528 



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



Figure 767— Chloris verticillata. Panicle, X 1; florets, X 5. (Ball 1112, Tex.) 



spikes mostly 3 to 6, usually 5 to 7 

 cm. long, digitate or nearly so, erect 

 to spreading, somewhat flexuous; 

 spikelets crowded, about 3 mm. long; 

 lemma densely long-villous on the 

 keel and the middle of the margin, 

 the awn shorter than the body; rudi- 

 ment triangular-cuneate, about 2 

 mm. wide. % (C. nashii Heller.) 

 — Open grassland, southern Texas 

 and Mexico. 



12. Chloris verticillata Nutt. Wind- 

 mill grass. (Fig. 767.) Culms tufted, 

 10 to 40 cm. tall, erect or decumbent 

 at base, sometimes rooting at the 

 lower nodes; leaves crowded at base, 



2 to 4, sometimes aggregate at lower 

 nodes; sheaths compressed, blades 1 

 to 3 mm. wide, obtuse; spikes slender, 

 7 to 10 or even 15 cm. long, in 1 to 



3 whorls, finally widely spreading; 

 spikelets about 3 mm. long; fertile 

 lemma pubescent on the nerves, the 

 awn mostly 5 to 8 mm. long; rudi- 

 ment (rarely fertile), cuneate-oblong, 

 rather turgid, about 0.7 mm. wide 

 as folded, truncate, the awn about 5 

 mm. long. % — Plains, Missouri 

 to Colorado, south to Louisiana and 

 Arizona; introduced in Maryland, 



Indiana, Illinois, and California 

 (Berkeley). The inflorescence at ma- 

 turity breaks away and rolls before 

 the wind as a tumble weed. 



13. Chloris subdolichostachya C. 

 Muell. (Fig. 768.) Similar to C. ver- 

 ticillata, but not more than 20 cm. 

 tall, spikes mostly less than 6 cm. 

 long, these more condensed and usu- 

 ally in one whorl or irregularly approx- 

 imate; lemma 2 to 2.5 mm. long, 

 the awns mostly less than 3 mm. 

 long; rudiment oblong-cuneate, about 

 0.6 mm. wide as folded. % (C. 

 brevispica Nash.) — Plains, Kansas, 

 Texas. 



14. Chloris latisquamea Nash. (Fig. 

 769.) Culms densely tufted, 20 to 

 60 cm. tall, very leafy at base, some- 

 times rooting at the lower nodes; 

 sheaths compressed, 2 to 4 often 

 aggregate at the lower node; blades 

 2 to 4 mm. wide; spikes mostly 8 to 

 12, relatively broad, 4 to 10 cm. 

 long, in 1 or 2 whorls, spreading; 

 spikelets rather crowded, pale, turn- 

 ing fuscous at maturity; lemma about 

 2.5 mm. long, pubescent on the nerves, 

 the awn 2 to 2.5 mm. long; rudiment 

 (rarely fertile) triangular cuneate, 



