nromus. GRAMINE.E. 319 



dentalis, Hook. Fl. Bor.-Am. ii. 249. F. parvigluma and F. remotiflora, Steud. Syn. 

 Gram. 305 and 315. 



San Francisco and Oakland (Bolander); Oregon (Douglas, Pickering) ; also in Japan, Wright. 

 Hooker describes the glumes of his F. occidentalis as very obtuse : specimens collected by Douglas 

 and communicated by Sir William Hooker to the Torrey herbarium, as compared with those col- 

 lected within the State, have somewhat broader glumes, but they would hardly be described as 

 " very obtuse." The older specimens have mostly dark purple panicles, which in the young 

 plant are pale green. 



55. BROMUS, Linn. BROME-GRASS. 



Panicle open, with its slender rays at length pendulous, sometimes dense or 

 racemed. Spikelets 5 - many-flowered, subterete or laterally compressed. Glumes 

 unequal, shorter than the lowest floret, membranaceous, acute, awnless ; the lower 

 1 5-nerved, the upper 3 - 9-nerved. Lower palet rounded on the back or some- 

 what keeled, 5 - 9-nerved, awned or bristle-pointed from a little below the mostly 

 2-cleft tip. Upper palet bifid, with ciliate nerves. Stamens 3, rarely 2. Scales 

 entire. Ovary hairy at the tip : styles inserted just below the top and more or less 

 lateral ; stigmas feathery. Grain oblong or linear, grooved, adherent to the palet. 



A genus of about 50 species ; largely European, in cold and temperate portions of the conti- 

 nent. 



* Glumes very long and narrow, awn-pointed ; loiver ^-nerved, upper 3-nerved, 

 or ivith an obscure additional pair: lower palet convex belo'iu, compressed- 

 keeled above, 5-nerved, rough-ciliate on the keel. Introduced annuals. 



1. B. maximus, Desf. Culms 12 to 18 inches high ; leaves about 3 lines wide, 

 and with the sheaths dark green and more or less hairy : panicle erect, 5 to 8 inches 

 long, with few erect and at length nodding 1-flowered branches ; spikelets including 

 awns about 3 inches long, 5 - 8-flowered : glumes hyaline except the nerves, the 

 upper nearly equalling the floret : lower palet very rough, about 10 lines long, the 

 teeth 2 lines and awn about 2 inches long. Benth. Illust. Brit. Flora, fig. 1214; 

 Eeichenb. Icon. Fl. Germ. t. 142. 



San Francisco, Bolander. A native of Southern Europe and introduced in England and other 

 countries. This has been recorded as B. slerilis, Linn., which is also likely to be met with as a 

 weed about settlements, and much resembles this. It may be known by having spikelets little 

 more than half as large, in a very open panicle, the very slender branches of which are drooping. 



2. B. rubens, Linn. Culm densely tufted, G to 9 inches high, and with the 

 narrowly linear leaves and sheaths pale green and densely soft-pubescent : panicle 

 ovate, 2 to 3 inches long, with very short erect branches thickened upwards and 

 rough-pubescent ; spikelets about 6-flowered, an inch long, including awns, more or 

 less purplish : upper glume one-third the longer, and about one-fourth shorter than 

 its floret : lower palet, like the glumes, rather coarsely pubescent, 7 lines long and 

 7-nerved, the intermediate nerves less distinct, terminating in two very acute hyaline 

 teeth nearly 2 lines long, the awn rather longer than the palet ; upper palet with 

 long weak hairs. Griseb. in Ledeb. Fl. Ross, iv. 360. B. rigidus, Reichenb. 1. c., 

 t. 142. 



Plumas County (Lemmori) ; a native of Southern Europe. The specimens have less dark- 

 colored spikelets, but in other respects agree with those from European localities. The root- 

 fibres in this are pubescent. 



* * Lower glume 3 -5-nerved, upper 5 -7 '-nerved: lower palet rounded on the 

 back: florets imbricated before expansion. Annual or biennial weeds in culti- 

 vated grounds. 



3. B. secalinus, Linn. Culms 1 to 4 feet high, rather rigid and with the ample 

 leaves and sheaths smooth or rarely pubescent ; panicle 3 to 5 inches long, oblong, 



