886 GRAMINE^. (GRASS FAMILY.) 



1. O. fliiitaus, L. 21 Floating Sweet Grass. .5 to .7. Panicle 



somewhat one-sided; spikelets oblong-linear; lower glume half to two- 

 thirds as long as upper; lower pale oblong, oUuse or acutisJi, tip scarious 



— Summer — In water ; Coelesyria ; Hermon. 



2. O. plicata, Fries. 2^ .5 to .7. Panicle more or less whorled; 

 spikelets linear-cylindrical ; lower glume about half as long as upper ; 

 lower pale ovate-oblong, with a broad, scarious, sinuate-crenate tip 



— Summer —In water. Probably only a variety of the last. 



74. ATROPIS, Rupr. Atropis. 



' Spikelets co - or 2-3-flowered, laterally compressed; rachis brittle. 

 Glumes obtuse, concave, muticous, unequal, shorter than flowerets. 

 Pales deciduous together, muticous, nearly equal in length, the lower 

 concave, not keeled, obtuse or truncate, 5-nerved, the upper membra- 

 nous, 2-keeled, ciliolate at keels — Perennials, with narrow panicles of 

 spikelets resembling those of Poa. 



A, cli§tan§, L. % .2 to .4; glaucous; root fibrous, not stoloni- 

 ferous ; culms erect or ascending, often geniculate. Leaves firm, linear, 

 rather broad. Panicle erect, oblong-pyramidal, .1 to .15 long, branches 

 naked below, spreading in flower, becoming deflexed iu fruit ; spike- 

 lets oblong, 4-6-flowered, .005 long, .01 broad; glumes scarious at 

 margin, ovate, obtuse — Summer — Salt marshes; Syrian Desert 

 between Hamath and Palmyra. 



Var. huiuilis, Hackel (in letter). ,05 to .1. Leaves narrow, 

 convolute-filiform. Panicle .05 long. .005 broad; spikelets and pales 

 smaller, scarcely nerved; lower pale obliquely truncate, eroded-denti- 

 culate — In v/ater from melting snow ; summit of Dohr-el-Qodib. 

 Growing with dwarf specimens of Catabrosa aquatica, but readily dis- 

 tingished by the number of flowerets (4-5) in spikelet. 



75. FESTUCA, L. Fescue-Grass. 



Spikelets 2-oo -flowered, panicled or racemed, the flowerets fertile, 

 except the upper which is rudimentary. Glumes unequal, the lower 1- 

 and the upper 2-3-nerved. Lower pale herbaceous, muticous or awned, 

 not keeled, more or less prominently 5-nerved. Upper pale scarious, 

 2-keeled and 2-toothed, generally adherent to caryopsis - Perennials. 



* Ligules truncate^ tico-auricUd. Lamina of leaves either all folded to- 

 gether^ or those of culm more or less flat^ conduplicate in vernation. Lower 

 2yale with a narrow ^ scarious margin. 



1. F, oviiia, L. 1^ Tufted; root fibrous. Sheaths entire or more 

 or less deeply cleft, the entire part not grooved; laminee of all the 

 leaves similar, more or less folded, 3-9-nerved. Panicle spreading dur- 

 ing flowering ; spikelets 4-8-flowered, flowerets lanceolate, muticous or 

 short-aristate ; ovary glabrous ; caryopsis deeply channeled on its ventral 

 surface — 



(1) piiiifolia, Hackel. .05 to .3. Sheaths entire, membranous, 

 soon marcescent and irregularly fibrous; lamin£E short, glaucescent, 

 rigid, pungent, 5-nerved, 3-ribbed within; auricles of ligule acute. 

 Panicle contracted, interrupted, ,02 to .06 long, ,000 to .008 broad; 

 spikelets and rachis pruinose; lower, glume short-aristate — June to 

 September — Subalpine and alpine Lebanon. 



