194 MISC. PUBLICATION 200, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



lower floret, 3- to 5-nerved, the nerves usually prominent; lemmas 

 convex, several-nerved, membranaceous or rather firm, scarious- 

 margined, sometimes conspicuously so, awnless or sometimes awned 

 from between the teeth of the bifid apex, the callus not bearded. 

 Rather tall perennials, the base of the culm often swollen into a 

 corm, with closed sheaths, usually flat blades, narrow or sometimes 

 open, usually simple panicles of relatively large spikelets. Type 

 species, Melica nutans L. Melica, an Italian name for a kind of sor- 

 ghum probably from the sweet juice (mel, honey). 



The species are in general palatable grasses but, not being gregarious, 

 do not furnish much forage. Important species are M. porteri, 

 M. imperfecta, and M. subulata. 



Spikelets narrow; lemmas acute (obtuse in M. harfordii) or awned. 



Section 1. Bromelica. 

 Spikelets broad; lemmas obtuse, awnless Section 2. Etjmelica. 



Section 1. Bromelica 



Lemmas long-awned from a bifid apex. 



Branches of panicle few, distant, spreading, naked on the lower half. 



1. M. SMITHII. 

 Branches of panicle short, appressed, spikelet-bearing from near the base. 



2. M. ARISTATA. 

 Lemmas awnless or minutely awned. 



Culms not bulbous at base; lemmas obtuse 3. M. harfordii. 



Culms bulbous at base; lemmas acute or acuminate. 



Lemmas acuminate, usually pilose; panicle narrow, the branches short, 



usually appressed 4. M. subulata. 



Lemmas acute; panicle broad, the branches long and spreading. 



5. M. GEYERI. 

 Section 2. Eumelica 



la. Culms bulbous at base (see also M. calif ornica) . 



Pedicels capillary, fiexuous or recurved; panicle narrow 6. M. spectabilis. 



Pedicels stouter, appressed. 



Rachilla soft, enlarged, wrinkled in drying, usually brownish. _ 8. M. fugax. 

 Rachilla firm, whitish, not wrinkled. 



Panicle rather dense, the branches short, appressed, usually imbricate; 



glumes thin, indistinctly nerved 7. M. bulbosa. 



Panicle loosely flowered, the branches, or some of them, stiffly ascending- 

 spreading in anthesis, usually somewhat distant, scarcely imbricate; 



glumes firm, distinctly nerved 9. M. inflata. 



lb. Culms not distinctly bulbous at base (somewhat swollen in M. calif ornica) . 

 2a. Spikelets falling entire, nodding to pendulous on capillary pedicels. 

 Panicle narrow; spikelets 4- or 5-flowered. 



Spikelets reflexed; glumes 1 to 1.5 cm long 10. M. stricta. 



Spikelets not reflexed ; glumes less than 1 cm long 11. M. porteri. 



Panicle open, the lower branches spreading; spikelets mostly 2- or 3-flowered. 

 Glumes nearly as long as the usually 2-flowered spikelet; apexes of the 2 

 florets about the same height; panicle simple or nearly so. 



12. M. mutica. 

 Glumes shorter than the usually 3-flowered spikelet; apex of second floret 



a little higher than that of the first; panicle compound. 



13. M. nitens. 

 2b. Spikelets not falling entire, not pendulous. 



Spikelets 4 to 6 mm long; fertile florets 1 or 2. 



Fertile lemmas pubescent; fertile florets often 2 14. M. torreyana. 



Fertile lemmas glabrous; fertile floret usually 1 15. M. imperfecta. 



Spikelets 8 to 15 mm long; fertile florets 2 to several. 



Spikelets silvery white; glumes about as long as the spikelet; plant tall, 



somewhat woody 16. M. frutescens. 



Spikelets tawny to purplish; glumes shorter than the spikelet; plant lower, 

 herbaceous 17. M. californica. 



