GAMA GRASS 



The day when this grass is first seen, and is recognized as a 

 member of the same family whose smaller species are commonly 

 trodden under foot, is a day unforgotten by the nature-lover. 

 With stems more than shoulder-high, with leaves so large as to 

 resemble Indian Corn, and with thick spikes of oddly formed 

 blossoms, the Gama Grass, as it grows in low meadows and along 

 streams, is one of the largest and most remarkable grasses of the 

 Eastern States. 



The coarse, branching stems rise from stout rootstocks and, 

 unlike those of the majority of grasses, are solid, being filled with 

 pith. The blossoming spikes are peculiar in form; the stamens 

 and pistils are in separate flowers, and in midsummer long, orange- 

 coloured anthers clothe the upper portion of each spike, while for 

 a short time feathery stigmas of dark purple hang from the pistil- 

 late flowers below. These fertile flowers are deeply embedded 

 in boat-shaped cavities which are closed by hard and shining 

 scales, and as the upper portion of the spike soon falls, the thick 

 basal part is left, and easily breaks into short joints each containing 

 a seed. Although smooth and shining, these seed-capsules lack 

 the symmetry of form and the agate-like surface which char- 

 acterizes the fruit of "Job's Tears," a closely related species which 

 is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental grass and whose seeds 

 are sometimes used for rosaries. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION 



Gama Grass. Tripsacum dadyloides L. 



Plant perennial, from stout rootstocks. 

 Stem 3-8 ft. tall, solid, stout, erect, branching. Leaves i ft. long or 



more, 6"- 18" wide. 

 Spikes 3-4, 4'-9' long at summit of main stem, solitary spikes on the 



branches. Spikelets of two forms; upper part of spike composed 



of 2-flowered, staminate spikelets about 4" long, outer scales obtuse; 



i-flowered pistillate spikelets below deeply imbedded in the rachis, 



outer scale of pistillate spikelets hard and shining, enclosing the 



49 



