30 BULLETIN 1386, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIETIES 
EFFUSE GROUP 
The effuse group is characterized by the axes and branches of the 
panicle being relatively long, the rays well separated, standing out 
from the axis, sometimes bowed and pendent at the extremities. The 
axis usually extends to or nearly to the apex of the panicle. It may 
have a node without rays at the base of the panicle, though this does 
not occur as commonly in this group as in others. The lowest 
branches are usually the longest, and the form of the panicle is 
typically conical. Branches are in general less angular and less 
pubescent than in the contracted and the compact groups. They are 
abundantly pubescent at the nodes, but between the nodes the hairs 
are usually reduced to minute bristles. The glumes cover the cary- 
opses in all the varieties studied which truly belong to this group, or 
at least the caryopses in these varieties do not commonly extend 
beyond the apices of the glumes. Five or six varieties so far ex- 
amined are considered to belong to this group. 
Minnesota Amber (Sugar Plant No. 0281115). — Panicle subcorneal or sub- 
cylindrical, 8 to 14 inches long, 5 to 8 inches broad, open, spreading; axis 
usually extending to or nearly to the apex of the panicle, never or rarely hav- 
ing nodes without rays at the base of the panicle, furrowed, pilose at the nodes 
and sometimes sparsely pilose in the furrows, more or less scabrous-hispid on 
the ridges, otherwise glabrous; rays somewhat sparse, arranged in three to 
nine apparent verticils, with occasionally a few interspersed between these 
whorls, usually ascending at the base, but more or less bowed outward in the 
middle, the lower rays somewhat flexuous at the base, the longest rays one-third 
to three-fourths as long as the panicle ; secondary and tertiary branches rela- 
tively long; branches somewhat flattened or angular below, subterete above, 
striate, pulvinate, and sometimes pilose or somewhat barbate in the axils, more 
or less pilose at the base, slightly pilose or scabrous-hispid on the angles, and 
occasionally slightly pilose in the striatums between the nodes, otherwise glab- 
rous; rachises of the racemes ciliate on the angles with coarser hairs than those 
on the calluses of the fertile spikelets ; glumes of fertile spikelet open 10° 
to 45°, extending beyond or more rarely only as far as the caryopsis and rather 
loosely investing it, sparsely pubescent with fine soft early-deciduous tinted 
hairs, those at the base of the first glume the more abundant and more persist- 
ent ; first glume elliptic or rarely ovate-elliptic (greatest width commonly in the 
middle), boat shaped or somewhat convex, acute or more rarely obtuse, and 
occasionally two or more toothed at the summit, commonly not incurved on the 
sides below but above a little, occasionally infolded on the sides adjacent to 
the apex, frequently slightly indurate in the lower one-third or two-thirds, not 
thickened or a little thickened at the base, having a narrow, hyaline, usually 
ciliate border, blackish brown (Ridgway), or nearly black, 4 shining, not folded 
back above the callus and not longitudinally creased or wrinkled at the base, 
0.18 to 0.25 inch long, 0.10 to 0.14 inch broad, 12 to 18 nerved for the entire or 
nearly the entire length from apex to base, the second, third, or fourth nerve on 
each side coarser, keellike, and scabrous-hispid, the bristles usually dark ; second 
glume acute, keeled, the keel often minutely scabrous-hispid above, commonly 
somewhat incurved on the sides above, not indurate nor thickened, or a very 
little at the base, having hyaline, or nearly hyaline, and usually ciliate borders 
of medium width, colored like the first glume, usually bent back and somewhat 
gibbous at the base, and without longitudinal wrinkles, corrugations, or 
creases there, usually about 10 to 14 nerved from apex to base; lemma not 
awned ; caryopsis not extending beyond the apices of the glumes, broadly oval 
or elliptic, more rarely obovate-elliptic or ovate-elliptic, about two-thirds to 
three-fourths as thick as broad, somewhat more convex on the ventral side, 
obtuse at. both extremities, yellow or brownish yellow (Ridgway, colonial buff 
4 The color terms when so designated are those recognized by Ridgway (13). 
