266 THE WHEAT PLANT 



side and more or less circular in transverse section. The grains measure 

 3-5-4-5 mm. long, 2-3 mm. broad, and 1-8-2-6 mm. thick. 



Deininger infers that the spikelets of this wheat probably bore only 

 one grain, and concludes that this form is the prototype of the Bread 

 wheats and a form found more widely distributed throughout Europe 

 in the Neolithic period named T. vulgar e antiquo/nan by Heer. The ears 

 of the latter are beardless, short, and dense (4-5 cm. long and 10 mm. 

 wide), with three or four grains in each spikelet ; the empty glumes are 

 strongly keeled throughout their length with an inwardly curved apical 

 tooth. The grain is especially small and blunt at the apex, and markedly 

 convex on the dorsal side ; the average dimensions are : length 5 mm., 

 breadth 3-5 mm. Kornicke and Buschan place this wheat under T. 

 compactum, a view in which I concur, the examples I have seen being most 

 like some Chinese compactums of the present day. 



It is not until the Bronze and Iron Ages that grains similar in size and 

 form to those now cultivated became common in prehistoric deposits. 



In Britain small-grained forms of T. vulgare, possibly mixed with those 

 of T. compactum, were cultivated in Roman times. 



I have seen no examples which can be attributed with certainty to 

 this race from ancient Egypt, but the wheats described under the name 

 TTvpos by the Greeks and triticum by Roman authors were wheats with 

 grain loosely invested by the glumes, and doubtless included T. vulgare 

 as well as- T. durum. 



GENERAL CHARACTERS OF T. vulgare 



The young shoots are erect, semi-erect, or prostrate. 



A number of forms from China, Japan, Persia, and India have yellowish- 

 green leaves ; the majority, however, have more 

 or less glaucous blades and ears. 



On the surface of the young leaves hairs 

 are always present. A characteristic single line 

 of long hairs is found along the summit of all 

 the longitudinal ridges or upon those near the 



leaf-margins ; in some cases this is the only 

 FIG. 164. Diagrammatic ,. r , . , , . 11-^- 



transverse sections of young line of hairs present, others have in addition 



leaves of T. vulgare, T. a number of shorter hairs covering the flanks 



compactum, 1 . sphaerococ- 



cum, T. Spelta. of the ridges (rig. 164). 



The culms vary in height from 75 cm. 



(about 30 inches), or less in some Asiatic forms, to 140-150 cm. (55 or 

 60 inches). They possess 5 or 6 internodes, which are usually hollow, 

 with comparatively thin walls, but in a few forms {e.g. New Zealand 

 Tuscan) they are solid. The ears are generally grouped into bearded 



