THE PERENNIAL GRASSES 



195 



Underground root stalks or stolons are common, although 

 many plants do not have them. The culms or stems are 

 usually erect. Sometimes, however, they are decumbent 

 at the base. Several stems usually are produced from 

 one root system. This is due to the production of tillers 

 from the nodes near the ground, similar 

 to the stooling of the cereals. When the 

 plant is not crowded, the tillers in turn 

 produce several stems, and when grow- 

 ing under field conditions ordinarily from 

 6 to 15 stems are produced by a single 

 plant. The culms vary from 2 to 5 feet 

 in height, depending upon the fertility 

 of the soil and upon other factors affect- 

 ing growth. The node at the base of the 

 culm is often enlarged into a tuber. 

 This condition is common when the 

 plant is growing on dry soils. When 

 growing in wet or moist lands, the 

 tuber is small, or in some cases not 

 present at all. This character distin- 

 guishes timothy from the other forage 

 grasses. 



The leaves number from 2 to 8 and 

 have a long sheath and blade in com- 

 parison with those of other grasses. 

 The leaf blade is flat and rather rough, and varies with 

 different plants in length and width. Timothy, when 

 compared with other forage grasses, has a rather high 

 percentage of leaves to stems, although the proportion 

 may vary somewhat with individual plants or strains or 

 with the thickness of the stand, thick seeding producing 

 fine stems and slightly higher percentage of leaves. The 



Fig. 69. — Timothy 

 in bloom. 



