PHEAGMITES. — ARUIS^DIKAEIA. 179 



40. PHRAGMITES— rrm. Reed. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Spikelets 3 to 7-flowered, the flowers rather distant, 

 silky villous at their base, and with a conspicuons 

 silky -bearded rhachis, all perfect and 3-androtis, ex- 

 cept the lowest, which is either neutral or with 1 to. 

 3 stamens, and naked ; glumes membranaceous, 

 •shorter than the flowers, lanceolate, keeled, sharp- 

 pointed, very unequal ; palets membranaceous, slen- 

 der, the lower narrowly awl-shaped, thrice the length 

 of the upper ; squamulse 2, large ; styles long ; grain 

 free. Tall and stout perennials, with numerous 

 broad leaves and a large terminal panicle. 



PJiragmites^ a Greek word, i. e., growing in 

 hedges, which this aquatic grass does not, 



1. P. Communis (The Common Reed grass). A very 

 tall, broad-leaved grass. It looks at a little distance 

 like broom corn. Stem 5 to 12 feet high ; leaves 2 

 inches wide ; grows on the edges of ponds. This is 

 one of the largest grasses in the United States, 



41. ARUNDINARIA— Mich. Cane, 



GENERIC CHARACTER, 



Spikelets flattened, 5 to 14-flowered, the flowers 



somewhat separated on the jointed rhachis ; glumes 



very small, membranaceous, the upper one larger ; 



'palets herbaceous or somewhat membranaceous, the 



