FESTUCE^. 491 



glume obscurely 3-nerved, narrower, obtuse or acutish, awnless or 

 in one case with a bent awn on the back, compressed, chartaceous; 

 palea narrow, hyaline, 2-nerved. Stamens 3. Grain linear-oblong, 

 not grooved, enclosed, but not adherent. 



Tufted slender perennials. 



There are six species, all found in temperate North America. 



A. Lower blades filiform 1 



B. Lower blades flat (a) 



a. Floral glume often with a bent awn 2 



a. Floral glume awnless (b) 



b. Upper blades 3-5 cm. long, panicle very simple 



and narrow 3 



b. Upper blades 8-12 cm. long, panicles stouter, race- 

 mose (c) 



c. Panicle dense, second and third glumes about 



2 mm. long 4 



c. Panicle lax, second and third glumes 2.2-3 mm. 



long 5 



c. Panicle lax, second and third glumes about 4 



mm. long 6 



• 1. E. filiformis (Chapm.) Yasey, Coult. Bot. Gaz. 11:117 

 (1886). E. Pennsylvanica var. filiformis Chapm. Man. Fl. S. 

 States 560 (1860). 



Culms very slender, 30-70 cm. high. Sheaths very shortly 

 woolly-pubescent; blades soft, rigid, filiform, those of the sterile 

 shoots 30-50 cm. long, the upper 3-5 cm. long. Panicle ver}^ 

 slender and narrow, the few racemose rays appressed, 1-3 cm. long. 

 Spikelets often 3-flowered ; first empty glume conduplicate, linear 

 when spread, 1-5 mm. long, second obovate, 2.3 mm. long; floral 

 glume linear when spread, 2.8 mm. long; palea as long as its glume. 

 Florida, Curtiss 3463. 



Dry pine-barrens; South Carolina to Florida. 

 2. E. hybrida Yasey, Coult. Bot. Gaz. 9: 165 (1884) 

 Culms very slender, 40-60 cm. high. Lower sheaths softly 

 scabrous or very shortly woolly-pubescent; blades scabrous, invo- 

 lute, nan-ow, the two upper 1-3 cm. long. Panicle simple, very 



