THE GEASS FAMILY. 65 



Seed usually adnate to the pericarp (free in Sporobolus) testa 

 membranous, endosperm farinaceous, or somewhat horny. Embryo 

 at the inner side of the endosperm at its base ; cotyledon scutellate ; 

 plumule well developed ; radicle thick, obtuse, endorhizal (with 

 a sheath). 



The embryo contains one, (often three as in wheat) or more 

 rudimentary roots. 



The peculiarities of the styles, stigmas, lodicules, and the 

 caryopsis are of great value for describing grasses, but on account 

 of their small size and the difficulty of always finding grasses in 

 flower, they have not been much employed for that purpose. 



It is not botanically correct to call any plants grasses unless 

 they belong to this family (Graminece). There are many widely 

 different plants which in popular language have the name " grass" 

 attached to them, such as knot-grass, rib-grass, cotton-grass, 

 sea-grass, eel-grass, sedge-grass, the clovers, and others, but these 

 do not belong to the family here under consideration. 



The plants most likely to be mistaken for grasses are the 

 CyperaceiB (sedges), of Avhich there are two thousand species or 

 more. They are abundant on wet land, and often constitute a 

 large part of what is known as bog or marsh hay. Sedges have 

 three ranked leaves, or leaves spreading in three directions. 



The Graminece (grass family) contains Indian corn, wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye, rice, doura, sorghum, broom-corn, sugar-cane, millet, 

 Hungarian grass, bamboo, Timothy, red top, June grass, fowl 

 meadow grass, blue joint, buffalo grass, orchard grass, meadow 

 fox tail, the fescues, rye-grass, oat-grass, sweet vernal, Bermuda 

 grass, and many more which contribute to the food of domestic 

 animals. 



The grass family heads the list of food producing plants, which 

 are the foundation of all agriculture. The cereals, such as sor- 

 ghum, rice, doura, maize, wheat, rye, oats, barley, furnish a large 

 part of the food of the human race, while the meadow and 



