GRASSES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 

 I. Tribes Poeae (Festuceae) and Triticeae (Hordeae) 



by 

 A. R. Hodgdon, G. E. Crow, F. L. Steele 



Introduction 



The grass family is the most economically important group of plants in the 

 world. Grasses have long provided the human race with a primary source of food 

 and shelter and with forage for domestic animals. Our most useful cultivated 

 grasses are of Old World origin with the exception of corn or maize (Zea mays) 

 and perhaps some native Bluegrass (Poa) and Bent grasses (Agrostis) which have 

 been bred with Eurasian plants to produce better turf and pasture grasses for 

 domestic purposes. 



When early settlers arrived in New Hampshire most of the state was wooded 

 and the native grasses were sparse, except for those growing in the salt marshes. 

 Inland native grasses largely occurred in sites such as open swamps, riverbanks, 

 old beaver dams, ledges, and openings in woods caused by blowdowns or fires 

 and a few other limited habitats and are primarily confined to these sites today. 

 None of the native grasses had valuable grains (except for the rare Zizania 

 aquatica), although some were useful for forage. 



With settlement of the region came clearing of a great deal of land for 

 farming and numerous useful grasses were introduced from Europe. Many of the 

 valuable cultivated grasses and various weedy species, unintentionally intro- 

 duced, have come to reproduce naturally and have spread to disturbed places 

 such as roadsides, old fields and waste places. Some have become noxious garden 

 weeds. 



The grass flora of New Hampshire thus consists of native species and a 

 rather large number of European species, many widespread in distribution. In 

 the less developed regions of the state, such as forests, swamps, salt marshes, 

 rock ledges and alpine areas, the native species prevail with only occasional 

 introduced species. In more developed regions of the state the introduced species 

 predominate while the native grasses are generally confined to more specialized, 

 untouched habitats. 



The distribution of native species of grasses generally reflects ecological 

 requirements or availability of specialized habitats. The distribution of Cord- 

 grasses (Spartina alterniflora and 5. patens) is clearly correlated with the 

 distribution of salt marshes. Freshwater marshes and swamps, if not densely 

 wooded, are inhabited by various species of Glyceria. Moist or poorly drained 

 open areas are good sites for Calamagrostis canadensis. River ledges furnish 



G. E. Crow, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, University of New Hampshire, 

 Nesmith Hall, Durham, New Hampshire 03824. 



F. L. Steele, Environmental Center, The White Mountain School, Littleton, New 

 Hampshire 03561. 



A. R. Hodgdon, deceased. 



