GRAMINE^E. 253 



scales pale or ferruginous, attenuate to a long hispid awn, the male linear-lanceolate, 

 the female lanceolate or oblong, shorter or with the awn longer than the perigynium : 

 perigynium coriaceous, pale olive, ovate or lanceolate, unequally 3-augled,. stipitate, 

 attenuate to a very long slender bicuspidate beak (the smooth subulate lobes fecurved, 

 nearly a line long), strongly nerved, divergent or recurved : nutlet triangular-ellip- 

 soidal or obovoid, chestnut-colored. 111. iv. 141. C. comosa, Boott, 111. i. 14, t. 38. 

 Swamps near San Francisco (Bolander, n. 2301) ; Oregon (Howell), and in the Atlantic States 

 from New England to Georgia and Louisiana. The typical European form occurs eastward from 

 the Saskatchewan to New England, and other forms prevail in South America, Australia, and 

 southern Asia. 



ORDER CXIX. GRAMINE-2E. (By DR. GEORGE THURBER.) 



Flowers hypogynous, perfect or unisexual, in 1 - several-flowered spikelets con- 

 sisting of small "green or more or less scarious bracts imbricated in two ranks, the 

 lower and exterior pair in each spikelet called glumes. These are close together upon 

 the rhachis of the spikelet, one lower than and more or less embracing the other 

 (lower and upper glume). The proper flowers are inclosed in usually two bracts 

 (palece or palets), which together with their contents are termed a floret ; this is 

 stalked or sessile within the glumes, and persistent or deciduous. The lower palet, 

 usually quite different from the glumes in size, shape, texture and number of nerves, 

 is herbaceous, membranaceous, chartaceous, or coriaceous, or even indurated in fruit, 

 and frequently awned. The upper palet, usually wrapped within the lower, from 

 which it differs in texture and size, being often very delicate or hyaline, is 2-nerved, 

 mostly with infolded margins, usually smaller, sometimes much reduced or obsolete. 

 Opposite the upper palet are two (rarely three or sometimes wanting) very small hya- 

 line scales (perianth of some, also squamulce or lodiculce), rarely longer than the 

 ovary. Stamens 3 (rarely 2 or 1, or 6 or more), with very slender filaments and 

 linear anthers, without prominent connective, versatile and pendulous ; pollen some- 

 times purplish or reddish, mostly yellow. Ovary sometimes stipitate, smooth or 

 hairy above, with one erect anatropous ovule. Styles 2 (rarely 3), distinct, or partly 

 united below, stigmatic above with simple or branched hairs. Fruit erect, free, or 

 more or less adherent to the inclosing palets, the seed completely filling the pericarp 

 and adherent to it (a caryopsis), or rarely quite free from and loosely surrounded 

 by it (forming a utricle). Seed erect, longitudinally furrowed, with a very thin 

 adherent testa. Embryo small, nearly globular, seated in a pit at the inner side of 

 the base of the albumen, which is farinaceous, or between farinaceous and horny. 

 Tufted annual or perennial herbs, with terete usually hollow culms, simple or branch- 

 ing from the solid nodes, sometimes stoloniferous or rhizomatous. Petioles sheath- 

 ing the culm more or less closely, the sheath split usually its whole length on the 

 side opposite to the mostly long and narrow, often convolute-filiform blade ; at the 

 base of the blade is a more or less conspicuous scarious ligule (stipule of some), some- 

 times appearing only as a cartilaginous ring or as a fringe of hairs. Inflorescence 

 very various, spicate or capitate, racemose or paniculate ; in a few genera, as Cen- 

 chrus, Coix, etc., the spikelets are surrounded by a hard bony involucre, formed by 

 a peculiar development of some portion of the inflorescence. 



