Millet woodrush, one of the most common members of this mod- 

 erately large genus of perennial, grasslike plants, is widely dis- 

 tributed in Europe and Asia as well as in North America. It grows 

 in low woods and on open mountain slopes from Alaska to Labrador, 

 south to New York, Minnesota, New Mexico, and California, occur- 

 ring through the mountains of the 11 far Western States. The 

 specific name pccrviflorum means "small-flowered", and the plant 

 is sometimes called "small-flowered woodrush." However, since this 

 species was originally described in 1791, several other west- American 

 species, such as Piper woodrush (/. pi' peri) and Donner woodrush 

 (J. subccmges' turn) , with even smaller flowers, have been collected 

 and described. People without botanical training frequently mis- 

 take /. parmflonmi for a P(micum (the grass genus to which broom- 

 corn millet the original "millet", P. mUiacewn, oldest of cultivated 

 cereals belongs) ; it has a rather milletlike head, and the English 

 name millet woodrush is here suggested as appropriate. 



The altitudinal range of millet woodrush in the Western States 

 is extensive. In the coastal region from Alaska as far south as 

 Washington, at least, it descends to sea level. In the interior its 

 range is largely restricted to the moist, high mountains up to about 

 6,000 feet in California, 6,500 feet in Washington and Oregon, 7,500 

 feet in Idaho, 8,500 feet in Montana, 10,500 feet in Utah and Nevada, 

 and 12,000 feet or over in Colorado and New Mexico. Although 

 seldom abundant, except perhaps in the coastal region of the North- 

 west, it is usually a common and characteristic plant of meadows, 

 moist woods, and bogs. Its favorite sites are wet, highly organic, 

 oozy soils, such as around seeps and the like, and where it is a 

 common associate of tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia ca-espi-tosa) in 

 moist meadows and other areas. Millet woodrush apparently does 

 equally well under all light conditions, from full sunlight, to rather 

 dense shade. Distribution of this species is usually governed by 

 favorable moisture conditions. 



The forage value of millet woodrush on summer ranges is usually 

 regarded as poor to fair for sheep and fair to fairly good, or occa- 

 sionally good, for cattle. In general, its utilization tends to increase 

 somewhat as the grazing season advances, due largely to the greater 

 consumption of its more palatable grass associates during the spring 

 and summer and to the partial drying of the areas its occupies. 

 Frequently this plant is not available to livestock because of its 

 occurrence in soft, miry areas, which range livestock intuitively avoid. 

 In other instances, although the species is readily available in some 

 parks and meadows, it is not utilized due to the isolation and non- 

 use of those areas. Even where the range is rather closely grazed, 

 millet woodrush is often only slightly utilized. The reason for this 

 local neglect, where it occurs, is obscure, as this species has the 

 abundant succulent leafiness characteristic of a good forage plant. 

 The individual plants of millet woodrush, though normally scattered, 

 commonly form a several-stemmed, densely leafy tuft from the 

 slender rootstocks (this species is less accurately referred to in some 

 manuals as "stoloniferous") in simulation of the better range bunch- 

 grasses. Furthermore, the foliage is still green and tender when 

 most of the associated plants have matured. 



