Alopecurus. GRAMINE^. 



263 



close ; ligiile long : spiko 1 to 6 inclies long : glumes about a line long, with scarious 

 Tnargiu8 and green keel, which is ciliato with still' hairs and i»iolongcil into a rigid 

 roiigii awn shorter than itself. 



A native of Eurojie, imtiuiilizi'd in vaiions lonalities ; also rxtcnsivcly cultivated under tlie 

 name of Timothy (but in New England and New York coninioidy known as Herds-grass), and 

 fmnishmg by far the greater portion of tiie cultivated iiay of the country. 



2. P. alpinum, Linn. I'erennial, with culms 1 to 2 feet high : sheaths of tho 

 iipper l(«ives very loose or inflated, the lower oiu-s close; ligule short: spiko ovoid 

 or ohlong, rarely more than an inch long, usually i)uri)lish : glumes strongly fringed 

 on the back, bearing an awn about their own length. — Trin. Spec. Oram, i, t. 21 ; 

 lieichenb. Icon. Fl. Germ. i. G3, t. 179. P. IIcenLeanum, ]*resl, Kel. llienk. i. 245. 



Occurring sparingly near San Francisco, but common ih the Sierra Nevada and northward. 

 Found also in tlie alpine regions of Europe, Asia and North America. 



8. ALOPECURUS, Linn. Fox-Tail Gkass. 

 Panicle dense, cylindrical, spike-like. Spikidets much compressed, 1-llowered. 

 Glumes boat-shaped, nearly equal, somewhat united below, keeled but not awned. 

 Floret equalling or barely shorter than the glumes. Lower palet hyaline, l-nerved, 

 with a very slender awn on the back at or below the middle ; upper palet entirely 

 wanting. Scales none. Stamens 3. Ovary smooth : styles long, mostly united ; 

 stigmas long with simple hairs. Grain laterally compressed, inclosed in the palet. 



There are about 14 mostly perennial species, widely spread over the temperate and colder por- 

 tions of the globe, one of which, A. pratensis, the Meadow Fox-tiil, is much valued in Europe as 

 a i)astnre grass. With much of the aspect of Phlcum, but soft to the touch, and readily distin- 

 guisheil from that genus by the absence of the upper palet. 



* Culm erect. 



1. A. pratensis, Linn. Cnlms from a perennial root, stoloniferous, npright, 

 1 to 3 feet high : leaves roughish, flat ; sheaths smooth, the upper inflated and 

 longer than its leaf: spike 2 to 3 inches long, obtuse, dense, pale green, soft to tho 

 touch : glumes 2 lines long, with short hairs on the keel : palet equalling the glumes, 

 its edges united below ; awn variable, usually projecting more than half its length 

 beyond the glumes. — Trin. Spec. Gram, i, t. 44 ; Jleichenh. Icon. Fl. Germ. t. 178. 



Probably introduced by the Spaniards, as it was collected in 184fi in Sacramento Valley (Hart- 

 rccfj); Walnut Creek (Brewer); Ukinh City, Bohvuirr. A widely distributed species, native of 

 tlie Old World, now naturalized in most tempeiate countries. It is much esteemed as a pasture 

 grass on account of its early and rapid growth. 



* * Culms decumbent. 



2. A. aristulatus, Michx. Culms ascending from a decumbent base, 1 to 2 

 feet higli : leaves glaucous : spike about 2 inches long, slender and very pale green : 

 glumes obtuse, the palet slightly exceeding them ; awn attached just below the mid- 

 dle of the palet and barely exceeding it: anthers oblong. — A. geniculatus, var. 

 aristulatus, Torr. in Pacif. R. Rep. vi. 92. 



Wet places, Klamath Marshes (Bigelow, Lemmon) ; Virginia City (Bhovicr) ; Oregon and 

 northward. This grass, which is common in the Eastern States and in Continental Europe, has 

 little agricultural value. 



3. A. geniculatus, Linn. Culm procumbent at base, ascending from the lower 

 nodes wlu're it is bent, 6 inches to 1 foot high or more: leaves narrow, glabrous; 

 sheaths loose, but not inflated, the upper leaf 0(pialling its sheath : s[>ike 1 to 2 

 inches long, closely imbricated and slender; spikclots about a lino long: glumes 

 connate at base, silky-hairy, obtuse : jialet slightly shorter than the glumes ; awn 

 from near its base, and projecting half its length beyond it: anthers linear, purplisli. 

 — Trin. 1. c, t. 42 ; Reiclicnb. I. c. 



