59 
BUCHLOE. 
Buchloé dactyloides (Buffalo Grass). 
This grass is extensively spread over all the region known as the 
Great Plains. Itis very low, the bulk of leaves seldom rising more than 
3 or 4 inches above the ground, growing in extensive tufts, or patches, 
and spreading largely by means of stolons or off-shoots similar to those 
of the Bermuda grass, these stolons being sometimes 2 feet long, and 
with joints every 3 or 4 inches, frequently rooting and sending up 
flowering culms from the joints. The leaves of the radical tufts are 3 
to 5 inches long, one or one-half line wide, smooth or edged with a few 
scattering hairs. The flowering culms are chiefly diwcious, but some- 
times both male and female flowers are found on the same plant, but 
in separate parts. Next to the grama grass it is, perhaps, the most - 
valuable plant in the support of the cattle of the plains. (Plate 66.) 
TRIODIA. 
Spikelets several to many-flowered in a strict spike-like or an open, spreading pan- 
icle, some of the upper flowers male or imperfect; outer glumes keeled, acute or 
acutish, awnless; flowering glumes imbricated, rounded on the back, at least below, 
hairy or smooth, three-nerved, either mucronate, three-toothed, or three-lobed at the 
apex, or obscurely erose, often hardened, and nerveless in fruit; palet broad, promi- 
nently two-keeled. 
Triodia seslerioides (Tall Redtop). 
This grass grows from 3 to 5 feet high. The culms are very smooth; the leaves 
are Jong and flat, the lower sheaths hairy or smoothish. 
The panicle is large and loose, at first erect, but finally spreading widely. The 
branches are single or in twos or threes below, and frequently 6 inches long, divided 
and flower-bearing above the middle. The spikelets are on short pedicels, 3 to 4 
lines long and five or six-flowered. The outer glumes are shorter than the flowers, 
unequal and pointed; the flowering glumes are hairy towards the base, having 
three strong nerves, which are extended into short teeth at the summit. It isa large 
and showy grass when fully matured, the panicles being large, spreading, and of a 
purplish color. 
It grows in sandy fields, and on dry, sterile banks, from New York 
to South Carolina and westward. It is eaten by cattle when young, 
but the mature culms are rather harsh and wiry and not relished by 
them. It is, however, cut for hay where it naturally abounds. 
The genus Triodia has its chief distribution in Texas and the adja- 
ceut region, where there are several species which seem to have some 
importance in the grass supply of these arid districts. Among these 
are Triodia trinerviglumis, Triodia stricta, Triodia Texana, and Triodia 
acuminata. 
These deserve further investigation. (Plate 67.) 
ARUNDO. 
Tall grasses with an ample panicle, spikelets two to many-flowered, the flowers 
rather distant, silky-hairy at the base, and with a conspicuous silky-bearded rhachis, 
all perfect ; outer glumes narrow, unequal, glabrous, lanceolate, keeled, acute; flow- 
ering glumes membranaceous, slender, awl-pointed; palets much shorter than the 
glumes, two-keeled, pubescent on the keels, 
