GRAMINE^. (GRASS FAMILT.) 5-17 



12. CALAIBLAGBOSTIS, Adans. Reed Bent-Grass. 



Spikelets 1 -flowered, and often with a pedicel or rudiment of a second abor- 

 tive flower, in an open or spiked panicle. Glumes keeled or boat-shaped, often 

 acute, commonly nearly equal, and exceeding the flower, which is surrounded 

 at the base by a copious tuft of white bristly hairs. Paleae membranaceous, or 

 in the second and third sections of a firmer texture; the lower bearing a slender 

 awn on the back or below the tip, rarely awnless ; the upper mostly shorter. 

 Stamens 3. Grain free. — Perennials, with running rootstocks, and mostly tall 

 and simple rigid culms. (Name compounded of KaXa/xos, a reed, and aypo'orts, 

 a grass.) 



<) 1. CALAMAGROSTIS Proper.— Flower, frc. much as in Agrostis, except 

 the hairy tuft : the boat-shaped glumes emd the palece membranaceous ; the former 

 equal or the lower one rather longer : lower pedea 3 - 5-ncrved, awned on the back : 

 panicle open. (All the following have a rudimentary plumose pedicel of a second 

 flower.) 



# Glumes open or loose after flowering. 



1. C. Canadensis, Beauv. (Blue Joint-Grass.) Panicle oblong, 

 loose (often purplish) ; lower palea nearly as long as the lanceolate acute glumes, 

 not exceedinq the very fine hairs, bearing an extremely delicate awn below the middle 

 scarcely equalling or exceeding the hairs; rudimentary pedicel minute. (Arun- 

 do Canadensis, Michx. C. Mexicans, Nutt.) — Wet grounds; common north- 

 ward, and southward along the AUeghanies. July. —Rather glaucous, 3° -5° 

 high: leaves flat. Glumes rough, l£" long. See Addend. 



* # Glumes closed infiv.it. 



2. C confinis, Nutt. Panicle elongated, narrow (5' -8' long), the 

 branches appressed after flowering, pale ; lower palea nearly equalling the oblong- 

 lanceoleite acute glumes, £ longer than the hairs (excepting those of the conspicuous 

 rudiment), bearing between the middle eind the base a rather stout and slightly exserted 

 aivn. (Ar. confinis, Willd. ! C. inexpansa, Gray.) — Swamps, N. and W. New 

 York (especially Penn Yan, Sartwell) and Pennsylvania. July. — Spikelets 

 rather larger than in the last; upper glume more or less shorter. 



3. C. COarctata, Torr. Panicle contracted, dense (3' -6' long); lower 

 palea shorter than the taper-pointed tips of the lanceolate glumes, almost twice the length 

 of the hairs (excepting the strong tuft borne by the conspicuous rudiment), bear- 

 ing a rigid and exserted short awn above the middle. (C. Canadensis, Nutt.) — 

 Wet grounds, Mass. to Wisconsin? and (chiefly) southward. Aug. — Culm 

 3° - 5° high. Glumes 4" long. Grain hairy, crowned with a bearded tuft. 



4. C. Pickeringil. Panicle dense and narrow (3'- 5' long, purplish) ; 

 palea? nearly equal, rather shorter than the ovate-oblong merely acute glumes ; awn 

 inserted between the middle and the base, stout, often a little bent, not exceeding the 

 glumes ; Hairs very short and scanty, $ the length of the palea}, half as long as the 

 small plumose rudiment. — Alpine region of the White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire; first collected by Dr. Pickering and Mr. Oakes. Sept. — Culml° 

 high. Spikelets smaller and glumes less pointed than in C. sylvatiea, DC, to 

 which belongs C purpurascens, R. Br. ? Leaves short and flat. 



