GENUS 5. 



GRASS FAMILY. 



1 1 



S. littorale. 



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5. SCHIZACHYRIUM Nees, Agrost. Bras. 331. 1829. 



Annual or perennial grasses, tufted or from rootstocks, with flat or involute leaf-blades, 

 and spikelike racemes, singly disposed, terminating the culm or its branches. Internodes of 

 the articulated rachis cup-shaped or crowned at the apex with a toothed or bifid appendage. 

 Spikelets -in pairs at each node of the frequently hairy rachis, one sessile, the other pedicel- 

 late. Sessile spikelet dorsally compressed, of 4 scales; first scale 2-keeled, with the margins 

 infolded ; second scale i-keeled ; fourth scale usually 2-clef t at the apex, often almost to the 

 base, bearing a perfect usually geniculate awn, the spiral column usually straight. Pedicellate 

 spikelet flowerless, of I or 2 scales, rarely of 4 scales and bearing a staminate flower, or 

 wanting. Stamens usually 3, very rarely I or 2. Styles distinct. Stigmas plumose. [Name 

 Greek, referring to the deeply cleft flow-ering scale.] 



About 35 species, mainly in tropical and warm temperate regions. Besides the following, 

 others occur in the southern and southwestern parts of the United States. Type species : Andro- 

 pogon brei'ifolius Sw. 

 Hairs at the apex of the rachis internodes short, j4"-ij^" long; plant usually green or purplish. 



rarely glaucous. i. 5. scoparium. 



Hairs at the apex of the rachis internodes 2"-2 l / 2 " long; plant glaucous, the leaf-sheaths much 



compressed. 



i. Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) 

 Nash. Broom Beard-grass. Fig. 262. 



Andropogon scoparium Michx. Fl Bor. Am. i : 57. 



1803. 

 Schizachyrium scoparium Nash, in Small, Fl. SE. 



U. S. 59. 1903. 



Culms simple or much-branched, ii-4* c tall; 

 sheaths smooth- or scabrous, sometimes glaucous, 

 glabrous or pubescent; blades 6'-i? long, i"-4" 

 wide, acuminate, glabrous or pubescent; racemes 

 \'-2\' long, loose, on long-exserted slender 

 peduncles; rachis slender, flexuous, the joints 

 and pedicels ciliate with spreading hairs; outer- 

 most scale of sessile spikelet 2i"~3i" long, 

 acuminate, scabrous ; awn spiral, more or less 

 bent at point of exsertion, 4"-8" long, scabrous ; 

 pedicellate spikelet reduced to a single awn- 

 pointed scale. 



In dry sandy fields. Maine to Saskatchewan and 

 Montana, south to Florida, Texas and New Mexico. 

 Broom-grass or -sedge ; Bunch-grass ; Red-stem or 

 Blue-stem-grass; Big Blue-joint. Aug.-Oct. 



2. Schizachyrium littorale (Nash) Bick- 

 nell. Seacoast Beard-grass. Fig. 263. 



Andropogon littoralis Nash, in Britton, Man. 69. 



1901. 

 Schizachyrium littorale Bicknell, Bull. Torrey Club 



35: 182. 1908. 



A densely tufted perennial, the innovations 

 with glaucous leaves with much-compressed 

 sheaths. Culms 22-3i tall, compressed, 

 branched ; sheaths rough, keeled ; blades up to 

 8' long, il"-^" wide, rough, acute, strongly 

 keeled; racemes usually I'-ii' long, the rachis 

 commonly straight, the internodes long-ciliate on 

 the margins, the hairs at the apex 2"-2l" long, 

 the pedicels, which are usually recurved, long- 

 ciliate; sessile spikelets 4"-$" long, linear-lanceo- 

 late, glabrous, the fourth scale shortly 2-toothed 

 at the apex, ciliate, the awn s"-7*" long, the 

 brown column tightly spiral, barely if at all 

 exserted from the scales; pedicellate spikelet a 

 single awned scale. 



In sand along the coast, Nantucket to New York, 

 south to Virginia. Summer and fall. 



6. ANDROPOGON L. Sp. PI. 1045. 1753. 



_ Perennial grasses with usually long narrow leaves, and terminal and axillary racemes. 

 Spikelets in pairs at each node of the jointed hairy rachis, one sessile and perfect, the other 



