HOW TO KNOW THE GRASSES 



19a. Lemmas without tuits oi white hairs near the apex. 



20 



19b. Lemmas bearing tuits of long, whitish hairs on the edges near the 

 apex. Fig. 264. 



FEATHER FINGERGRASS Chloris virgaia Swartz 



Figure 264 



Annual; tufted; culms erect or spreading, 

 40 — 100 cm. tall; some of the sheaths swollen; 

 leaf blades 2 — 6 mm. wide; spikes 2 — 8 cm. 

 long. The slender, vase-shaped panicles of 

 spikes have a silky, white or pinkish cast 

 because of the numerous long awns and 

 fuzzy lemmas. The fertile lemma is about 

 3 mm. long. The rudimentary floret is wedge- 

 shaped and bears an awn about the same 

 length as that of the fertile lemma. This 

 species is found as a weed in fields, along 

 roadsides and railroad tracks in the South- 

 west. The occurrences in the eastern states 

 are probably introductions. In New England, 

 the plants occur on wool waste heaps around 

 woolen mills, the seeds being imported in 

 the raw fleeces. July — September. 



20a. Plants 1 — 1.5 m. tall; leaf blades tapering to long, fine points. 

 Fig. 265. 



RHODES GRASS Chloris gayana Kunth 



Perennial; spreading by leafy stolons; 

 panicles vase-shaped, 5 — 10 cm. long; 

 spikelets yellowish, each with two rudi- 

 mentary florets above the fertile one. 

 Rhodes grass is grown in the southern 

 states for hay and grazing and is found 

 growing wild in fields and on waste 

 ground. It winter kills at 20 degrees F., 

 and so is adapted only to the far South. 

 Introduced from Africa. 



Figure 26b 



140 



