Class III. Order III. 33 



Syn. DAXTHONIA s PIC AT A. J\"uit. 



A commoa grass in dry sunny pastures. Culm a foot high, 

 slender, with short setaceous leaves. Calyx nerved, acute, 

 longer than the spikelet. Outer valve of the florets ending in 

 two bristles or teeth with a contorted awn between thum. 

 June. Perennial. 



Subgenus ARRHENATHERUM. Calyx two flowered, one 

 barren and owned, 

 AVENA ELATIOR. L. Tall Oat grass. 



Panicle equal, nodding ; awn twice as long as the 

 flower ; culm geniculate, smooth ; root nodose. 



Syn. HOLCUS AVENACEUS. Sin. 



ARRHENATHERUM AVENACEUM. Beauv. 



A large valuable grass introduced by cultivation from Europe. 

 Panicle lax with brownish spikelets. Awn of the barren flower 

 jnuch twisted. Naturalized in some parts of the state. June. 



39. POA. 



POA PRATENSIS. L. Common Spear grass. 



Panicle spreading ; spikelets of four flowers ; 

 glumes lanceolate, five nerved, connected by a web ; 

 stipule short and blunt. Sm. 



Spear grass or meadow grass is found in all situations, con- 

 stituting a considerable portion of the common turf in pastures, 

 road sides, &c. Culms leafy, slender, smooth, often stolonife- 

 rous. Leaves spreading, blunt, with obtuse or truncated stip- 

 ules. Panicle large, loose, of horizontal fine branches, bearing 

 many ovate spikelets of about four flowers. June. Perennial. 



This is an excellent and useful grass. 



POA COMPRESSA. L. Blue grass. 



Panicle condensed, its branches leaning one way ; 

 erect, before and after flowering. Culm ascending, 

 compressed. Sm. 



Root creeping. Stem decumbent at base, erect above, very 

 much compressed, whence the name. Leaves commonly glau- 



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