The Book of Grasses 



E 





i?«: 



m 



.3 



Mi 



}^' 



♦.^ 



4t 



spicuous flowering-heads of little beauty. As the Muhlenbergias 

 are native grasses they are found in many localities, and grow from 



iW/^ open woods to dry fields 

 ^M-^" and on moist banks of 

 ^^ streams. In certain soils 



i^yy'^ the tough, matted root- 

 stocks are but too fre- 

 quently seen in gardens. The smooth 

 stems, rising in early summer, are very 

 leafy, but as the season advances and 

 the stems lengthen the leaves thereby 

 become more remote, and in maturity 

 the grasses are hard and wiry. All the 

 species bloom in late summer, and 

 throughout the season the fresh plants 

 have a taste peculiar to the genus. 



Wood Muhlenbergia (Muhlenbergia 

 sylvdtica) and Nimble Will {Muhlenbergia 

 Schrehert) are frequent along the borders 

 of woods, and in rocky places one nat- 

 urally looks for Rock Muhlenbergia 

 {Muhlenbergia sobolifera). These are 

 slender grasses that are usually much 

 branched and that bear narrow, spike- 

 like panicles of small, green flowers. 



Marsh Muhlenbergia {Muhlenbergia 

 racemdsa) grows in wet places and has 

 much stouter and more compact flower- 

 ing-heads, which sometimes resemble 

 spikes of Timothy. 



Meadow Muhlenbergia frequently 

 grows near dwelling houses, where in 

 early summer it offers the contrast of 

 spreading clumps of yellowish green 

 leaves to the darker colour of June 

 Grass and Orchard Grass. Meadow 

 Muhlenbergia is the last of the common 

 dooryard grasses to bloom, and after one 

 has watched the branching stems the 

 season through, and has waited with 

 io6 



1 



/ 



Meadow Muhlenbergia 

 MulUenbergia mexicana 



