40. Hierochloe R. Br. 



About 30 species in temperate and cold regions as well as tropical mountains 

 in both hemispheres. 



1. Hierochloe odorata (L.) Beauv. Sweet grass. Fig. 130. 



Culms 3-6 dm. tall, with few to several leafy shoots and slender creeping 

 rhizomes; blades 2-5 mm. wide, sometimes wider, those of the sterile shoots 

 elongate, those of the culm mostly less than 5 cm. long, rarely to 10 cm. long; 

 panicle pyramidal, 4-12 cm. long, from somewhat compact to loose with slender 

 drooping branches; spikelets mostly short-pediceled, 5 mm. long; staminate lemmas 

 awnless or nearly so; fertile lemma pubescent toward the apex. 



Wet meadows, bogs and moist places, in N. M. (San Miguel and Mora cos.) and 

 Ariz. (Apache, Navajo, Coconino and Pima cos.); Lab. to Alas., s. to N. J., Ind., 

 la., Ore., and in the mts. to N. M. and Ariz.; Euras. 



This plant, also known as holy grass, vanilla gras«^, and seneca grass, is said to 

 be used by the Indians in some parts of the United States for making fragrant 

 baskets. 



41. Phalaris L. Canary Grass 



Soft tufted annuals or perennials with broad flat blades and large hyaline 

 scalelike ligules; inflorescences terminal dense capitate ovoid or spikelike panicles; 

 spikelets sessile, 90 to 800 per panicle, strongly laterally compressed (the plane of 

 the glumes perpendicular or at an angle to the axis of the panicle, in transection 

 tangential to the panicle); glumes nearly equal, large, cymbiform, enclosing and 

 hiding the rest of the spikelet, strongly keeled and usually with wings on the 

 upper part of the keels, usually with a strong lateral nerve on each side; zone of 

 abscission just above the glumes; fertile floret solitary (persistently subtended at 

 the base by 2 awns or scales or glandlike structures representing the remains of 

 reduced sterile florets); lemma compressed-ovoid, cartilaginous, nerveless, enclos- 

 ing and falling with the palea and caryopsis (grain), usually antrorsely strigose. 



About 20 species in temperate regions. 



1. Perennial with creeping rhizomes; panicle interrupted below, the branches 

 spreading in anthesis 1. P. anmdinacea. 



1. Annuals (2) 



2(1). Panicle mostly 2-6 cm. long, tapering to each end; glumes 5-6 mm. long.... 

 2. P. caroUniana. 



2. Panicle mostly 2-17 cm. long, subcylindric; glumes 3.5-4 mm. long 



3. P. angiista. 



1. Phalaris anmdinacea L. Reed canary grass. Fig. 131. 



Perennial with creeping rhizomes, glaucous; culms erect, 6-15 dm. tall, gla- 

 brous; panicle 5-20 cm. long, pale green or tinged with purple, narrow and dense 

 or interrupted below, the branches spreading during anthesis, the lower ones as 

 much as 5 cm. long; spikelets 5-6 mm. long; glumes about 5 mm. long, sharply 

 keeled, narrow, acute, longer than the lemmas, the keels scabrous, wingless or very 

 narrowly winged; fertile lemma lancolate, 3-4 mm. long, shining, with a few 

 appressed hairs in upper part; narrow, scale-like sterile lemmas villous, 1 mm. long. 



Sloughs, marshes, wet meadows, in mud and shallow water of ponds, lakes and 

 streams, in N. M. (Sandoval Co.) and Ariz. (Coconino Co.); N.B. to Alas., s. to 

 N. C, Ky., N.M.. Ariz, and Calif.; Euras. 



2. Phalaris caroliniana Walt. Fig. 1 30. 



Tufted annual; culms 23-100 cm. long, 1-4 mm. thick, erect, sparingly branched 

 in the lower part; ligule a hyaline scale 1-5 mm. long; blades 5-12 (-20) cm. long, 



268 



