PREFACE 



The little that has been written about our common grasses 

 has dealt chiefly with their economic value, and has been published 

 for the agriculturist, to whom that value is paramount. Or, it has, 

 on the other hand, been too technical to be of service to the casual 

 student of our wild flowers who has had comparatively little aid, 

 aside from scientific and agricultural works, in recognizing the 

 different species of this vast family. 



In preparing the following pages I have intended that the 

 descriptions, though accurate, should not obscure the beauty of 

 the grasses with a mass of technical terms, but should be so simple 

 that the wayfaring man who enjoys the verdure of our waysides 

 might become more intimately acquainted with the most common 

 plants. 



An important aid in recognizing the grasses will be found in 

 the illustrations, which, made from the living plants, present not 

 only the most noticeable characteristics of growth, but also deline- 

 ations of the parts of the flowers. 



The technical descriptions, which follow the general de- 

 scriptions, are the results of careful observations and measurements 

 of many specimens. 



The descriptions include the common grasses and the most 

 common of the rushes and sedges found from Canada southward 

 to Virginia, and from the Atlantic coast westward to the Missis- 

 sippi River. The greater number of species given are found 

 throughout the United States. 



I wish to acknowledge indebtedness to the following valuable 

 works: "The True Grasses," by Eduard Hackle; "American 

 Grasses," by Dr. Lamson Scribner; "Grasses of North America for 

 Farmers and Students," by William J. Deal; and "Descriptive 

 Catalogue of Grasses of the United States," by Dr. Geo. Vasey. 



Mary Evans Francis. 



