•240 



AGLAONEMA 



AGROSTIS 



nebuldsum, N.E. Br. Sonunvhat larger; Ivs. narrower 

 (.">-S in. long. 1 '•> in. or lo.-;.'! witii^), more acuniiiiatc, the 

 markings rathor more Kroken anil not so continuovis 

 along the midrib. ' I. H. 34:24. A.G. ItiiUtil, anil 



146. Aglaonema costatum. ( X i) 



F.E. 7 :961 (as A. pictum). — This and A. pictum are con- 

 fused in the trade. Both species deserve more attention 

 than they have received in this country. 



costatum, Veitch. Fig. 146. Very dwarf and com- 

 pact : Ivs. heart-shaped, thick, 3 in. wide, one-third 

 longer than wide, seldom exceeding 5 in. long, dark 

 shining green, with midrib ivory-white and scatter- 

 ing blotches of white. Holds its tufted Ivs. through 

 the winter. Moluccas. J.H. III. 63:225. 



A. commuiatum, .Schott. Lv-s. oblong-lanceolate, obtuse at 

 the ba-^e. the apex long-acuminate, intense green, marked with 

 spot-* of a paler green and of white. E. Indies. — A. Rablinii, 

 Hort.. is "a fine decorative plant, with thick, leathery foliage" 

 'Manda). — .4. versicolor, Hort. Lvs. obliquely oblong, about 4 

 in. long by half as wide, rounded at the base, the apex acute, 

 irregularly marked with patches of dark velvety green inter- 

 pcraed with paler green and milky blotches. E. Indies. 



^ , George V. NASH.f 



AGNOS-CASTUS: Vitez. 



AGRIMONIA (old name, perhaps a corruption of 

 Argemorie). Ros(ircs\ Aguimony. Hardy perennial 

 herbs, natives of the north temperate zone, with alter- 

 nate odd-pinnate, aromatic and astringent lvs.: fis. 

 yellow, racemose, with .5 small petals and .5-l.'5 stamens: 

 i'r. armed with hooked bristles. — Sometimes cult, as 

 Hc,(i<lhind or shrubbery plants. Not showy. Prop, by 

 divi.^ion of rootstocks in spring. 



Eupatdria, Linn. (A. officinalis, Lam.). Common 

 Agrimony. Fig. 147. Petals twice as long as calyx, 

 latter making a small, Ughtly adhering bur. — Cult, in 

 herb gardens to make a tonic tea, also in wild borders. 

 Native to Eu. Grows 2-3 ft. high, in little clumps, from 

 a short rootstock. Has been confused with our native 

 A. hirsula, Bicknell, which is not in the trade. 



odorita, Mill. Lfts. narrower 

 than in A. Eupnloria, pubescent; 

 lobes more deeply cnmatc-den- 

 tate: petals more than twice as 

 long a.s the calyx. Italy. — Oc-^j 

 ca-sionally cult, in Amer. 



N. TAYLOR.t "Tff^^N M 



AGROPYRON (Greek, agros, 

 fii'ld, and puro.H, wheat). Grami- 

 nfj:. Wheat-Grasses. Perennial 

 grasses, often producing creeping 

 rfjotstocks. 



Spikelets 3- to many-fid., seasilc, 

 placed sidewise, singly and alter- 



nately on the opposite sides of a continuous rachis, 

 fonning stiff terminal spikes; glumes equal, usually 

 linn, many-nerved, acute or awned, sometimes nearly 

 as long as the s])ikelet; lemmas .')-7-nerved, usually 

 nu)re or less awned, the |)alea ciliate on the keels. — 

 SjM'cics ;5() to 40 in the t('mi)erate regions of both 

 hemispheres. The genus differs from Triticum chiefly 

 in being perennial, and in the entire apex of the 

 glumes. 



Many of the native species of the western states are 

 ijnportant range grasses or furnish nutritious wild hay. 

 One of these, western wheat-grass (yl. ienerum, Vasey) 

 (Dept.of .\gric. Div.of Agrost. 17:297) has been recently 

 introduced into cultivation and is sold by seedsmen of 

 the northwestern states. One species, introduced from 

 Europe, the familiar quack-grass {A. rbpens, Beauv., 

 Fig. 148, also known as couch-grass, quick-grass and 

 quitch-grass), is a troublesome weed in cultivated land, 

 because of its long, creeping rootstocks. Though diffi- 

 cult to eradicate, it has value as a forage plant. 



A. S. Hitchcock. 



AGR0ST£MMA: Lychnis. 



AGROSTIS (an ancient Greek name for a forage 

 grass, from agros, a field). Graminex. Bent-Gbass. 

 Annual or usually perennial grasses with erect or creep- 

 ing stems and open panicles of small flowers. 



Spikelets 1-fld.; glumes about equal, acute; lemma 

 shorter and more delicate than the glumes, sometimes 

 awned from the back, palea usually shorter than the 

 lenuiia, often small or wanting. — Species about 100, 

 distributed over the entire world, especially in the north 

 temperate zone. The genus comprises several forage 



and lawn grasses and a few ornamental, the panicles 

 being used for bouquets. A nebulosa is excellent for dry 

 bouquets. A. elegans of gardens is an Aira. 



A. Panicle open but not diffuse: perennial lawn and 

 pasture grasses. 



B. Palea present. 

 alba, Linn. Red-Top. Herd's-Grass (locally). 

 Culms erect, 2-3 ft., from a usually decumbent base, 

 producing short rootstocks; sheaths smooth; Ugule 

 membranaceous, 2-3 hues long; blades flat, scabrous, 

 rather strongly nerved, acuminate-pointed; panicle 

 oblong or pyramidal, several inches or even a foot in 

 length; .spikelets 1-1>2 hnes long; the glumes scabrous 

 on the keels; lemma awnless; palea one half to two- 

 thirds as long as the lemma. Dept. of Agric, Div. 

 of Agro.st, 17:187. Ibid. B.P.I. Bull. 68, pi. 2.— A 

 common meadow and pastuni grass, native of Eu., 

 but abundantly escapetl in the northern and central 

 portions of the U. S. along roadsides and in waste 

 places. Var. vulgaris, Thurb. Fine Bent-Grass. 

 Rei)-Top. a more delicate grass, about 1 ft. high: 

 panicles 1-3 in.; Hgvile usually 1 line or less. Dept. of 

 Agric. B.P.I. Bull. 68, pi. 3.— This form is commonly 

 used as a lawn grass. Var. aristata, Gray. Similar to 

 var. vulgaris but the lemmas bearing an exserted awn 

 from near the base. Infrequent. Var. maritima, Mey. 

 Producing long stolons; panicles narrow, contracted. 

 Dept. of Agric. B.P.I. Bull. 68: pi. 4.— A native of the 

 sea-coast of N. Amer. and Eu. A form of this is cult, as 

 a lawn grass under the name of creeping bent and has 

 received the horticultural name Agrdstis dlba var. 

 slulordfera, but is not A. sloloulfera, Linn. 



