MELICA.— GLYCEKIA. 167 



81. MELICA— Linn. Melic Grass. 



GEIS^ERIC CHARACTER. 



Spikelets 2 to 5 -flowered ; the 1 to 3 upper flowers 

 imperfect and dissimilar, convulate around each 

 other, and enwrapped by the upper fertile flower. 

 Glumes usually large, scarious- margined, convex, 

 obtuse, the upper 7 to 9-nerved. Palets papery- mem- 

 branaceous, dry and sometimes indurating with age; 

 the lower rounded or flattish on the back, 7 — many- 

 nerved, scarious at the entire blunt summit. Stamens 

 3. Stigmas branched plumose. Perennials with 

 soft and flat leaves. Panicles simple or sparingly 

 branched ; the rather large spikelets I'acemose-one- 

 sided. 



An old name, from mell^ honey. 



1. M. Mutica (Melic Grass). Of which there are 

 several varieties, viz., M. Glabra, M. Diff'usa. Rich 

 soils southeastern Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, and 

 southward. 



32. GLYCEPJA— R. Br., Trin. Maxxa Grass. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Lpikelets tirete or flattish, several — many-flowered; 

 the flowers mostlj^ early deciduous by the breaking up 

 of the rhachis into joints, leaving the short and une- 

 equal 1 to 3-nerved membranaceous glumes behind. 

 Palets naked, of a rather firm texture, nearly equal ; 

 the lower rounded on the back, scarious (and some- 



