«RAMINE^. 



444 E(£LERIA. 



32. FESTU'CA. 



Splkelets oblong, acute at each end, subterete; glumes 2, 

 unequal, shorter than the flowers ; paleai lanceolate, lower 

 one acuminate or awned at the extremity. 



1. F. tene'lla. Slender Fescue Grass. 



Stem filiform, wiry, often growing in tufts and geniculate at base, 6 — 12 

 inches high ; leaves erect, linear-setaceous, 2 — 3 inches long ; sheaths sub- 

 pubescent, with lacerated stipules; panicle simple, contracted, rather secund, 

 branches alone or in pairs ; splkelets 5 — 7-flowered, with subulate, subequal 

 glumes, at length brownish ; fluwers subulate, longer than their awns. Sandy 

 fields. June. 



2. F. ela'tior. Tall Fescue Grass. 



Utem smooth, 3 — 4 feet high; leaves lanceolate, smooth, rough-edged, afoot 

 long, on smooth, loose sheaths; panicle drooping, very branching, loosely 

 spreading, branches in pairs ; spikelets lance-ovate, acute, 4 — 6-flowered, 

 racemose on the branches ; lower glume shorter ; lower paZea acuminate or 

 mucronate. A fine grass, in meadows. June. 



3. F. prate'nsis. Meadow Fescue Grass. 



Stem smooih, 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves lance-linear, nerved, smooth, rough- 

 edged, about 8 inches long ; sheaths nerved, smooth with obsolete stipules ; 

 panicle branched, spreading, somewhat l-sided, branches subsolitary ; spikelets 

 lance-linear, 7— 9-flowered; lower gbime smaller ; lower palea acute. Intro- 

 duced in fields and meadows. June. July. 



4. F. DURiu'scuLA. Hard Fescue Grass. 



Stem smooth, 12— 18 inches high; /cnues linear, very acute, a little scabrous; 

 stipules membranaceous, lacerate ; panicle oblong, spreading, inclining to one 

 side, branches in pairs; spikelets nearly terete, 5 — 7-flowered ; lower glmne 

 smaller, upper one 3-nerved ; palece unequal, lower with short awns. Fields 

 and pastures. A fine grass. June. July. 



5. F. NUTANS. 



Stem erect, slender, smooth, with black nodes, about 3 feet high ; leans 

 narrow-linear, a foot long, nerved ; panicle slender, diffuse, at length nodding, 

 branches in pairs ; spikelets lance-ovate, 3--5-flowered ; floicers smooth, awn- 

 less and nearly nerveless. Open woodlands. June. 



6. F. fascicula'ris. 



Stem, much branched from the base, with short internodes, procumbent, 

 geniculate, 12 — 18 inches long ; leaves linear, very long, 5-nerved, scabrous, 

 on long, loose sheaths ; panicle erect, inclining to one side, with strict, spike- 

 form bmnches ; spi/ie?c^^appressed, secund, 8— 10-flowered ; ^/w7He5l -nerved, 

 lower one very short ; lower palea: tipped with awns of their own length. 

 Wet meadows. Aug. Ann. 



7. F. ovi'na. Sheep's Fescue. 



Stem erect, ascending at base, 6—10 inches high ; leaves very narrow, rough, 

 radical ones very numerous, 2—4 inches long, cauline iew, short, erect ; 

 jHtnicle few-flowered, simple, contracted ; spikelets ovate, 4-flowered ; palcce 

 roundish. A valuable grass, recently introduced. June. 



33. KffiLE'RIA. 



Spikelets compressed, 2— o-flowered ; glumes 2, unequal, 

 shorter than the flowers; upper flower pedicellate, with a 

 short, awn-like rudiment at the base of the upper palea; 

 paleag 2, the lower awnless or awned beneath the tip. 



