18 THE GRASSES 



projection (ligule) is sometimes hard, usually not very 

 conspicuous, sometimes reduced to a ring of hairs. The part 

 of the leaf beyond the ligule is known as the leaf blade and 

 it is sometimes broad as in corn or sorghum, or it may be very 

 narrow and rolkd in. or any condition between these extremes. 

 The roots of grasses are always fibrous, i. e. consisting of 

 several branching roots all of about the same size, without a 

 ta})root. 



Terminating the culm is the inflorescence or flower 

 cluster, always referred to as a panicle, though sometimes the 

 branches are so short as to make the panicle a spike. 

 Terminating each branch or subbranch of the panicle is a 

 small cluster of flowers called a spikelet whether it contains 

 one or more flowers or florets. That part of the culm wdiich 

 forms the central stem of the panicle is called the rachis. 



The flowers of grasses are different from most 

 flowers in that a true calyx and true corolla are not present. 

 Instead each flower is enclosed in two leaf-like scales called 

 floral glumes; the outer one (the first floral glume) is some- 

 times called the lemma, the second is called the palea or palet. 

 Enclosing each spikelet at its base is a pair of leaf-like scales 

 known as the empty glumes, the lowermost one being the first 

 empty glume, the other the second. The glumes both floral 

 and empty may assume almost any shape or any texture 

 from thin membranaceous to han^ and almost woodv; they may 

 be smooth or hairy, rough or glossy, they may be tipped with 

 short or long "beards" called awns ; they may have prominent 

 or indistinct or no veins (nerves), they may be clear and col- 

 orless, green, yellow, brown, or black; thcv may 1)C free from- 

 the grain and fall away as chaff or they may enclose it and 

 form a part of the "seed." 



Inside tlie floral glumes are the essential organs of 

 the flower ; the pistil with its basal ovary, which ultimately 

 becomes the grain, tipped by the more or less feathery 

 (plumose) stigmas; the stamens (1 to 6. usually 3 in number) 

 which are but little elonirated sacks (anthers) filled with the 



