Tall oatgrass, a leafy, tufted, perennial member of the oat tribe 

 of the grass family (Gramineae), is a native of Europe. Originally 

 introduced into the United States as a meadow grass it was more 

 or less well established in New England and the Tennessee and 

 Ohio Valleys as early as 1884. At that time it was known as ever- 

 green grass, tall oatgrass, and meadow oatgrass. At the present 

 time tall oatgrass is the well-established common name of this 

 species and is particularly descriptive of this tall and oatlike plant. 

 The scientific name is also suitable, the generic part being derived 

 from Greek arren, masculine, and ather, awn, and the specific name 

 from Latin elatiws, taller. The Greek words of the generic name 

 refer to the awn which is borne on the male flower of each spikelet, 

 while the specific name, elastius, of course, refers to the habit of the 

 plant being taller than that of most oat (A vena) plants. 



Tall oatgrass has become naturalized in many places throughout 

 the United States and is found along roadsides and in other waste 

 places as an escape from cultivation. It has not, however, become 

 established on the range to any extent. 



This species, although inclined to be rather stemmy, is palatable to alt classes 

 of livestock, both while green and as winter forage. It ordinarily begins growth 

 about two weeks earlier and remains green later in the fall than most native 

 grasses with which it is associated on the range, thus materially extending the 

 period during which succulent forage may be obtained by grazing animals. 

 Livestock do not relish tall oatgrass when confined to it as an exclusive- diet, but 

 eat it freely in mixtures. When first introduced into the United States tall 

 oatgrass was regarded very favorably as a meadow grass, especially in tho 

 South where it remains green practically yearlong and yields a large crop of 

 good hay. Dr. Vasey 1 reports, in part: 



It (tall qatgrass) is widely naturalized and well adapted to a great variety of soils 

 (in Mississippi). On sandy or gravelly soils it succeeds admirably, growing 2 to 3 

 feet high. On rich dry uplands it grows from 5 to 7 feet high. It has an abundance 

 of perennial, long, fibrous roots penetrating deeply in the soil, being therefore less 

 affected by drought or cold, and enabled to yield a large quantity of foliage, winter and 

 summer. 



Tall oatgrass is one of the most drought-resistant of all cultivated grasses* 

 and in recent years has received some attention as a possibly promising 

 species for reseeding certain portions of the depleted grazing lands of the 

 West. Vinall and Enlow s state that it is best suited to the Ohio Valley and 

 the north Pacific coast regions and is better in a hay mixture than in pastures. 

 They also state that it is suitable to any soil, except sand, and that for 

 permanent pastures it is useful only in mixtures and should be sown in the 

 fall at the rate of 20 to 25 pounds of seed per acre. Seed is available on the 

 market and is not unduly expensive. 



In the Southwest, experimental range seedings of tall oatgrass failed to 

 produce satisfactory stands. In Montana, experimental seedings indicate that 

 the species will prosper on moderately dry sites at lower elevations. It may 

 prove to be a very valuable grass for that region, especially on winter elk 

 range, as the tall stems project above the snow. 



Forsling and Dayton 4 state that the species may have possibilities in the 

 lower range country where satisfactory moisture conditions obtain, but results 

 with it thus far are too meager to warrant other than experimental plantings. 



1 Vasey, G. THE AGRICULTURAL GRASSES AND FORAGE PLANTS OF THE UNITED STATES ; 



AND SUCH FOREIGN KINDS AS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED, WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE CHEMICAL 

 COMPOSITION OF GRASSES, BY CLIFFORD RICHARDSON, AND A GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN 



DESCRIBING GEASSEs. U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Bot., Special Bull. [Unnumbered], rev., 148 

 pp., illus. 1889. 



2 Piper, C. V. FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE. Rev., 671 pp., illus. New York, 

 1924. 



8 Vinall, H. N., and Enlow, C. R. GRASSES AND LEGUMES FOR PERMANENT PASTURES. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. [Unnumbered Pub.], 16 pp. 1934. [Mimeographed.] 



* Forsling, C. L., and Dayton. W. A. ARTIFICIAL RESEEDING ON WESTERN MOUNTAIN 

 RANGE LANDS. U, S. Dept. Agr, Circ. 178, 48 pp., illus. 1931. 



