HOW TO KNOW THE GRASSES 



65a. Lemmas 2.5- 

 Fig. 98. 



-4 mm. long, glabrous between the scabrous nerves. 



Figure 98 



Glyceria borealis (Nash) Batch. 



Perennial; culms erect or decumbent; 

 plants 60 — 100 cm. tall; panicles slender, 

 erect, 20 — 40 cm, long; leaf blades 2 — 6 

 mm. wide; spikelets with 6 — 12 florets, 

 1 — 1.5 cm. long. The inflorescence of 

 this species is similar to that of the next 

 (Fig. 99). Shallow water and marshy- 

 shores. June — September. This and the 

 next species are very similar. The seeds 

 of their close relatives in Europe are 

 harvested from the water surface for hu- 

 man food. 



65b. Lemmas 4 — 5.5 mm. long, minutely scabrous between the nerves. 

 Fig. 99. 



Glyceria septentrionalis Hitch. 



Perennial; culms spongy, 1 — 1.5 m. tall, 

 erect; panicles 20 — 40 cm. long, with as- 

 cending branches; leaf blades 10 — 20 cm. 

 long, 4 — 8 mm. wide; foHage smooth or the 

 leaf blades minutely scabrous; spikelets 

 1 — 2 cm. long, cylindrical, with 6 — 12 

 florets; lemmas about 4 mm. long. This 

 is a tall, succulent grass of shallow water 

 and wet places, probably yielding good 

 forage. May — July. 



Glyceria fluitans (L.) R. Br. resembles 

 the above but has lemmas 5 — 6 mm. long, 

 usually purple below the tip. Newfound- 

 land to New York; South Dakota; Eurasia. 

 In eastern Europe, the florets and grains 

 of this species are harvested from the 

 water surface for human food, being made 

 into soup and gruel. 



Figure 99 



66a. Panicle narrow, erect, the branches strongly ascending. 



67 



66b. Panicle open, the branches drooping or spreading, 



68 



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