GRAMINE^. (grass FAMILY.) 573 



into a short and whitish 2-cleft or emarginate beak, longer than the oblong 

 acute scale. — Pine barren swamps, Florida, and northward. — Culms l|°-2° 

 high. Leaves narrowly linear, keeled, rather rigid. Perigynia occasionally 

 nearly smooth. 



= = Perigijnia smooth. 



84. C. riparia, Curtis. Sterile spikes 4-6, dark brown ; fertile spikes 

 2-3, oblong-cylindrical, sterile at the summrt (l|^'-2' long), on erect pedun- 

 cles ; perigynia ovate-oblong, obscurely nerved, tapering into a smooth 2-cleft 

 beak, longer than the oblong brown awned scale. — Deep marshes, common. 

 — Culms stout, 2° -3° high, rough above, shorter than the broad (|') smooth- 

 ish and glaucous leaves and bracts. 



85. C. buUata, Schk. Sterile .spikes 2- 3, longpeduncled; fertile spikes 

 1 -2, oblong or oval (T long), sessile, or on very short exserted pedunVles; 

 perigynia globose-ovate, much inflated, strongly nerved, smooth and shining, 

 slender-beaked, longer than the oblong acute scale. — Swamps, South Carolina, 

 and northward. — Culms 1°-1^° high, shorter than the linear leaves and 

 bracts. 



Order 162. GRAMINE^. (Grass Family.) 



Chiefly herbs. Stem {culm) mostly hollow and with closed joints 

 Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, narrow and entire. Sheaths open, or split 

 on one side, and usually prolonged into a membranaceous or fringed 

 appendage {ligida) at the base of the blade. Flowers in spiked or 

 panicled spikelets, consisting of 2-ranked imbricated bracts or scales 

 {glumes), of which the 1 or 2 lower ones are empty, the others (1 or more) 

 enclosing a smaller and thinner one (palea or palet), a 1-celled 1-ovuled 

 ovary, and 1- several stamens, nre the Jiowering glumes, iorming the 

 floret. Perianth none, or consisting of 2 - 3 minute hypogynous scales 

 (lodicules). Anthers versatile, 2-celled. Styles 2-3-parted, with hairy 

 or plumose stigmas. Fruit a caryopsis {grain). Embryo placed on 

 the outside and near the base of mealy albumen. — Root fibrous. 



Synopsis. 



Seriks I. Spikelet jointed with the pedicel below the lowest glume. 



Tribe I. PANICKY. Spikelets with a single terminal perfect awnless flower, or 

 with a second imperfect one in the glume below. Floret coriaceous in fruit, 



* Spikelets without a bristly or spiny involucre. 

 ■^ Spikelets in 2 - 4 rows on 1-sided lateral and terminal spikes. 

 L REFMAKIA. Glumes 2. Spikelets lanceolate, acute. Culms creeping. 



2. PASPALUM. Glumes 3. Spikelets mostly ovate or orbicular, plano-convex, in 2-4 



rows. 



3. ERIOCHLOA. Glumes 3. Spikelets lanceolate, with a callous ring at the base. 



4. OPLISMENUS. Glumes 4, the lower awned. Spikes short and distant. 



1- 4- Spikelets variously panicled (except § 1 in No, 7), 



5. ANTH.^NANTIA. Glumes 3. Spikelets alike, in a contracted panicle, Taioui, 



