144 GRAIIINEAE 



2 to 4 iiK-hes high; blades % to 11/2 inches long; jianicles mostly simple, of 

 rather few laneeolate-oblong spikelets, the fertile inflorescence tending to be 

 capitate; spikelets 10 to 35-tiowered. 2yj to 7 lines long, the flowers more or less 

 dioecious. 



Sand bars and wet shores of ri-\ ers and lakes, throughout the U. S. and south 

 to South America. 



Loes. — Mendocino, Brown 928; Lower Sacramento, Jepson in 1S91; Latlirop, Biolttti 144; 

 Clear Lake, Prinr/h- in 18S2; Los Angeles, Nevin. 



Refs. — ER.UiBOSTis HYPNOIDES B.S.P. Prcl. Cat. N. Y. 09. 1S88; Davy in Jepson, Fl. W. Mid. 

 Cal. 60. 1901. Foci hypiwides Lam. Tabl. Enc.vcl. 1: 185. 1791. Erar/rostis reptans Nees, 

 Agrost. Bras. 514. 1829; Thurb. in AVats. Bot. Cal. 2: 314. 1880. 



51. ANTHOCHLOA Nees e^ Meyen. 



Spikelets several-flowered, in capitate or cylindrical panicles. Glumes small 

 or wanting. Lemmas thin-membranaceous. flabelliform, or petal-like, many- 

 nerved. Palea narrower than the lemma, hyaline. Low cespitose grasses with 

 flat blades aiul panicles partially included in the sheaths. — Species 3, Andes of 

 Bolivia and Peru. 1 in California. (Greek antlios. flower, and ehloa, grass.) 



1. A. colusana Scrii)n. Annual : culms ascending from a decumbent base, 



3 to 12 inches long; leaves overlapping, pale green, scarious between the 

 nerves, loosely folded around the culm but not differentiated into sheath and 

 blade, about 6 lines wide at the middle, tapering to each end. 2 to 4 inches 

 long, keeled on the back above, plicate, minutely eiliate with raised glands on 

 the margins and nerves ; panicles pale green, cylindrical, at first partially in- 

 cluded, never much esserted, li/o to 3 inches long, 4 to 6 lines wide, the upper 

 portion of the a.xis bearing, instead of spikelets, lanceolate-linear empty bracts 



4 lines long: spikelets subsessile. usually 5-fiowered, 3 to 3% lines long, imbri- 

 cated; glumes wanting; lemmas flabellate. very broad, many-nerved, 2\A lines 

 long, ciliolate-fringed. 



Only known from the type collection, "near Princeton, Colusa County, Cali- 

 fornia, bordering rain-pools on the hai'd uncultivated alkali 'goose-lands,' beside 

 the stage road to Norman; May 26. 1898. ./. Buiit Davy." 



Refs. — Anthochloa colusana Scribn. U. S. Dcpt. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 17 : 221. f . 

 517. 1899. Slap-fio colusana Davy, Erythea (i: 110. pi. 3. 1898. Ncostcipfia colusana Davy, 

 Erythea 7: 43. 1899. 



52. MELICA L. 



Spikelets 2 to several-flowered, in panicles. Glumes large, unequal, mem- 

 branaceous or papery, scarions-margined, 3 to 5-nerved, awnless, a little shorter 

 than the florets. Rachilla prolonged beyond the uppermost fertile floret and 

 bearing 2 or 3 gradually smaller empty lemmas more or less convolute and en- 

 closing one another at the apex. Lennnas firm with scarious margins, 7-nerved, 

 awnless, or awned below the bifid apex. Perennials, often bulbous at base, with 

 closed sheaths and usually few-flo'\\'ered panicles. — Species about 30 in tem- 

 perate regions. (An old Italian name for sorghum, from mel. honey.) 



Spikelets narrow: glumes usually narrow, scarious margined; sterile lemmas similar to the 

 fertile, the latter acute or awned. 



Lemmas long-awned 1. M. aristata. 



Lemmas awnless or very short-awned. 



Culms not bulbous at base 2. M. luirfordii. 



Culms bulbous at base. 



Lemmas acuminate; panicle narrow, the branches short 3. M. sahiilata. 



Lemmas acute, not acuminate; panicle broad, the branches long anil spreading 



4. M. gcyeri. 



