. California grasslands and range forage grasses. Grasses; Forage plants. 9. SORGHUM TRIBE (ANDROPOGONEAE) Spikelets in pairs, one sessile and perfect, the other pediceled, staminate or neuter, the pairs borne on a continuous or a disarticulating rachis, the rachis solitary, in pairs, or several to many on a common axis, or on the branches of a panicle; fertile spikelets consisting of one perfect terminal floret and, below this, a staminate or neuter floret, the lemmas thin or hyaline; glumes firm or indurate, awnless. KEY TO GENERA Racemes of several to many joints, solitary, digitate, or agg
. California grasslands and range forage grasses. Grasses; Forage plants. 9. SORGHUM TRIBE (ANDROPOGONEAE) Spikelets in pairs, one sessile and perfect, the other pediceled, staminate or neuter, the pairs borne on a continuous or a disarticulating rachis, the rachis solitary, in pairs, or several to many on a common axis, or on the branches of a panicle; fertile spikelets consisting of one perfect terminal floret and, below this, a staminate or neuter floret, the lemmas thin or hyaline; glumes firm or indurate, awnless. KEY TO GENERA Racemes of several to many joints, solitary, digitate, or aggregate in a panicle 46. Andropogon (p. 114) Racemes reduced to 1 or few joints, these peduncled in a compound panicle 47. Sorghum (p. 114) 46. CANE BEARDGRASS (ANDROPOGON BARBINODIS) Cane beardgrass is a tufted perennial, knotty at base; culms 2-3y2 ft (60-130 cm) tall, dry and solid, the nodes white- bearded; spikelets in pairs, at each node of a jointed rachis, one sessile and per- fect, the other pediceled, sterile and re- duced to small glumes; rachis joints and pedicels white silky-haired; racemes 2-6 cm long, crowded on a simple axis, form- ing a feathery panicle 3-4 in (7-10 cm) long, the axis readily breaking; perfect spikelets 5-6 mm long, with a delicate geniculate awn about 2 cm long. (Fig. 110.) Distribution and habitat: Cane beard- grass, or plumed beardgrass, grows in valleys and on low hills of southern Cali- fornia from Santa Barbara to San Diego and eastward. (Fig. 95.) Although found on a variety of sites, it commonly grows on well-drained soils. This grass is un- usually drought-resistant and is invalu- able on ranges where the annual rainfall is as low as 5-6 in (10). It is frequently found along dry washes or gullies but generally only in scattered stands. Forage value and reproduction: Like most beardgrasses or bluestems—the large group of important forage grasses of the Great Plains to which cane beard- grass belongs—this species is relished by all st
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, booksubjectforageplants, booksubjectgrasses
