ELEUSINE. CLXI GRAMINEZ. 617 
glabrous, rough-edged ; sheaths longer than the internodes; panicle. loose, 8—12' 
long, nodding ; spikelets all on long peduncles, about 10” long, ovate, flat, about. 
10-flowered ; glwmes unequal, near twice shorter than the flowers; fis. subfal- 
cate, 6’ long, lower one abortive ; sta. 1.—2. Dry woods, middle and Western 
States. Singularly elegant and showy. - Aug. ; 
2. U. Gracitis. Michx. (Holcus laxus. Linn.) 
St. slender, leafy, 3—4f high ; Jvs. broad-linear, tapering to.a slender point, 
flat, 12—18’ long; sheaths shorter than the joints; panicle long, racemose, 
branches solitary, short, remote, erect; spikelets 3-flowered; jis. spreading, 
Straight, monandrous; glwmes rigid, acute.—2 Sea coasts, N. ¥: to Ga. Aug. 
3. U. spicdta. (Festuca distachophylla. Micha. 
S¢. smooth, round, branched at base, 1—2f high; cauline lvs. numerous, 
3—6’ long, involute, rigid and acute; sheaths longer than the joints, close, upper 
ones hairy at throat; stip. inconspicuous ; panicle densely spicate, consisting of 
short, fasciculate branches with sessile spikelets ; spikelets oblong, 5—9-flower- 
ed; jis. triandrous.—2 Salt marshes, N. Y. to Car. July. 
44. MELICA. 
Lat. mel, honey ; the plant to which the name was first applied had a sweet pith. 
Panicle simple or compound; glumes 2, unequal, membranous, 
2—5-flowered ; fis. a little longer than the glumes, the upper incom- 
plete and abortive ; scales truncate, fimbriate; caryopsis free, not 
furrowed. 
M. cuaBra. Walt. (M. speciosa. Muhl.) 
St. 3—4f high, glabrous; /vs. linear, flat, pubescent beneath; stip. lace- 
rate; panicle glabrous, loose, few-flowered, erect or a little nodding, branches 
simple, solitary; spikelets 6—8” long; lower glume shorter, very smooth: palee 
veined ; upper jl. neuter, pedicellate, consisting of very short, roundish palee.— 
2| Mountains, Penn. to Car. 
45. DACTYLIS. 
Gr. daxrv)os, a finger; from the form of the spikes. 
Spikelets aggregated, compressed, 3—5-flowered; glumes unequal, 
the larger one carinate, shorter than the flowers; pales subequal, 
lanceolate, acuminate, the lower one emarginate, carinate, mucro- 
nate, upper bifid at apex; scales dentate, 
D. GLOMERATA. Orchard Grass. 
St. roughish, 2—4f high ; dvs. linear-lanceolate, carinate, a little scabrous, 
glaucous; sheaths striate; stip. lacerate; panicle remotely branched, rather 
secund ; spikelets about 4-flowered, in dense, glomerate, unilateral, terminal 
clusters; glumes very unequal; anth. large, yellow.—?| A fine, well known 
grass, of rapid growth, introduced in shady fields, as orchards, &c. June. 
Trise 8. CHLOREZ.—Inflorescence spiked. Spikelets solitary, few-flow- 
ered, the terminal flower often abortive. Glumes carinate, not opposite. 
Upper palea with two keels. 
46. ELEUSINE. 
From Elewsis, where Ceres, the goddess of harvests, was worshiped. 
Spikes digitate, unilateral ; spikelets 5—7-flowered ; glumes obtuse, 
unequal, lower one smaller; paleze unequal, upper one bifid toothed ; 
scales truncate, fimbriate ; caryopsis triangular, ovate, enclosed in a 
separate membrane or perigynium. 
E. Indica. Wire Grass. 
St. oblique, compressed, procumbent and branching at base, 12—16/ long; 
lws. linear, somewhat hairy, on smooth, loose sheaths hairy at the throat; 
spikes 2—4, rarely more or less, linear, straight, divaricate, 2—4’ long; spikelets 
Ee 
