Festuceae 43 



ing or sometimes spreading, the lower 5-15 cm. long; spikelets 

 usually 3-flowered, about 2 mm. long; empty glumes shorter 

 than the spikelets, acute, 1-nerved, slightly scabrous on the keel ; 

 flowering glumes 2-toothed at the apex, ciliate on the nerves. 



Common in the San Joaquin Valley and at Imperial along irrigating 

 canals. Known within our limits only from near Santa Monica, Davidson. 



Tribe 7. FESTUCEAE. FESCUE TRIBE. 



Spikelets 2-mnny-flowered, usually hermaphrodite, 

 pedicellate in racemes or panicles, the latter sometimes 

 dense and spike-like. Flowering glumes usually larger 

 than the empty glumes, awnless or with 1-several 

 straight, rarely bent, awns, which are either terminal or 

 borne just below the apex. 



Spikelets of 2 kinds in the same inflorescence, hermaphrodite and sterile. 

 Fertile spikelets 2-3-flowered, awnless. 32. CYNOSURUS. 



Fertile spikelets 1-flowered, long awned. 33. LAMABCKIA. 



Spikelets all alike in the same inflorescence. 

 Plants dioecious, saline or maritime. 



Spikelets solitary, concealed in the axils of the crowded short and 

 rigid leaves. 26. MONANTHOCHLOE. 



Spikelets in exserted spike-like panicles. 30 DISTICHLIS. 



Plants not dioecious. 



Flowering glumes 1-3-nerved or nerveless. 



Annual; inflorescence a lax panicle. 27. ERAGROSTIS. 



Perennial; inflorescence a spike-like panicle. 28. KOELERIA. 

 Flowering glumes 5-many-nerved. 



Flowering glumes rounded on the back. 



Nerves of the flowering glumes prominent. 



29. MELICA. 

 Nerves of the flowering glumes obscure or manifest only near the 



apex. 



Flowering glumes obtuse and awnless. 34. POA. 

 Flowering glumes acute, often awned. 



Flowering glumes entire, acute or awned from the apex. 



35. FESTUCA. 

 Flowering glumes usually awned just below the entire or 



2-toothed apex. 36. BROMUS. 



Flowering glumes compressed or keeled. 



Spikelets nearly sessile in dense 1-sided clusters at the ends of 



the few panicled branches. 31. DACTYLIS. 



Spikelets 1-2 cm. long; glumes short-awned. 



36. BROMUS. 

 Spikelets smaller; glumes awnless. 34. POA 



