 12,000 feet, and is especially characteristic of the 

 cooler- and higher-range areas. The species is common in moist to 

 wet meadows, along streams, in moist canyon bottoms, and dry to 

 moist open woodlands and aspen stands. It thrives under a variety 

 of moisture, conditions, however, as it also appears in drier situa- 

 tions such as sagebrush parks, open well-drained grasslands, rocky 

 scablands, burned-over areas, ponderosa pine stands, dry meadows, 

 and sandy lowlands. Although usually scattered over the range, 

 this grass sometimes grows in moderate abundance in restricted 

 meadow and park areas, waste places, and in moist, denuded sites. 



When young, winter redtop is readily grazed by all classes of 

 livestock but, after heading out, it is utilized very little. The large, 

 finely branched panicles are apparently objectionable to grazing 

 animals and discourage the use of the fine, short leaves. The large 

 ratio of seed-head to foliage prevents consideration of this grass 

 as a really important forage plant despite the fact that it is a 

 very common and widely distributed species. It is generally rated 

 as one of the least palatable of the redtops but, considering its 

 relatively high palatability during the early part of the season, 

 this species merits a rating of fair to fairly good for sheep and 

 fairly good to good for cattle and horses. However, on some range 

 areas, particularly in Utah, Nevada, and Montana, this plant is 

 regarded more highly and is rated up to very good for cattle and 

 good for sheep. In Montana, elk have been observed eating winter 

 redtop with moderate relish. 



In the range country the flowering period is usually from July 

 to September and the seed is ripened and shed during August and 

 September. Hitchcock 1 reports that the broad seed-head some- 

 times breaks away from the plant at maturity and is blown by the 

 wind as a tumbleweed. The purplish seed-heads are sometimes used 

 in flower bouquets for decoration. 



Alpine winter redtop (A. hiema'lis g&minafta^ syn. A. geminafta) 

 is a variety which is confined to the alpine and sub-alpine zones 

 from Alaska to California and Colorado. It is similar to winter 

 redtop in appearance and palatability but is usually less than a foot 

 high and has smaller and less diffuse panicles. The lemmas usually 

 bear a straight, slender awn but are awnless in the more southern 

 portions of its range. A taller, more robust form, A. hienw'lis 

 subre'pens, is a variety sometimes recognized in the Southwest. 



1 Hitchcock, A. S. THE GENERA OF GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES, WITH SPECIAL 

 REFERENCE TO THE ECONOMIC SPECIES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bill. 772, 307 pp., illus. 1920. 



