290 



GRAMINEAE. 



VOL. I. 



4. Elymus arenarius L. Downy Lyme-grass. 

 Sea Lyme-grass. Fig. 703. 



Elymus arenarius L. Sp. PL 83. 1753. 



Culms is-8 tall, erect, simple, usually softly pu- 

 bescent at the summit. Sheaths smooth and glabrous, 

 often glaucous, those at the base overlapping, the upper 

 shorter than the internodes; ligule very short; blades. 

 3'-i long or more, ii"-5" wide, flat, or becoming in- 

 volute, smooth beneath, rough above ; spike 3'-io' in 

 length, usually strict; spikelets 3-6-flowered, frequently 

 glaucous; empty scales 8"- 14" long, 3-5-nerved, acumi- 

 nate, more or less villous ; flowering scales 8"-io" long, 

 acute or awn-pointed, 5-7-nerved, usually very villous. 



On shores, Greenland and Labrador to the Northwest 

 Territory and Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Lake Supe- 

 rior and Washington. Also in Europe and Asia. Narrow 

 Bent, Rancheria-grass. Marram sea-grass. Summer. 



5. Elymus condensatus Presl. Smooth Lyme- 

 grass. Fig. 704. 



Elymus condensatus Presl, Reliq. Haenk. i : 265. 1830. 



Culms 2-io tall, erect, simple, smooth and gla- 

 brous. Sheaths smooth and glabrous, the upper ones 

 shorter than the internodes ; ligule 2" -3" long, trun- 

 cate; blades 6'-i long or more, 3"-i2" wide, scabrous, 

 at least above; spike 4'-is' in length, usually stout, 

 strict, often interrupted below, sometimes compound 

 at the base ; spikelets 3-6-flowered, 2-several at each 

 node of the rachis ; empty scales awl-shaped, $"-6" 

 long, i-nerved, usually rough ; flowering scales 4"-s" 

 long, generally awn-pointed, usually rough, sometimes 

 smooth. 



In wet saline situations, Alberta to British Columbia, 

 south to northwestern Nebraska, Arizona and California. 

 Western or Giant Rye-grass. Bunch-grass. July-Aug. 



6. Elymus curvatus Piper. Short-awned 

 Wild Rye. Fig. 705. 



E. virginicus submuticus Hook, Fl. Bor. Am. 2 : 255. 

 .1840. 



Elymus curvatus Piper, Bull. Torr. Club 30 : 233. 1903. 



Culms 2-3 tall, smooth and glabrous; leaves gla- 

 brous; blades up to 10' long and 4" wide, flat and 

 lax or sometimes stiff and involute; spike 2'-s' long, 

 3"-5" in diameter, usually long-exserted ; spikelets 

 S"-6" long, glabrous, the empty scales broad, 

 strongly nerved, manifestly indurated at the thick- 

 ened curved base, muticous or more commonly 

 short-awned, the awn less than quarter as long as 

 the scale, the flowering scales muticous or short- 

 awned as in the empty scales. 



Low grounds, Saskatchewan to Iowa, Missouri and 

 Kansas. July-Sept. 



