GRASSES (IF IOWA. 



99 



1. LEERSIA V1RGINICA. 



Leersia Virginica Willd. Sp. Pi. 1: 325. 1797. Watson and Coulter 

 Gray Man. Bot. 635. 1S90. (6th ed.) Scribner. Grasses of Tenn. Bull. Univ. 

 Tenn. Agrl. Exp. Sta. 7: 59. f. 68. 1894. Vasey Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 

 3: 42. 



Leersia Virginica Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 37. 1803. 



Asprella Virginica R. & S. Syst. 2: 266. 1817. 



Homalocenchrus Virginicus ( vVilld.) Britton. Beal. Grasses N. Am. 2: 

 L78. 1896. Nash in Britton and Brown. 111. Fl. 1: 129. /. 287. 1896. 

 Scribner Am. Grasses. Bull U. S. Dept. Agrl. Div. Agros. 7: 83. f. 

 77. 1900. (3d ed). 



Homalocenchrus Virginicus Britton. Trans. N. Y. Acad. 9: 14. 1889. 

 DESCRIPTION. 



WniTif Grass. A slen- 

 der, erect or ascending, 

 usually much branched, leafy 

 grass, 2 to 3 feet (4 or 6 

 dm.) high, from short, scaly 

 root-stocks. Nodes pubes- 

 cent with reflexed hairs. 

 Sheaths retrorsely scabrous; 

 ligule membranous, very 

 short; leaf-blade linear or 

 narrowly lanceolate, 2 to 5 

 inches (4-10 cm.) long, and 

 1 to 4 lines (2-8 mm.) wide, 

 scabrous on both surfaces, and 

 very minutely and sharply 

 scabrous on the margins. 

 Panicle 3 to 5 inches (0-10 

 cm.) long, simple, composed 

 of a few more or less spread- 

 ing, one-sided racemes, 1 to 

 3 inches (2-6 cm.) long, 

 bpikelets i| to 2 lines (3-5 

 mm.) long, strongly ap- 

 pressed to the branches and 

 closely imbricated ; glume 

 very abruptly short-pointed, 

 ciliate on the curved keel, 

 and with a few very short, 

 ^tifr hairs on the sides, 

 or nearly smooth ; palea 

 similar to the glume, but narrower, and with nearly a straight keel. 



Fig ~>V- Leersia Virginica. — a, branch of the 

 inflorescence; '<. c, spikelets. (Div. of A^ros. U. 

 S. Dept. of Agrl. 1 



