195 





GRASS FAMILY, 

 i. Melica diffusa Pursh. Tall Melic-grass 



Melica allissima Walt. Fl. Car. 78. 1788. Not I,. 



'753- 



Melica diffusa Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 77. 1814. 

 Melica mutica var. diffusa A. Gray, Man. Ed. 5, 



626. 1867. 



Culms iX-4 tell, erect, simple, smooth and 

 glabrous. Sheaths shorter than the internodes, 

 the lower often overlapping; ligule i"-2" long; 

 leaves 4'~7' long, 2 // -4 // wide, rough; pan- 

 icle 6j4'-&y 2 ' in length, open, the branches 

 spreading or ascending, the lower i^ / -3 / long; 

 spikelets usually numerous, about 3-flowered, 

 4^ // -5^ // long, nodding, on slender, more or 

 less flexuous pubescent pedicels; empty basal 

 scales very broad, obtuse or acutish, the first 

 shorter than the second, which is generally 

 much exceeded by the spikelet; flowering scales 

 /^ // -4/^ // long, acute or obtuse, scabrous. 



Pennsylvania to Missouri, south to Virginia, 

 Kentucky and Texas. May-June. 



2. Melica parviflora (Porter) Scribn. Small Melic-grass. (Fi. 447 



Melica mutica var. pan'ijtora Porter; Porter ft 

 Coulter, Fl. Colo. 149. 1874. 



Melica Porlei i Scribn. Proc. A cad. Phila. 1885 41 

 pi. /. / 77, tS. 



Melica pan-iflora Scribn. Mem. Ton. Clul 

 1894. 



Culms i#-2# tall, erect, simple, smooth 

 and glabrous. Sheaths short, overlapping, 

 more or less rough; ligule i" long; leave* 

 5'-o/ long, i"-2" wide, rough; panicle S'-T 7 

 in length, contracted, the branches erect, the 

 lower i / -2 / long; spikelets few. 4-5-flowered. 

 5 // -6# // long, nodding, on somewhat flexooos 

 strongly pubescent pedicels; lower tcilM ob- 

 tuse or acutish, the first shorter than the second. 

 which is much exceeded by the spikelet; flower- 

 ing scales 3)4 "-4" long, acutish. scabrous. 



Prairies, Kansas and Colorado to Arisona awl 

 Texas. 



3. Melica mutica Walt. Narrow 

 Melic-grass. (Fig. 448.) 



Melica mutica Walt. Fl. Car. 78. 1788. 

 Melica mutica var. glabra A. Gray, Man. Ed. 5, 

 626. 1867. 



Culms i-3 tall, erect, usually slender, sim- 

 ple, smooth and glabrous. Sheaths often over- 

 lapping, rough; ligule i"-2" long; leaves 

 rough, 4 / -9 / long, i // -5 // wide, panicle 3#'- 

 lo^ 7 in length, narrow, the branches spreading 

 or ascending, I'-a' long; spikelets about 2-flow- 

 ered, z l A f/ ~^ l A" l n g. nodding, on more or less 

 flexuous pubescent pedicels; empty scales very 

 broad, acutish to obtuse, the first shorter than 

 the second, which is nearly as long as the spike- 

 let or sometimes equals it; flowering scales 3"- 

 4 /x long, generally very obtuse, scabrous. 



In rich soil, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, south to 

 Florida and Texas. June-July. 



