MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



163 



plish, 4- to 8-flowered, 2.5 to 4 mm long, the ultimate pedicels short, 

 usually appressed; glumes about 1 mm long; lemmas acute, about 

 1.3 mm long, the lateral nerves prominent. 01 — Open ground, 

 southern Texas. 



39. Eragrostis trichodes (Nutt.) Nash. (Fig. 327.) Perennial; 

 culms tufted, erect, 60 to 120 cm tall; sheaths pilose at the summit, 



Figure 327.— Eragrostis trichodes. Panicle, X 1; floret, X 10. (Reverchon, Tex.) 



sometimes on the upper half; blades flat to subin volute, elongate, 2 

 to 6 mm wide, tapering to a slender point, scabrous on the upper 

 surface ; panicle usually purplish, diffuse, oblong, usually about half 

 the entire height of the culm, branching 3 or 4 times, the branches 

 capillary, loosely ascending, sparsely pilose in the axils; spikelets long- 

 pediceled, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, mostly 4- to 6-flowered, 4 to 7 



mm long; glumes acuminate, nearly equal, 2.5 

 to 3 mm long, about as long as the first floret; 

 lemmas 2.5 to 3 mm long, acute, subcompressed, 

 the keel and lateral nerves strong; grain 1 mm 

 long, minutely pitted ; anthers a little more than 

 1 mm long. % — Sand barrens and open 

 sandy woods, Illinois and Nebraska to Texas 

 (fig. 328). 

 40. Eragrostis pilifera Scheele. (Fig. 329.) 

 Resembling E. trichodes, often in smaller tufts and taller; panicle 

 stramineous or golden-bronze ; spikelets linear, 8- to 15-flowered, 8 to 

 1 2 mm long ; glumes and lemmas about 3 mm long. 91 (E. grandiflora 

 Smith and Bush.) — Sandhills and sand barrens, Illinois and Nebraska 

 to Texas (fig. 330). Probably only a variety of E. trichodes. 



41. Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. Purple lovegrass. 

 (Fig. 331.) Perennial; culms in dense tufts, stiffly erect to spreading, 

 20 to 60 cm tall; sheaths glabrous or pilose, conspicuously hairy at 

 the throat ; blades flat or folded, rather firm, stiffly ascending, tapering 

 to a fine point, glabrous or rarely pilose, mostly 3 to 8 mm wide; panicle 

 at first included at base, two thirds the entire height of the culm, 

 diffuse, bright purple, rarely pale, branching 3 or 4 times, the axis 

 stiff, the branches stiffly spreading toward maturity, rarely pilose, 



Figure 328.— Distribution of 

 Eragrostis trichodes. 



