204 MISC. PUBLICATION 200, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



indistinctly nerved; lemma a little longer than the glumes, glabrous, 

 indistinctly nerved, obtuse. 91 Dry open woods and rocky hill- 

 sides, at low and medium altitudes, central and southern California, 

 especially in the Coast Ranges ; Baj a California. A few 

 forms have been distinguished as varieties: MELICA 

 IMPERFECTA var. REFRACTA Thurb. Lower branches 

 of panicle spreading or reflexed; blades pubescent. 

 91 Southern California. MELICA IMPERFECTA var. 

 FLEXUOSA Boland. Like the preceding but blades 

 glabrous. 91 Central and southern California. 

 MELICA IMPERFECTA var. MfNOR Scribn. Culms less 

 than 30 cm tall; blades glabrous, 1 to 2 mm wide. 

 Southern California. 



16. Melica frutescens Scribn. (Fig. 398.) Culms 

 0.75 to 2 m tall, sparingly branching, rather woody 

 below, not bulbous at base ; sheaths retrorsely scabrous ; 

 blades rather firm, 2 to 4 mm wide, those of the inno- 

 vations, 1 to 2 mm wide, subin volute ; panicle silvery- 

 shining, narrow, rather dense, 10 to 30 cm long, the 

 branches short, appressed; spikelets short-pediceled, 

 12 to 15 mm long; glumes nearly as long as the spike- 

 let, prominently 5-nerved; lemmas subacute, faintly 

 7-nerved. 91 Hills and canyons, at low and 

 medium altitudes, southern California (Inyo County 

 and southward) ; B a j a 



California. 



17. Melica calif ornica 

 Scribn. (Fig. 399.) Culms 

 60 to 120 cm tall, the base 

 usually decumbent, often 

 more or less bulbous; 



Torreyana.' Panicle, sheaths glabrOUS Or pu- 



(ChasesosVcaiiu bescent, the lower persist- 

 ent, brown and shredded ; 

 blades 1 to 4 mm wide; panicle narrow, 

 rather dense, 10 to 20 cm long, tawny 

 to purplish, not silvery; spikelets short- 

 pediceled, 10 to 12 mm long (rarely 

 shorter) with 2 to 4 florets besides the 

 rudiment; glumes scaberulous, a little 

 shorter than the spikelets; lemmas 

 rather prominently 7-nerved, scaberu- 

 lous, subacute to obtuse, often emar- 

 ginate. 91 (M. bulbosa Gey er; Thurb., 

 not M. bulbosa of this work.) Moun- 

 tain meadows and rocky woods, at 



low and medium altitudes, Oregon FIGURE 397. Melica imperfecta. Panicle, 



(Malheur County) and California. x i; spikeiet, x 5. (Elmer 4710, caiif.) 



MELICA ALTISSIMA L. Tall perennial; blades 15 to 20 cm long, 5 to 10 mm 

 wide; panicle narrow, dense, tawny to purple; spikelets about 12 mm long; 

 glumes and lemmas broad, papery. <4 Sometimes cultivated for ornament. 

 Eurasia. 



MELICA CILIATA L. Panicle pale, narrow, condensed, silky. 01 Occasion- 

 ally cultivated for ornament. Europe. 



FIGURE 396. Melica 



