Order 156.— GRAMLNEJ3. 773 



1. LEER'SIA, Soland. Cut Grass. False Rice. (In honor of 

 John Daniel Leers, a German botanist.) — Spikelets 1 -flowered, # 1 flat ; 

 glumes none ; paleae boat-shaped, compressed, awnless, bristly-ciliate on 

 the keel, nearly equal iu length but the lower much broader, enclosing 

 the free, flat grain (caryopsis). — 2f Swamp grasses, with flat, retrorsely 

 rough-edged leaves, and the lis. racemous-paniculate, somewhat secund, 

 jointed to the pedicels. 



2 D. oryzoides Swartz Cut Grass. Culm retrorsely scabrous, 3 — 5f high ; Ivs-. 

 lanceolate, carinate, the margin very rough, backviards; sheaths also very rough with 

 retrorse prickles ; panicle much branched, diffuse, sheathed at the base ; spikelets 

 spreading; palece full 2" long, ciliate on the keel, white, compressed and closed ; sta. 

 3. — y A very rough grass, common in swamps, by streams, etc., U. 8. and Cau. 

 Aug. 



2 L. Virglnica "Willd. "White Grass. Culm slender, branched, geniculato or 

 decumbent at base, 2 — 3f long, nodes retrorsely hairy ; Ivs. lance-linear, roughish ; 

 sheaths roughish backwards, striate ; panicle simple, at length much exserted, the 

 lower branches diffuse; fls. pedicellate, in short, appressed, flexuous racemes; 

 lower palea scarcely more than 1" long, green-veined, mucronate; sta. 1 — 2. — if 

 Damp woods, U. S. and Cau. Aug. 



3 L. lenticrularis Michx. Catch-fly Grass. Plant smoothish; culm erect, 

 2 — tf high; panicle erect; /Jj. large, roundish-oval, near 3" diam., imbricated; 

 sta. 2 ; pales with the keel and veins ciliate. — 2| Wet places, Ct. (Eaton) to 111. 

 and S. States. Not common. Said to catch flies by the sudden closing of its 



pales. 



2. ORYMA, L. Rice. (Gr. opt>£a, from the Arabic, Erxiz.) — Spike- 

 lets 1 -flowered, $ ; glumes 2, very small, cuspidate ; pales 2, boat- 

 shaped, flattened, the lower one broader and mostly tipped with a 

 straight awn ; stam. 6 ; stigmas with branching hairs ; grain oblong, 

 free, smooth, enveloped in the pales. — Mostly (J). Fls. in a branching 

 panicle of racemes. Spikes hispid, jointed to the pedicel. 



O. Eativa L. Culm 2 — tf high, striate; Ivs. long, rough, lance-linear; ligule 

 long (near 1'), erect, pointed; panicle with erect branches, 6 — 9' in length ; outer 

 pale strongly 5-veined or keeled, Jiispid-ciliate and commonly tipped with a short 

 awn. — Extensively cultivated in the S. States, both in upland meadows and in 

 low inundated grounds. The former variety — the upland rice, is usually awnless, 

 the latter is awned A most important Cereal, f Asia. 



3. ZIZA^NIA, Gron. Indian Rice. (Zi^dviov, the Greek name of 

 ■some similar plant.) — 8 Glumes 0; spikelets 1 -flowered ; palese 2, 

 herbaceous. $ Paleaj subequal, awnless ; stamens G. ? Spikelets 

 subulate; palese unequal, linear, lower one with a straight awn ; styles 

 2 ; caryopsis enveloped in the plicate palea?. — Stout, aquatic grasses, 

 with a large panicle of both kinds of flowers. 



1 Z. aquatica L. Culm £' in diameter, fistular, smooth, Cf high ; Ivs. lance- 

 linear, 2 — 3f long, an inch wide, smooth, serrulate : panicle a foot or more long, 

 pyramidal, the lower branches divaricate and sterile, the upper spicate and fertile ; 

 spikelets on clavate pedicels; awns long (18"), hispid ; fr. slender, £' long, black - 



■ ishj very caducous, farinaceous. — % Inundated shores of ponds and rivers, U. S. 

 ami Can. The fruit, which is very abundant, affords sustenance to wild geese, 

 ducks, and other water fowls. Aug. 



2 Z. miliacea Michx. Culm erect, C — 1 Of high; Ivs. very long, narrow, glau- 

 cous; panicle largo, diffuse, pyramidal; glumes with short (1 — 3") awns; £ and 

 2 Jls. intermixed; sty. 1; fr. ovate, glabrous. — 1C Growing in water, Ohio to 

 Fla. and La. Lvs. coriaceous, 2 — 3f long, fi — 12' wide. Apr. — Aug. 



3Z,? fluitans Michx. Culm long, slender, branching, floating in tho water; 



