CHAPTER XIV 



KHORASAN WHEAT 



Triticum orientale, mihi. 



A SMALL but distinct race of wheat sent by Sir Percy Sykes from Khorasan, 

 Persia, where it is cultivated on irrigated land. At Reading it is among 

 the earliest wheats, coming into ear about the end of May. 



In its narrow pubescent leaves, very lax ears, scabrid awns, very long 

 grain, and early habit it is clearly related to T. dicoccoides and T. dicoccum 

 and unlike T. durum. 



In form of ear and length of grain it closely resembles some of the 

 varieties of T. polonicum figured by Seringe. 



The plants at Reading are often cleistogamous and their fertility 

 much reduced, especially in damp seasons, when the anthers remain 

 minute and the filaments of the stamens do not lengthen. 



GENERAL CHARACTERS OF T. orientale, mihi. 



The coleoptile is 2-nerved. 



The young shoots are erect, with very narrow pubescent leaves. The 

 plants tiller very little and the straw is thin, reed-like, short or of medium 

 height, 66-1 10 cm. (26-44 inches) long, the upper internode solid or hollow 

 with thick walls. 



The ears are long, narrow, very lax, with a tough rachis and 10-11-5 

 cm. long, almost square, 10-11 mm. across the sides or 10-11 mm. across 

 the face and 8-9 mm. across the 2-rowed side ; density, 16-18. 



The spikelets (16-20) are 2- to 3-grained, with more or less deciduous 

 awns, 12-13 cm. long, scabrid to the base. The sides of the rachis are 

 fringed with white hairs, and there is a conspicuous frontal tuft below 

 each spikelet ; the internodes are narrow and wedge-shaped, each about 

 i -5 mm. wide at the base and 3 mm. at the top. 



The empty glumes are white, pubescent, 12-15 mm. long and 4 mm. 

 broad, keeled to the base, with a short apical tooth ; lateral nerve prominent 

 (Fig. 134). 



The flowering glume bears a coarse awn, scabrid to the base, 14-16 cm. 

 long. 



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