perfect; rachilla glabrous, abscising above the glumes and below the florets; glumes 

 1- to 5-nerved, shorter than the lower lemma; lemmas basally not calloused or 

 else with a glabrous callus, 5- to 9-nerved, apically narrowed or bifid, the nerves 

 converging toward the summit, mucronate or awned either between the teeth 

 or from the back shortly below the apex. 



A genus of about 150 species in temperate regions. Some European authors 

 split Bromus into several genera, perhaps justly. 



1. Panicle branches elongate, drooping; lemmas mostly 5-6 mm. wide, at first 

 membranous, eventually becoming slightly chartaceous and only the 

 lower part of the margin becoming revolute, the back rather evenly 

 pubescent 1. B. japonicus. 



1. Panicle branches relatively short, ascending; lemmas mostly 6-8 mm. wide, 

 at first membranous but soon becoming chartaceous and the margin 



partly revolute, the upper portion of back glabrous 



, 2. B. Richardsonii. 



1. Bromus japonicus L. Japanese chess. 



Annual; culms 3-8 dm. long, ascending, slender, sheaths and blades usually 

 shortly pilose; blades mostly 2-5 mm. broad; panicle 1-2 dm. long, 1-sided 

 (when mature) nodding with several long curved drooping few-flowered branches 

 at the base; spikelets turgid, 7- to 10-flowered; lemmas with awns 5-11 mm. 

 long, (at first straight or eventually slightly curved and spreading) and bodies 7-9 

 mm. long and 5-6 mm. broad, broadly overlapping, the thin margins conspicuous 

 and eventually (very late in maturation) becoming chartaceous and the margins 

 revolute to clasp the palea which is conspicuously shorter; anthers 0.6-1.2 mm. 

 long. 



Abundant weed in wet meadows and ditches, in Okla. {Waterfall) and in 

 scattered parts of Tex. (rare in Trans-Pecos), and Ariz. (Apache, Navajo, 

 Coconino, Gila, Cochise and Pima cos.), spring; widespread in temp, parts of 

 Euras. and N.A. 



2. Bromus Richardsonii Link. Fig. 78. 



Tufted perennial; culms 4-8 dm. long, about 2 mm. thick, often decumbent 

 in the lower part and geniculate; sheaths usually glabrous; blades 5-15 mm. broad, 

 mostly flat, the lower comers (where joining sheath) minutely round-auricled; 

 panicles nodding, 1-2 dm. long, very open and diffuse; spikelets 6- or 7-flowered; 

 first glume 1 -nerved, the second 3-nerved; lemmas not at all keeled (except when 

 very immature), cymbiform with a body 10-13 mm. long and an awn 3-5 mm. 

 long, densely pubescent near the lateral margins but the median portion glabrous. 

 Zerna Richardsonii (Link) Nevskii. These plants have usually been called B. 

 ciliatus L. 



On lake and pond margins, in seepage areas and along wettish river banks, 

 also moist woods and rocky slopes, in higher parts of mts. in the Tex. Trans-Pecos, 

 N. M. (rather widespread) and Ariz. (Apache, Coconino, Yavapai, Graham, 

 Cochise and Pima cos.), summer; Rocky Mts. and s. to Tex. 



3. Festuca L. Perennial Fescue 



Tufted perennials 1-11 dm. tall; spikelets very slightly if at all laterally com- 

 pressed, 2- to 8-flowered, most of the flowers perfect and chasmogamous but 

 the uppermost staminate or rudimentary; lower glume usually well-developed, 

 l-nerved; upper glume usually merely pointed though less commonly awned, 

 usually 3-nerved (but the lateral nerves obscure); spikelet rachilla disarticulating 

 at the lower part of each node (i.e., top of each internode); lemmas usually 

 ovate or elliptic, blunt to acute, awned or awnless, cymbiform and/ or convex, 

 not keeled (except slightly in F. rubra), revolute, 5-nerved (lateral nerves ob- 

 scured); anthers 3, free, exserted; grains ellipsoid or ovoid. 



177 



