Agrostis. CLXl. GRAMINEiE. 597 



larger, sometimes longer, often shorter than the paleae; paleae 2, 

 unequal, lower one larger, awnless or awned, larger than the glumes, 

 coating the caryopsis. 



§ 1. Glumes longer than the pale<2. 



1. A. VULGARIS. Smith. (A. polymorpha. Gray.) Red-top. Bent Grass. 



St. erect, 1 — 2f high ; panicle spreading, with the branches finally divari- 

 cate ; Ivs. linear-lanceolate, veined, scabrous, with smooth, striate sheaths, and 

 short, truncate stipules ; lower paJea twice as large as the upper, and nearly as 

 long as the lanceolate, acute glumes. — % U. S. A common and very valuable 

 grass, spread over hills, vales, and meadows, forming a soil, dense turf. Flow- 

 ers very numerous, purplish. July. 



2. A. ALBA. (A. decumbens. Muhl.) WliUe-top. Florin Grass. 



St. decumbent, geniculate, rooting at the lower joints, sending out stolons; 

 Ivs. linear-lanceolate, smooth, those of the stolons erect and subulate ; sheaths 

 smooth, with a long, membranaceous stipule ; panicle dense, narrow, at length 

 spreading, whitish, sometimes purplish; lower palca 5-veined, rarely awned. — 

 (X) N. Eng. to Ohio, in meadows, or in dry soils; hence its characters are vari- 

 able, being often nearly erect. June. ^ 



3. A. STRiCTA. Willd. Bent Grass. 



St. erect, smooth, wilh black nodes ; Ivs. linear-lanceolate, scabrous on 

 the margin, with cleft, while stipules; panicle elongated, strict, the branches 

 about 5, flexuous, scabrous, erect; glumes equal, lanceolate; paUce unequal, 

 smaller than the glumes, with an awn at the base of the outer one twice longer 

 than the flower. — % Fields, N. Eng., N. Y. June. 



4. A. CANiNA. Dog^s Bent Grass. 



St. prostrate, somewhat branched, rooting at the lower nodes, about 2f 

 long ; panicle at length spreading, with angular, rough branches ; glumes elon- 

 gated ; Icnoer palcce furnished with an incurved awn upon the beak twice its 

 length. — % Introduced and common in wet meadows. July. ^ 



5. A. PicKERiNGii. Tuckm. (A. canina, /?. alpina. Oakes.) 



St. erect ; Ivs. flat, linear ; pan. ovate, diffuse, branches verticillate, rather 

 erect, .scabrous ; gl. subequal, keel of the lower mucronate at tip, upper acutr^ 

 smoothish ; Imoer palea. ovate-lanceolate, acute or erose, veined, upper ovate, 

 veinless ; awn from the middle of the back, contorted, twice longer than the 

 fls.—White Mts. 



/?. rupicola. Tuckm. Smaller; pan. contracted, smoothish, often purplish. 



Mountains, Vermont. 



§ 2. ViLFA. Glumes not longer than the sicbequal, awnless palece. 



6. A. ViRGiNicA. (Vilfa vaginiflora. Gray.) 



Sfs. numerous, assurgent, procumbent and hairy at base, nearly simple, 

 about a foot long ; Ivs. somewhat 2-rowed, involute, rigid, erect, 2—3' long, 

 with smoolii .sheaths which are hairy at the throat and swollen with the en- 

 closed panicles ; panicks spike-form, terminal and lateral, the lateral ones con- 

 cealed; glumes nearly equal, about as long as the subequal paleae. — © Sandy 

 soils, Middle States. Sept., Oct. 



7. A. coMPREssA. Torr. (Vilfa comprcssa. Trinius.) Flat-stemmed 

 AgroslLs. — Glabrous ; .<;/. erect, compressed, simple, lealy, branched at ba.se, 



1 — 2f high; Irs. narrowly linear, compressed, scarcely shorter than the stem ; 

 keel prolonged into tlxiopcn sheath; .s///;. very .short ; panicle purple, subsimple' 

 contracted, the branches few and erect; gluvus equal, acute, .shorter than the 

 palece, the upper emarginate, rarely mucronate ; pahec ovate, obtuse, smooth, 

 sometimes deeply cleft ; stig. purple.— Sandy swamps, N. J. Sept. 



8. A. sKROTlNA. Torr, (Villa .serotina. ejusdcm.) 



St. 12 — 18' high, fllilbrm, compressed, growing in patches, smooth, often 

 viviparous at the nodes; Ivs. 2— 3' hy i", keeled, .smooth; sheaths open; stip. 

 ovate, short; panirk 3— 10' long, capillary, difl"use, branches fle.\uous, alter- 

 nate; spUiicts elliptical, scarcely i" long; V/v/w/r ovate, 1-veined, unequal, half 



