pod a a 
 TRIANDRIA, DIGYNIA. 
} ner valye about the length of the calix, 2-nerved, arched 
F over the seed, nerves margined above with interrupted 
tufts of dense villus. Seed subtereic, entarged and inficet- 
ed above. At the base of the inner valve in ‘the upper- 
most flower there is eithera barren pedcell with an obwse 
point, or a third imperfect awned flower. Nae 
, 2. *aristulata. Valves of the catix uncqtal, obtuse, and — 
- dacerate, about 3-flowered; lateral teeth of the outer co- 
Folla valve obtuse, and the awn very short. 
a? ; Near Wilmington, Delaware,—Dr. Baldwins | © 
~ xs. Perhaps only a variety of the former. ‘Upper leaves 
goesly sheathing; spikeleis aimosts terete, 3-flowered, 
orsal awn merely visible, lateral teeth obtuse, nerves pu- 
™ bescent; inner valve inflected, fringed to the summit.--Ca- 
~ Wixvery acute at the base, purple, in buth species persist- 
ent, corolla siipitate, villous at the base. _ : 
Near as this genus aproaches Tirisetwm in its artificial 
character, it is still widely separated by habit, and would 
» never probably be referred to Avena, being distinguished - 
_ from both those genera by the remarkable snaliness of 
the calix, its truncate appearance, and want of nerves, as 
_ weil as the singular inequality or gibbosity of the corolla. 
: 92. MELICA. L. (Melic-grass.) ee 
Calix coloured, 2-valved, 2 flowered; glumes 
loose, obtuse, membranaceous, and unequal, — 
Corolla 2-valved, ventricose, smaller than the — 
_ ealix; the rudiment of a third flower betwixt 
~ the flosculi. ~ “8 
; Panicle in the form of a spike or raceme, rarely more 
a compound; flowers large. In the Jf. wifora the calix is— 
but 1-flowered; and in the If aspera 3-flowered. ‘To the 
2 generic character of Melica, Schrader adds * stamens 
oa dilated and combined at their base; nectary of Lleaf.” 
af Specres. 1. M. glabra. 2. diffusa? (1 have seen a third — 
species from the Northern states collected by Mr. Bige- — 
low, in which the corolla glu 
; are obovate and vil 
a little shorter th 
ceme-like panicle.) 
ose calix, disposed ra 
~ Africa, Europe, and th America. itis, however, a ge- 
sc : 
this genus there are species in 
mus neither n nerc us nor common, ot ee 
iy LZ, (Soft-grass.) 
2 flowered, 2-valved, (opaque and | 
Corolla smaller, 2-valved, the 
Wu 
