The Book of Grasses 



to its larger relative. The leaves are long and narrow, and the 

 slender, wand-like panicles bear wedge-shaped spikelets which are 

 y nearly sessile and are rarely more than one 

 "''' quarter of an inch in length. 



Seaside Oats {Untola paniculata) is a southern 

 beach grass, growing in drifting sands from 

 Chesapeake Bay southward, and taking the 

 place of the Marram Grass of more northern 

 coasts. Like the Broad-leaved Spike-grass the 

 panicles of Seaside Oats are large and ornamental, 

 but the pale spikelets are more numerous and 

 are borne on much shorter pedicels than are 

 those of the inland species. The stems are stout 

 and erect, with long, narrow, slender-pointed 

 leaves which become tightly rolled as the grass 

 ripens. This species blooms in late fall and often 

 retains the showy blossoming heads through the 

 winter months. 



Broad-leaved Spike-grass. Uniola laiifdlia 

 Michx. 



Perennial. 



Stem 2-5 ft. tall, stout, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 

 4'-io' long, 4"-i2" wide, flat, rough on margins, 

 usually hairy at base. 



Panicle 5'-i2' long, branches slender, drooping. Spike- 

 lets broad, many-flowered, 9"-i5" long, flat, on 

 hair-like, drooping pedicels. Outer scales slightly 

 unequal, acute, much smaller than flowering scales; 

 flowering scales acute, rough-hairy on their winged 

 keels. Stamen i. 



Moist, shaded places. July to September. 



Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Kansas and Texas. 



MARSH SPIKE-GRASS 



On the salt marshes of midsummer grows a 

 grass whose staminate and pistillate flowers are 

 borne on separate stems, and, although plants of 

 the two sexes are often scattered over the same 

 ground, an acre or more is sometimes covered by 

 stamen-bearing plants, while not far distant an 

 184 



Marsh Spike-grass 

 Distichlis spicata 



