G122 



ARIZONA COTTONGRASS 



Tricha'chne califor'nica, syn. Valo'ta sacchara'ta 



Flower head (panicle) narrow, 4 to 8 

 in. long, with erect branches 



Individual flower groups (spikelets) 

 very silky with silvery-white or pur- 

 plish-tinged hairs up to about % in. 

 long, lance-shaped, in pairs, 2-flowered; 

 upper flower imperfect; lower, perfect 



Imperfect flower reduced to a single 

 bract (sterile lemma) 



Lowest (2) spikelet bracts (glumes) 

 very unequal, thin, falling with "seed"; 

 1 st glume minute, hairless ; 2d glume long- 

 silky-iairy, about same length as "seed " 



Outer flower bract (lemma) brown 

 with broad, flat, white, thin margins, 

 about l /, in. long, abruptly narrowed to 

 a long slender point, soon wrapped 

 around "seed" 



Leaves usually 3 to 5 (sometimes up 

 to 10) in. long; upper leaves shorter 

 than lower 



Stalks (culms) 1.2 to 40 in*, tall, tufted, 

 usually branched below 



Rootstocks strong, scaly, woolly, 

 knotted, perennial 



Roots fibrous 



