216 



OKDKR CXL. GRAMINE^ GKASS-FAMILT. 



2. 0. melanocarpa. 



Black Millet. 



Culm erect, simple, leafy ; leaves lanceolate, acuminate, flat, with sheaths 

 bearded at the throat; panicle mostly simple, consisting of loose racemes ; 

 glumes acuminate, mucronate : palese somewhat hairy, nearly black when ma- 

 ture ; lower one tipped with a long, straight awn, nearly an inch long; fruit 

 black. A leafy species, remarkably distinguished by its black fruit, rather com- 

 mon in rocky wood?. Culm 2 3 ft high. July Aug. 



10. ARfSTIDA. 



Spikelets 1-flowered. Glumes 2, unequal, often mucronate; 

 palese pedicellate ; lower tipped with 3 awns ; upper palea much 

 smaller, minute. Stamens 3. Stigmas plumose. 



1. A. dichotoma. 



Poverty Grass. 



Culms tufted, dichotomously and very brandling ; leaves very narrow, more 

 or less revolute; spikelets on clavate pedicels, In short, appressed racemes; la- 

 teral ones minute, middle one as long or longer than the palea, bent or twisted. 

 A common grass in sandy fields, distinguished by its very dichotomous culm, 

 which is 6' 12' high. Aug. Sep. 



11. SPARTlNA. 



Spikelets 1-flowered, much compressed, arranged in two rows 

 on a triangular axis, forming dense racemose spikes. Glumes 2, 

 compressed, very much carinate, acute or mucronate, rough or 

 bristly on the keel ; upper one the largest, longer than the awn- 

 less palese. Stamens 3. Styles distinct, long. 



L S. polystdchya. 



Marsh Reed-Grass. 



Culm erect, rigid, tall and stout; leaves broad, rough on the margin and 

 somewhat beneath, very long, involute toward the extremity ; spikes purplish, 

 very numerous, in a dense raceme; glumes mucronate; palese equal, twice as 

 long as the lower glume. A tall, rank grass, growing in salt marshes. Culm 

 88 ft. high. Aug. 



2. S. jrincea. Salt Rush-Grass. 



Culm erect, slender ; leaves very narrow, involute the whole length ; spike- 

 lets few, 2 5, on short, smooth peduncles; uppermost sometimes sessile; 

 glumes acute, lower one much shorter than the lower palea. A much slenderer 

 species than the last, with very fine, almost capillary, involute leaves, growing 

 on the sea-beach and in salt marshes. Culm 1 2 ft. high. Aug. 



3. S. glabra. Smooth Marsh-Grass. 



Culm tall, erect, very smooth and somewhat succulent; leaves flat, very 

 smooth, very long, tapering to a very long, fine point, which soon becomes in- 

 volute, smooth on the margin ; spikes several, 5 15, erect, sessile; upper glume 

 scarcely exceeding the equal palem. A rank species, distinguished by the 

 smoothness of all its parts, and the comparatively few sessile spikes. Culms 

 2-6 ft high. Aug. 



12. DACTYLIS. 



Spikelets 2 3-flowered, aggregated in dense clusters, forming 

 a dense, branching, 1-sided panicle. Glumes unequal, carinate, 

 mucronate. Stamens 3. Per. 



1. D. glomerata. 



Orchard Grass. 



Culm erect, somewhat rough ; leaves linear-lanceolate, rough, somewhat 

 glaucous, carinate ; panicle dense, secund, with remote branches; glumes very 

 unequal ; anthers large, yellow. A common grass, introduced and naturalized 

 in shaded fields, especially orchards. Culm 23 ft high. June. 



13. GLTCfeEIA. 



Spikelets several-flowered, mostly cylindrical and not flat. 

 Flowers sessile, deciduous by separation of the joints of the 

 rachis, leaving the membranous, somewhat unequal glumes. 

 Palese nearly equal ; lower one 5 *7, mostly 7-nerved. Stamens 

 23. Per. 



* Spikes rather dense, ovate or oblong. 



1. Gr. Canadensis. Rattlesnake Grass. 



Culm erect, smooth ; leaves rough, somewhat glaucous; panicle very large, 

 somewhat pyramidal, with long, capillary, spreading branches, which at length 

 are drooping; spikelets rather large, ovate, short, tumid, 6 8-flowered, droop- 

 ing; lower palea acute, longer than the obtuse, entire upper one; stamens 2. 

 A stout, showy rass, 23 ft high, distinguished by its large, swelling, droopiug 

 Bpikelcts. July. 



2. Gr. elongata. 



Manna-Grass. 



Culm erect, smooth ; leaves very long, rough ; panicle contracted, narrow, 

 very long, with racemose, somewhat fecund, nodding, appre?sed branches; 

 spikelets 8 5-flowered, erect, tumid, ovoid ; lower palea obtuse, somewhat 

 longer than the very obtuse upper palea. A common species 'in wet meadows 

 and woods, distinguished by its short, ovoid spikelets, arranged in a very long, 

 racemose panicle. Culm 23 ft. high. June July. 



3. Gr. nervata. 



Nerved Manna-Grass. 



Culm erect, smooth; leaves long, rough above, with roughish sheaths; 

 panicle large, broad, diffuse, with capillary, at length drooping branches ; spike- 

 lets small, very numerous, oblong-ovate, 3 4-flowered, purplish ; paleae obtuse, 

 nearly equal, conspicuously veined ; upper one 2-toothed ; stamens 8. A com- 

 mon meadow grass, 1 3 ft. high. June. 



4. Cr. pallida. 



Pale Manna-Grass. 



Culm smooth, creeping at base and then ascending; leaves flat, somewhat 

 glaucous beneath, pale green above ; panicle rather large, nearly simple, very 

 loose, with capillary, erect, spreading, roughish, few-flowered branches; spike- 

 lets lanceolate, about 5-flowered, 5-veined, truncate at apex, minutely 5-tooth- 

 ed ; upper one 2-toothed. Common in shallow water and very wet swamps. 

 Culm 13 ft high. July. 



5. Gr. aquatica. Water Manna-Grass. 



Culm erect, smooth, stont, leafy; leaves broadly linear, thin; panicle large 

 and long, very much and diffusely branched ; branches somewhat erect, at 

 length spreading; spikelets narrow-oblong, 5 8-flowered, mostly purplish 

 lower palea truncate ; upper one shorter, 2-toothed. A stout, showy species, 

 common, especially in Northern districts. Culm 3 5 ft, high. July. 

 * * Spikelets linear, loosely flowered, 



6. Gr. fliiitans. 



Floating Manna-Grass. 



Culm compressed, ascending from a creeping, rooting base ; leaves broad- 

 linear, short, very smooth ; panicle very long, contracted, with nearly simple, 

 racemose branches ; spikelets 7 11-flowered, an inch or more long, appressed ; 

 lower palea obtuse, mostly somewhat longer than the upper one. An aquatic 

 species, distinguished from the preceding by its long spikelets, and from tho 

 following by its obtuse flowers. Culm 24 ft long. Bather common in slml- 

 low waters. June. 



7. Gr. acutiflora. 



Pointed Manna-Grass. 



Culm smooth, compressed, ascending from a creeping, rooting base ; leaves 

 narrow, small, shorter than in the last; panicle very long, much contracted, 

 with nearly simple, racemose branches; spikelets very long, from 1' 1^', 5 

 10-flowered ; lower palea acute, shorter than the upper one, which tapers to a 

 long, acuminate point A species much resembling the last It is found in 

 similar situations, but is distinguished by its much longer and very acute 

 flowers. Culm 23 ft long. June. 



14. BEIZOPYEUM. 



Spikelets 5 12-flowered, compressed, arranged in a very 

 dense, spicate or somewhat capitate panicle. Glumes 2, carinate ; 

 lower ones nerved. Palese 2 ; lower palea somewhat coriaceous, 

 and obscurely nerved, acute. Ovary pedicellate. Flowers often 

 polygamously dioecious. Per. 



1. B. spicatuin. 



Quaking-Grass. 



Culms smooth, tufted, rigidly erect, very leafy above ; leaves long, rigid, 

 involute, acute; panicle densely spicate, with short branches, crowded with 

 sessile spikelets; flowers smooth, dioecious; stigmas of the pistillate flowers 

 very long, plumose. A common grass of the salt marshes, growing in tufts, 



6' 15' high. Aug. 



15. P6A. 



Spikelets compressed, ovate or oblong, few-flowered, in loose, 

 open panicles. Glumes usually shorter than the flowers; the 

 lower one smaller. Lower palea scarious on the margin, 5-nerved, 

 mostly clothed at base with a soft, web-like down. Upper palea 

 smaller, 2-toothed, deciduous with the rest of the flower. Sta- 

 mens 2 3. Per., except No. 1. 



1. P. annua. Low Meadow-Grass. 



Culms low, mostly decumbent or spreading, somewhat compressed ; leaves 

 fehort, smooth, with smooth sheaths ; panicle nearly as long as broad, with 

 mostly solitary, at length horizontal branches; spikelets 3 6-flowered, on very 



