Sacaton is an exceptionally robust perennial bimchgrass, occur- 

 ring from Arizona to western Texas and south into Mexico, mainly 

 on low, alluvial flats, bottomlands, and arroyos subject to flooding. 

 In such locations it is sometimes abundant. Unlike its relative, al- 

 kali sacaton (/$>. airoides), this species will not grow on soils which 

 are highly impregnated with alkali and it is more exacting in its 

 water requirements, although fairly drought-resistant after becom- 

 ing established. Griffiths, Bidwell, and Goodrich 1 state: 



In former times it (i. e., sacaton) was a beautiful, characteristic species of 

 the river bottoms of the Southwest, forming dense growths 6 and even 8 feet 

 in height, through which it was difficult to ride on horseback * * * As near 

 as can be judged, it made a quite uniform stand over portions of the Santa 

 Cruz bottoms in southern Arizona in early days, but of late years it grows 

 almost invariably in large tussocks and at present there is very little of it left. 



The young shoots of sacaton are highly relished early in the season by cattle 

 and horses. Their popularity declines measurably as they become coarse and 

 tough with maturity. Stockmen sometimes burn off the coarse, dead stems* in 

 late winter to increase the accessibility of the early growth for livestock. A 

 large volume of herbage is produced which cures well and constitutes fairly 

 good winter forage, despite its coarseness. If cut at the right time and cured 

 properly, sacaton furnishes good, nutritious hay, especially for horses, as indi- 

 cated by the relatively high protein and carbohydrate content shown in the 

 following analysis made in the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils. United States 

 Department of Agriculture : 1 Ash, 8.53 percent ; ether extract, 1.70 percent ; crude 

 fiber, 32.27 percent; nitrogen-free extract. 47.93 percent; pentosans, a form of 

 carbohydrates, 25.89 percent ; protein, 9.57 percent. The analyses were made 

 of air-dry material cut 4 inches above ground at the flowering period. 



Sacaton is promising for cultivation on restricted areas which depend on 

 floodwater for moisture and which are otherwise too dry for alfalfa and other 

 more desirable crops. 2 This grass is a long-lived plant and produces an abun- 

 dance of viable seed, which sprouts readily under proper moisture conditions. 

 Thornber, 3 in a reseeding experiment with sacaton during a favorable year, 

 secured practically no growth on areas receiving only the annual rainfall, 

 although good stands of sacaton seedlings resulted on the lower adjacent areas 

 that were occasionally flooded with stonn water. On many areas where sacaton 

 was once fairly abundant it now occurs sparsely, because of overgrazing. Under 

 heavy grazing trails are trampled through stands of sacaton and tussocks are 

 formed. When overgrazing is continued, rain and floodwater cut the trails 

 deeper and deeper until the tussocks are finally left high and dry and eventually 

 die. Russell 4 states that until sacaton was exterminated from the river banks, 

 where most of their villages are located, the Pima Indian women made hair 

 brushes from the roots of this grass. 



Sacaton is similar to alkali sacaton, with which it is sometimes confused on 

 the range, but typically is a much larger and coarser grass, growing in dense 

 clumps, often forming hummocks 1 to 2 feet in diameter, with exceptionally 

 robust leafy stalks 2 to 6 (commonly 5 and occasionally as much as 8) feet tall. 

 The panicle of sacaton is generally 1 to 2 feet long, somewhat oblong-shaped, 

 and densely flowered, while the panicle of alkali sacaton is commonly 4 to 16 

 inches long, pyramidal-shaped, and less densely flowered. 



Sacaton is a Mexican name which appears to be derived from the word zacate, 

 a grass or grass forage. The ending on gives it the meaning, a coarse grass, 

 which is aptly applied to this species. There is a town named Sacaton, in Final 

 County, Ariz., which appears to be named after this grass, although there is 

 a small village of the same name in Spain of which it may be a namesake. 



1 Griffiths, D., Bidwell, G. L., and Goodrich, C. E. NATIVE PASTURE GRASSES OF THE 

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



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

 MEXICO. N. Mex. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 81: [176] pp., illus. 1912. 



3 Thornber J. J. THE GRAZING RANGES OF ARIZONA. Ariz. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 65 : 

 [245]-360, iilus. 1910. 



1 Russell, F. THE PIMA INDIANS. Bur. Amer. Ethnol. Ann. Kept. (1904-05) 26 : 

 3-[390], illus. 1908. 



