Eledsine. CLXI. GRAMINEiE. 617 



glabrous, rough-edged ; sficatks longer than the internodes ; panicle loose, 8—12' 

 long, nodding; sjrih/cls all i)n long pedinicles, about 10" long, ovate, flat, about 

 lO-flowcred; ir/»/«<:s unequal, near twice shorter than the flowers ; y?5. subfal- 

 cate, 6" long, lower one abortive; sta. 1.—% Dry woods, middle and Western 

 States. Singularly elegant and showy, Aug. 



2. U. ORAcirjs. Miehx. (Holcus jaxus. Linn.) 



tSl. slender, leafy, 3 — 11' high ; its. broad-linear, tapering to a slender point, 

 flat, 12 — 18' long; .s/tmtks shorter than the joints; panicle long, racemose, 

 branehes solitary, short, remote, erect; $pikclcts 3-flowered ; Jls. spreading, 

 straight, nionandrous; i^luvics rigid, acute. — % Sea coasts, N, Y. to Ga, Aug.* 



3. U. spicATA. (Festuca dislachophylla. Mirh.c.') 



S/. smooth, round, branched at base, 1 — ^Ihign; cavlinc lis. numerou.s, 

 3 — G' long, involute, rigid and acute; shmths longer than the joints, close, upper 

 ones hairy at throat ; slip, inconspicuous ; panicle densely spicate, consisting of 



short, la.sciculate branches with .sessile spikelets ; spikdels oblong, 5 9-flower- 



ed ; Jls. triandrous. — % Salt marshes, N. Y. to Car. July. 



44. ME Lie A. 



Lat. 77/f/, honey ; the plant to which the name was first applied had a sicer.t pith. 



Panicle simple or compound ; glumes 2, unequal, membranous, 

 2 — 5-flowered ; fls. a little longer than the glumes, the upper incom- 

 plete and abortive ; scales truncate, fimbriate ; caryopsis free, not 

 furrowed. 



M. GLABRA. Walt. (M. spcciosa. Muhl.) 



St. 3 — 4f high, glabrous ; Its. linear, flat, pubescent beneath ; slip, lace- 

 rate ; panicle glabrous, loose, few^-flowered, erect or a little nodding, branches 

 simple, solitary ; spikelets 6 — 8" long ; lower glwnie shorter, very smooth : palece 

 veined ; upper/-, neuter, pedicellate, consisting of very short, roundish paleae. — 

 'Zj. Mountains, Penn. to Car. 



45. DACTYLIS. 



Gr. 6aKrv\oi, a finger ; fi-om the form of the spikes. 



Spikelets aggregated, compressed, 3 — 5-flowered ; glumes unequal, 

 the larger one carinate, shorter than the flowers ; paleae subequal, 

 lanceolate, acuminate, the lower one emarginate, carinate, mucro- 

 nate, upper bifid at apex ; scales dentate. 



D. GLOME RATA. Orchard Grass. 



St. roughish,2 — 4f high ; lis. linear-lanceolate, carinate, a little scabrous, 

 glaucous ; sheaths striate , slip, lacerate ; panicle remotely branched, rather 

 secund ; spikekts about ^flowered, in dense, glomerate, unilateral, terminal 

 clusters ; glnvics very unequal ; anth. large, yellow. — % A fine, well known 

 grass, of rapid growth, introduced in shady fields, as orchards, &c, June. 



Tribe 8. CHL/OREaE. — Inflorescence spiked, Spikelets solitary, few-flow- 

 ered, the terminal flower often abortive. Glumes carinate, not opposite. 

 Upper palea with two keels. 



46. ELEUSINE. 



From Eleiisif, where Ceres, the goddess of harvests, was worshiped. 



Spikes digitate, unilateral ; spikelets 5 — 7-flowered ; glumes obtuse, 

 unequal, lower one smaller ; paleae unequal, upper one bifid toothed ; 

 scales truncate, fimbriate ; caryopsis triangular, ovate, enclosed in a 

 separate membrane or perigynium. 



E. Indiia. Wire Grass. 



St. oblique, comprcs.sed, procumbent and branching at base, 12 — 16' long; 

 Its. linear, .somewhat hairy, on smooth, loose sheaths hairy at the throat; 

 spikes 2 — i, rarely more or less, linear, straight, divaricate, 2—4' long; .<^pikclHs 



