POACEAE. 35 



1. F. octoflora Walt. Stems 1-5 dm. tall; leaf -blades 4-8 cm. long, involute: 

 panicle or raceme often one-sided, 2.5-15 cm. long, contracted: spikelets 6-13- 

 flowered, 6-10 mm. long, the flowering scales, exclusive of the awn, 3-5 mm. 

 long, acuminate into an awn nearly as long as itself or shorter, or sometimes 

 awnless. — Eather common, in dry soil. — Sum. 



2. F. nutans Willd. Stems 6-9 dm. tall: leaf -blades 1-3 dm. long, 4-6 mm. 

 wide: panicle 1-2.5 dm. long: spikelets lanceolate, 3-5-flowered, 5-6 mm. long, 

 the flowering scales 3-4 mm. long. — Eather rare, in woods. — Sum. 



3. F. Shortii Kunth. Stems 6-12 dm. tall: leaf -blades 1-2.5 dm. long. 2-6 

 mm. wide: panicle 7-18 cm. long: spikelets broadly obovate when mature, 3-6- 

 flowered, 5-6 mm. long, the flowering scales 4-5 mm. long. — M. S. Eather 

 rare, in swamps. — Limestones, schists. — Sum. 



4. F. elatior L. Stems 6-15 dm. tall: leaf -blades 1-4 dm. long, 4-8 mm. wide: 

 panicle 1-4 dm. long: spikelets .5-10-flowered, 9-12 mm. long, the flowering 

 scales acute or short-pointed, 5-6 mm. long, indistinctly 5-nerved. — Common, in 

 fields and on roadsides. Nat. of Eu. — Sum. — Meadow-fescue. 



45. BE.OMUS L. Annual or perennial grasses, with usually closed leaf- 

 sheaths, flat blades and contracted or open sometimes almost racemose panicles, 

 the branches often nodding. Spikelets usually large, often drooping, few-many- 

 flowered, the flowers perfect or the upper ones imperfect. Scales few-many, 

 membranous, the 2 lower empty, persistent, narrow, unequal, acute or the second 

 sometimes short-awned; flowering scales longer and often broader, rounded on 

 the back, at least below, usually awned, rarely awnless, the straight or rarely 

 recurved awn dorsal and inserted just below the 2-toothed or shortly 2-cleft 

 apex; palet shorter than the scale, 2-keeled. Stamens 3, rarely fewer. Ovary 

 crowned by a villous appendange, at the base of which arise the very short but 

 distinct styles. Stigmas plumose. — Brome-grass. Chess. Cheat. 



Lower empty scale 1-nerved, the upper 3-nerved. 



Flowering scales glabrous, or pubescent on the margins. 1. B. ciliatus. 



Flowering scales densely pubescent all over the back. 2. B. purgans. 



Lower empty scale 3-nerved, the upper 5-9-nerved. 

 Flowering scales awned. 



Flowering scales pubescent. 3. B. Ealmii. 



Flowering scales glabrous, sometimes slightly roughened. 

 Leaf-sheaths glabrous : nerves of the turgid fruiting 



scales obscure. 4. B. secalinus. 



Leaf-sheaths softly and densely pubescent with re- 

 flexed hairs : nerves of the flowering scales promi- 

 nent. 5. B. racemosus. 

 Flowering scales not awned, nearly as broad as long. 6. B. hrizaeformis. 



1. B. ciliatus L. Stems 7-12 dm. tall: leaf -sheaths retrorsely short -pilose or 

 almost glabrous; blades lax, 2.5-4 dm. long and about 1 cm. wide: panicle 1.5-3 

 dm. long, the lower branches drooping: spikelets 5-9-flowered, 15-22 mm. long, 

 the flowering scales 10-12 mm. long, pubescent on each side for about f the 

 length, the awn straight, slender, 3-5 mm. long. — S. Eather rare, in thickets. 



— Schists. — Sum. 



2. B. purgans L. Stems 7-15 dm. tall: leaf -sheaths usually coarsely retrorsely 

 pubescent; blades 1..5-3 dm. long, 5-15 mm. wide: panicle lax, nodding, 1.5-3 

 dm. long: spikelets 7-11-flowered, 2-2.5 cm. long, the flowering scales 10-12 mm. 

 long, pubescent all over the back, the awn straight, 4:-6 mm. long, -r- M. S. 

 Eather common, in woods and thickets. — Limestones, schists. — Sum. 



3. B. Kalmli A. Gray. Stems 4.5-10 dm. tall : leaf -sheaths villous ; blades 0.5- 

 1.8 dm. long, 2-8 mm. wide: panicle 5-15 cm. long: spikelets 6-10-flowered, 

 1.2-2.5 cm. long, the flowering scales about 8 mm. long, densely silky, the awn 

 2-3 mm. long. — W. Eare, in woods, near Conewago. — Sandstones and shales. 



— Sum. — Wild-chess. 



