'41 



Silky Ory/iij, 



GRASS FAMILY. 

 5. Oryzopsis cuspidata (Nutt.) Vasey. 



Stipa membranacea Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 728. 1814. N,,t 



L. i75.v 

 /:/7.vi;;/<f cuspidatu Nutt. Gen. i: 40. 1818. 



</>.v/.v cuspidata Benth. : Vasey, Special Rep. I". S. 

 i)t])t. Agric. 63: 23. 1883. 



,<psis membranacea Vasey, Grasses S. W. Part 2, 

 'pi. 10. 1891. 



Culms glabrous, i-2 tall, erect, rigid, simple, 

 smooth. Sheaths usually shorter than the intcrnodes, 

 smooth or somewhat rough; ligule i "-2 " long, acute; 

 leaves 6 / -ia / long, less than \" wide, involute, stiff, 

 smooth or somewhat scabrous; panicle 6'-i long, 

 diffuse, generally partially included in the upper 

 sheath, its branches widely spreading and many times 

 forked, the ultimate divisions flexuous; outer scales 

 of the spikclet 3 // -4 // in length, long-acuminate, 

 glabrous; third scale about one-half as long, acute, 

 densely pubescent with long silky erect hairs nearly 

 twice its own length, the awn 2"-3" long. 



On prairies, Alberta to Washington, south to Nebraska, Arizona and Mrxii-o M 



24. MILIUM L. Sp. PI. 61. 1753, 



Annual or perennial grasses, with flat leaves and terminal lax panicles. SpikeleU I- 

 flowered. Scales 3, obtuse, not awned ; the outer about equal ; the third thin -membranous, 

 at length rigid, glabrous or pubescent ; palet scarcely shorter. Stamens 3. Style* short, 

 distinct. Stigmas plumose. Grain ovoid or oblong, free, tightly enclosed in the rigid and 

 shining scale and palet. [Latin name for Millet.] 



Species 5 or 6, chiefly in Kurope and Asia. 



i. Milium effusum L. Tall Millet- 

 grass. (Fig. 319.) 



Milium effui.-i I. Sp P! 61. 1753. 



Glabrous throughout, culms 2-6 Ull, erect, 

 simple, smooth, Sheaths shorter than the in- 

 ternodes; ligule i '_." ;," long, truncate, crow- 

 dentate ; leaves 3'-9' long, 3" 8 " * itlc - * 

 rowed toward the base, acuminate, smooth or 

 scabrous; panicle 3'-io' in length. LIA 

 branches 2 / -3 / long, slender, somewhat flexu- 

 ous, naked at base and above th 



middle, at length widely spreading; sptkelets 

 !^//_i^" long; outer scales equal, smooth or 

 scabrous, the third scale shorter, smooth, white. 



In woods. Cape Breton Uland and Qar'- 



western Ontario, south to Maaachael 

 vania and Michigan. Also m northern 

 June-July. 



MUHLENBERGIA Schreb. Gen. 44. 

 [VASEYA Thurb. Proc. Acad. Phila. 1863 : 79- i 86 ^] 

 Mostly perennial grasses, with flat or convolute leaves and panicul 

 Rootstocks often scaly Spikelets i -flowered, very rarely 2 flowered. 

 4; the outer ones empty, membranous or hyaline, acute and sot 



Henry Muhlenberg, 1756-1817, North American bota 

 About 60 species, chiefly natives of America, a few A 



25. 



