206 



A TEXT-BOOK OF GRASSES 



Spikelets 1-flowered, the rachilla prolonged; lemma awned 

 from the back, surrounded by a tuft of callus hairs; inflo- 

 rescence an open or contracted panicle. A common con- 

 stituent of native meadows in the northern temperate and 

 arctic regions of America. Blue joint, 

 C. canadensis (Michx.) Beauv., is com- 

 monly cut for hay from Montana to 

 Minnesota. This is a perennial with 

 creeping rhizomes, erect culms 3 to 5 

 feet high and a rather open panicle 

 resembling that of redtop. Another 

 species, pine-grass C. rubescens Buckl. 

 (C. Suksdorfii Scribn.), is an excellent 

 range-grass in the mountains of eastern 

 Oregon and Washington. Calamagrostis 

 scabra Presl (erroneously referred to C. 

 Langsdorfii) (Fig. 41) is a common 

 grass along the coast of Alaska and in 

 open grass lands of British Columbia. 

 236. Ammophila Host. Beach- 

 grass. Marram-grass. A genus of 1 or 

 2 species, allied to Calamagrostis from 

 which it differs in its strongly com- 

 pressed spikelets and chartaceous 

 lemma and palea, the lemma awnless. 

 The common species is A. arenaria (L.) 

 Link (Fig. 42), which grows in sand- 

 dunes of the north Atlantic coast of 

 Europe and America. It is found also 

 on the sand-dunes along the east and 

 south shores of Lake Michigan. It 

 produces extensively creeping root- 

 stocks because of which, and because 



FIG. 42. Ammophila 

 arenaria. Inflorescence 

 and lower portion of 

 jjlant,JX)^. (U. S.Dept. 

 Agrost., Bull. 



Agr., Div. 

 No. 14.) 



