212 
A TEXT-BOOK OF GRASSES 
barbata. (See Translation of Trabut’s article in Journal 
of Heredity 5: 56. 1914.) 
241. Arrhenatherum Beaw.—To this 
small genus belongs the tall oat-grass (A. 
elatius), a tall perennial with narrow pani- 
cles of spikelets similar to those of the oat 
but smaller, about 8 mm. long, 2-flowered, 
the first floret staminate and awned, the 
second perfect and nearly awnless. This is 
a native of Europe and now cultivated 
occasionally in this country as a meadow- 
grass, especially in mixtures. It is also called 
Randall-grass. 
Arrhenatherum elatius (L.) Beauv. (Fig. 45.) 
Tall oat-grass. Perennial; culms erect, smooth, 3 to 
4 feet high, sheaths smooth; ligule membranaceous, 
truncate, about 1 mm. long; blades narrow, usually 
not over 4 inch wide, scabrous on both surfaces; 
panicle long and narrow, rather loose, 6 to 10 inches 
long, pale or purplish, shining, the short branches 
verticillate, usually spikelet-bearing from the base; 
spikelets 7 to 8 mm. long, the glumes minutely sca- 
brous, unequal, the second nearly as 
long as the florets; lemmas scabrous, the 
awn of the staminate floret about twice 
the length of its lemma, geniculate, sca- 
brous. Often escaped from cultivation 
and a weed in waste places in the humid 
region. 
Arrhenatherum elatius bulbosum (Presl) 
Koch. Differs from the preceding in pro- 
ducing corms at the base of the stems. 
These corms are 5 to 10 mm. in diameter 
in clusters of usually 2 to 5 in moniliform 
Fig. 45. Arrhenatherum strings. An occasional introduction, from 
elatius. Inflorescence, K 4%; 
spikelet, 4. 
Virginia southward. 
