Germination of Caryopses of Annual Grasses in Simulated Litter1

A technique was developed for germinating grass caryopses in simulated litter, without the base of the caryopses in contact with a liquid moisture‐supplying substrate. Litter germination of five annual species of bromegrass and medusahead differed markedly in response to temperature from 10 to 25 C, compared to germination of the same species in petri dishes. The species also differed in their rates of root elongation and root persistence under repeated drying cycles at incubation temperatures from 10 to 25 C. The differences in litter germination among the annual grasses investigated may be the basis for dominance of one species over another under specific temperature regimes.