little importance, but in Hie Southwest it occurs in sufficient abundance to be 

 of considerable importance as a forage plant. Its most common habitat is 

 the lower, slightly moist, alkaline flats where it frequently develops in almost 

 pure stands. Although this species will endure much alkali, it is not restricted 

 to alkaline soils but grows on rocky sites, open plains, valleys, and bottom lands, 

 and is common in scattered stands along drainages in the desert and semi- 

 desert areas. It abounds on some of the lower, open plains of New Mexico 

 and Arizona and, not infrequently, occurs along the roadsides and fences of 

 cultivated areas. Other species of Sporobolus, tobosa (Hilaria mutica), galleta 

 (H. jamesii), and side-oats grama (Boutcloua curtipcndula) are commonly 

 associated with alkali sacaton. 



An abundance of herbage is produced by this species, which is eaten freely by 

 cattle and horses and, in the absence of more palatable forage, is often utilized 

 closely. To obtain the maximum use of alkali sacaton, it should be grazed 

 during the growing season, because the foliage becomes coarse, tough, and 

 unpalatable as it matures and does not provide good winter forage, although 

 it has some value at that time if there is a dearth of other forage. In some 

 parts of the Southwest, where moisture is adequate to produce a good cover, 

 patches of alkali sacaton are fenced for pasture and, if the species is kept 

 closely cropped, it affords good grazing. Wooton and Standley 1 state: 



It is said to be detrimental to sheep at certain stages of its development, causing 

 them to bloat. 



Griffiths, Bidwell, and Goodrich 2 report : 



In the Pecos Valley of New Mexico injury has been done to cattle by allowing them 

 to graze upon this grass at certain seasons of the year. It is the opinion of close 

 observers, however, that the grass was not at fault, but that the injury was done by the 

 soluble salts of the soil, these salts, by creeping up the grass stems during moist weather 

 and by being eaten along with the grass, produce the deleterious effects. 



In this connection, it is of interest to note that the chemical analyses of 

 alkali sacaton 2 show a conspicuously high mineral (ash) content. 



This species is typically a bunchgrass but, in moist sites, the plants develop 

 extensive stooling, which measurably facilitates the perpetuation of the species, 

 and increases its resistance to grazing. Alkali sacaton produces an abundant 

 supply of exceptionally long-lived seed, which enable this species to extend 

 its stand rather vigorously on favorable areas. According to Campbell : 3 



Its seeds remain viable for several years, because of the hard, waxy seed coats. Seeds 

 collected in 1925 and tested that year showed only 77 percent germination, whereas 100 

 percent germination was obtained from the same sample a year later. 



Jackson 4 found that the seed coats of alkali sacaton were more permeable 

 than the seed coats of the other four southwestern species of Sporobolus 

 tested, and was the only one which did not require pricking or scarifying the 

 seed coats to expedite satisfactory germination. This species withstands the 

 encroachment of shifting sand better than most of its grass associates, and 

 is a very good soil binder. 



Alkali sacaton has deep, coarse roots, and often pronounced stooling, which 

 sometimes gives the appearance of short, thick rootstocks. The stems are 

 smooth, solid, stout, leafy, 1 to 3 feet high, are spreading at the base and 

 grow in dense bunches commonly from 8 to 12 inches in diameter. On the 

 more favorable sites, when not overgrazed, it may sometimes form a uniform 

 cover approaching a sod. The numerous basal leaves are up to 18 inches 

 long and about one-eighth of an inch wide at the base and taper to long, 

 slender, inrolled points. The leaf blades are smooth beneath but rough above, 

 with the sheaths sparsely hairy at the throat. The upper leaf sheath some- 

 times loosely encloses the base of the much branched and usually widely 

 spreading panicle. Alkali sacaton is similar to sacaton, although smaller 

 and less coarse throughout. 



1 Wooton, E. O., and Standley, P. C. THE GRASSES AND GRASS-LIKE PLANTS OP NEW 

 MEXICO. N. Mex. A>*r. Expt. Sta. Bull. 81, [176] pp., illus. 1912. 



2 Griffiths, D., Bidwell, G. L., and Goodrich, C. E. NATIVE PASTURE GRASSES OP THE 

 UNITED STATES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 201, 52 pp., illus. 1915. 



8 Campbell, R. S. PLANT SUCCESSION AND GRAZING CAPACITY ON CLAY SOILS IN SOUTHERN 

 NEW MEXICO. Jour. Agr. Research [U. S.] 43:1027-1051, illus. 1931. 



4 Jackson, C. V. SEED GERMINATION IN CERTAIN NEW MEXICO BANGB GRASSES. Bot. Gaz. 

 86 : 270-294, illus. 1928. 



