GRASS FAMILY. 219 
84. BROMUS L,. Spaele7Gne 0753: 
Annual or perennial grasses, with flat leaves and terminal panicles, the pedicels thick- 
ened at the summit. Sheaths sometimes not split. Spikelets few-many-flowered. Two 
lower scales empty, unequal, acute; flowering scales rounded on the back, or sometimes 
compressed-keeled, 5-9-nerved, the apex usually 2-toothed, generally bearing an awn just 
below the summit; palet shorter than the scale, 2-keeled. Stamens usually 3. Stigmas ses- 
sile, plumose, inserted below a hairy cushion-like appendage at the top of the ovary. Grain 
adherent to the palet. [Greek name for a kind of oats. ] 
About 40 species, most numerous in the north temperate zone. Besides the following, some 14 
others occur in the western parts of North America. 
Lower empty scale 1-nerved, the upper 3-nerved. 
Tall perennials, 2°-4° high. 
Sheaths glabrous or softly pubescent, the lower sometimes sparingly hirsute. 
Leaves 2''-6'' wide; culms stoutish; branches of the panicle more or less spreading or 
drooping. 1. B. ctliatus. 
Leaves less than 2'’ wide; culms slender; branches of the panicle erect. 
2. B. erectus. 
Sheaths strongly retrorse-hirsute. 3. B. asper. 
Low annuals, 1°-2° high; spikelets drooping. 
Spikelets numerous, on slender recurved unilateral pedicels; flowering scales 4/’-6'’ long. 
4. B. tectorum. 
Spikelets few, the pedicels not unilateral; flowering scales 6''-8'’ long. 5. B. slerilis. 
Lower empty scale 3-nerved, the upper 5-9-nerved (3-nerved in No. 6). 
Flowering scales rounded on the back, at least below. 
Flowering scales awned. 
Flowering scales pubescent. 
Pubescence dense, consisting of long silky hairs. 
Second empty scale 3-nerved; flowering scales 5/’-6'’ long. 6. B. Porteri. 
Second empty scale 5-7-nerved; flowering scales about 4’’ long. 
7. B. Kalmii. 
Pubescence of short appressed soft hairs, not dense. 8. B. hordeaceus. 
Flowering scales glabrous or minutely roughened. 
Awns straight. 
Nerves of the turgid flowering scales obscure; palet about equalling the scale, 
which is 3'’-4’’ long. 9. B. secalinus. 
Nerves of the flowering scale prominent; palet considerably shorter than the 
scale, which is 4'’-5’’ long. to. B. racemosus. 
Awns strongly bent near the base, divergent. 11. B. squarrosus. 
Flowering scales not awned, nearly as broad as long. 12. B. brizaeformis. 
Flowering scales compressed-keeled. 
Flowering scales pubescent; awn 2'’—3'’ long. 13. B. breviaristatus. 
Flowering scales minutely roughened; awn less than 1’’ long, or none. 
14. B. untoloides. 
1. Bromus ciliatus I, Fringed Brome-grass. Wood Chess. (Fig. 506.) 
Bromus purgans ¥,. Sp. Pl..76. 1753? 
Bromus ciliatus I,. Sp. Pl. 76. 1753. yy Z 
Culms 2°—4° tall, erect, simple, glabrous or Gj 
pubescent. Sheaths often shorter than the Lz Z 
internodes, smooth or rough, often softly / tl 
pubescent, or the lower sometimes sparingly LET f/ 
|| zz | 
hirsute; ligule very short; leaves 4/-12’ long, ILE 
2//-6/’ wide, smooth beneath, scabrous and Y 
often pubescent above; panicle open, 4/—10/ < 
in length, its b hes lax, widely 1- [ TS 
: ength, its ranches lax, ees y spread (7 7 SS. 
ing or often drooping; spikelets 5—10-flow- | 
ered, 1’ long or less; empty scales very acute, Y cS = 
glabrous, rough on the keel, the first 1- | Ss 
ing scales 4/’-6’’ long, obtuse or acute, 5-7- 
nerved, appressed-pubescent on the margins 
or over the entire surface; awn 2//-4’/ long. 
{ 
In woods and thickets, Newfoundland to SS <a 
Manitoba and British Columbia, south to Florida (| SSEss 
SS 
S 
Ss 
nerved, the second longer, 3-nerved; flower- | <<. ~ 
( wa 
and Texas. Variable. The form known as var. 
purgans (B. pubescens Muhl.) with the flower- 
ing scales pubescent all over, may be distinct. 
July-Aug. 
