144 



MISC. PUBLICATION 200, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



mas rounded on the back, rather 

 loosely imbricate, obtuse, somewhat 

 lacerate, about 4 mm. long. % — 

 Alkali soil, Arizona, New Mexico 

 (Las Playas) ; Mexico. "This species 

 is one of the most abundant grasses 

 in the extreme alkaline portions of 

 Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona, 

 where the large rootstocks in many 

 places bind the shifting sands. It 

 rarely flowers, and its superficial ap- 

 pearance, without flowers, is much 



the throat; blades flat to rather 

 loosely involute, 1 to 2 mm. wide; 

 panicle loose, open, pilose in the 

 axils, at first about half the entire 

 length of the culm, elongating toward 

 maturity, the axis curving or loosely 

 spiral, as much as 40 cm. long, the 

 distant branches stiffly spreading, 5 

 to 15 cm. long, floriferous to base, 

 sometimes bearing below a few sec- 

 ondary branches, the whole panicle 

 finally breaking away and tumbling 



Figure 187. — Eragrostis sessilispica. Panicle, X 1; floret, X 10. (Swallen 1791, Tex.) 



the same as our common salt grass 

 (Distichlis spicata). It is a hard, rigid 

 grass, but furnishes a large part of the 

 forage of Sulphur Springs Valley, 

 when other grasses are eaten off or are 

 cut short by drought." — Toumey in 

 letter. 



2. Eragrostis sessilispica Buckl. 

 (Fig. 187.) Perennial; culms tufted, 

 erect, 20 to 40 cm. tall, with 1 node 

 above the basal cluster of leaves; 

 sheaths glabrous, strongly pilose at 



before the wind; spikelets distant, 

 nearly sessile, appressed, linear, 5- to 

 12-flowered, 8 to 12 mm. long; glumes 

 acute, about 3 mm. long; lemmas 

 loosely imbricate, acuminate, becom- 

 ing somewhat indurate, 3 to 3.5 mm. 

 long, the lateral nerves prominent; 

 palea prominently bowed out below. 

 % (Acamptoclados sessilispica 

 Nash.) — Plains and sandy prairies, 

 Kansas to Texas, New Mexico, and 

 northern Mexico. 



