The Book of Grasses 



Nerved Manna-grass. Glydria nervdta (Willd.) 

 Trin. 



Perennial. 



Stem 1-3I ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule i"-2" long. 

 Leaves 6'-i2' long, 2"-^" wide, flat, smooth on lower 

 surface, rough above. 



Panicle 3'- 10' long, pyramidal, open, somewhat nodding, 

 branches slender, spreading or drooping, rough, lower 

 branches 2'-6' long. Spikelets numerous, 3-7-flowered, 

 I "-2" long, dark green tinged with purple. Outer 

 scales obtuse, unequal, shorter than flowering scales; 

 flowering scales obtuse, sharply 7-nerved; palets as 

 long as flowering scale. Stamens 2 or 3. 



Wet meadows, brooksides, and marshes. June to Sep- 

 tember. 



Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to Florida and 

 Mexico. 



Floating Manna-grass. Glydria septentriondlis 



Hitchc. 

 Perennial. 



Stem 2-5 ft. tall, rather stout, somewhat flattened, erect 

 or spreading at base. Sheaths loose. Ligule 2"-3" 

 long. Leaves 6'-i 5' long, 2"-6" wide, flat, roughish. 



Panicle 8'- 14' long, branches appressed, finally spreading, 

 not numerous, lower branches 3'-6' long. Spikelets 

 7-13-flowered, 4"- 12" long, narrow, green, appressed 

 on the branches. Outer scales unequal; ist scale 

 obtuse or acute; 2nd scale obtuse; flowering scale 

 obtuse, roughish, 7-nerved; palets slightly longer 

 than flowering scales. Stamens 2 or 3. 



Wet places and in shallow water. June to September. 



Maine to North Carolina and westward. 



GOOSE-GRASS AND SPREADING 

 SPEAR-GRASS 



These grasses, which in their spikelets bear a 

 resemblance to the Manna-grasses, are found only 

 on the salt marshes and beaches. They are slender 

 grasses blossoming in midsummer and later when 

 the beautiful sea-pink, or rose of Plymouth, blooms 

 in salt meadows, and the marsh rosemary, growing 

 to the water's edge, colours the sand with a mist of lavender 

 flowers, like purple spray borne inland on the waves. 



214 



F5 



Goose-grass 

 Puccinellia maritima 



