382 WEEDS AND USEFUL PLANTS. 



1. P. AN'NUA, L. Culms oblique, subcompressed ; leaves rather short ; 

 panicle subsecund ; spikelets 3 - 7-flowered, on short pedicels, rather 

 crowded. 



ANNUAL POA. Dwarf, or Early Meadow-Grass. 

 Fr. Paturin annuel. Germ. Jaehriges Rispengras. 



Root annual. Culms caespitose, 3-6 or 8 inches long, smooth, geniculate, oblique at 

 base, or often nearly procumbent. Leaves 1-3 inches in length, sublinear, acute, keeled, 

 smooth ; sheaths loose, smooth ; ligule oblong, dentate. Panicle sometimes rather secund, 

 the branches often solitary, subdivided. Spikelets rather crowded on the divisions of the 

 branches, 3 or 4-6- (very often 3-) flowered. Glumes unequal, acuminate, with scarious 

 margins. Lower palea delicately more or less hairy on the nerves below. 



Cultivated grounds, pastures, along foot-paths, &c. : introduced. Native of Europe. Fl. 

 April-Sept. Fr. Juue-Oct. 



Obs. This little species which was probably introduced from Europe 

 comes forward early in the spring, and what little pasture it affords 

 is tolerably acceptable to stock ; but it is far inferior in value and im- 

 portance to either of the following. 



* * Root perennial ; panicle open, its branches in fives ; spikelets all dis- 



tinctly pedicelled, acute, slightly Jlattened. 



2. P. serot'ina, Ehrhart. Culms erect terete ; leaves linear ; ligules 

 elongated ; spikelets 2 - 4-flowered ; flowers acutish, often tinged with 

 purple. 



LATE POA. Fowl Meadow-Grass. False Eed-top. 



Culm 2-3 feet high. Panicle 6-10 inches long. Palea slightly hairy at the base. 

 Wet meadows : northward. July - Aug. 



06s. This is considered a highly valuable grass for wet meadows, and 

 is common in New England and along the northern States to Lake 

 Superior. 



* * * Root perennial ; panicle with the Jlattened spikelets crowded on the 



branches, mostly short-pedicelled, sometimes almost sessile. 



3. P. TRIVIA'LIS, L. Culm and sheaths somewhat scabrous; ligule 

 elongated, acute; spikelets ovate, 2 - 3-flowered, the florets slightly 

 villous at base. 



TRIVIAL POA. Rough Meadow-Grass. 



Root perennial. Culm 1 - 2 or 3 feet high, subterete or slightly ancipital, often declined 

 at base, geniculate, and stoloniferous, somewhat scabrous retrorsely. Leaves 2 or 3-6 

 or 8 inches long, lance-linear (those of the root, or suckers, long and narrow), acute or 

 acuminate, slightly scabrous on the margin ; sheaths striate-nerved, scabrous when rubbed 

 upwards ; ligule much elongated, scarious and whitish. Panicle loose, expanding, the 

 branches semi-verticillate in about fives, sharply scabrous. Spikelets usually 2- (some- 

 times 3-) flowered. Glumes scabrous on the keel, the lower one rather shorter, very 

 acute, the upper one 3-nerved, with a scarious margin. Palcce unequal, nearly smooth 

 or very slightly villous at base, the lower one longer, 5-nerved, scarious at apex. 



Moist low grounds, meadows, and woodlands : introduced? Fl. June. Fr. July. 



06s. This species (perhaps a foreigner) is frequent in moist pastures 

 and meadows, and affords a good forage, both pasture and hay. It 



