GRAMINEAE (^GRASS FAMILY^) 



161 



awn; palea usually about equaling the lemma. — Verennials or annuals with 

 terminal panicles. (An ancient Latin name of some kind of grass, of uncertain 

 meaning.) 



tj 1. Annuals; stamen usually one. — Yulpia (C. C. Gniel.) Reichenb. 

 Awn more than twice as long- as the lemma; spikelets 1-5- flowered. 

 First glume one third to one half as long as the second .... 

 First glume two thirds to three fourths as long as the second . 

 Awn not longer than the lemma, si)ikelets 5-13-flowered c , , . 

 § 2. Perennials ; stamens 3, — Ecfestuca Griseb. 

 Leaves involute ; lemma awl-shaped, awned or pointed. 

 Innovations extravaginal ; spikelets more or less glaucous . • . 

 Innovations intravaginal; spikelets green. 

 Awns longer than the membranaceous lemmas ..... 

 Awns shorter than the coriaceous lemmas .... . , 



Leaves flat. 

 Lemma indurated, not at all keeled, awnless or tapering into a short awn. 

 Lemma 5-7 mm. long; panicle narrow, with short erect branches 

 Lemma 4-4.5 mm. long; panicle with long spreading or ascending 

 branches. 

 Lemma subacute ; spikelets loosely scattered . . , , 



Lemma obiuse ; spikelets somewhat aggregated 



Lemma membranaceous, indurated only near the base, keeled above, awned 

 from a cleft apex ... 



1. ^. myuros. 



2. F. Kciiireii. 

 8. F. ocio/iora. 



4. F, rubra. 



5. F. occidental^. 



6. F. ociiia. 



7. F. elatior. 



8. F. omtanfi. 



9. F. Shoitii. 



10. F. giganiea. 



1. F. MTtjROS L. Culms erect or geniculate at base, solitary or in small tufts, 

 2-f) dm. high; sheaths smooth, overlaj^ping ; blades smooth, linear, involute or 

 rarely flat; panicle 7-20 cm. long, narrow, the branches appressed, the tips 

 somewhat nodding ; spikelets 4-5-flowered, 8-11 mm. long ; glumes very unequal^ 

 the first 1-1.5 onm., the second 4-5 7nm. long ; lemma linear-lanceolate, scabrous 

 above, attenuate into a scabrous awn about twice its length. — Dry fields and 

 waste places, N. E. to O., and south w. June, July. (Nat. from Eu.) 



2. F. sciurea Nutt. Similar to the preceding, usually lower ; panicle erect ; 

 spikelets 4-b mm. long ; first glume 2 mm., second 3.5 mm. long ; lemma sparsely 

 short pubescent. — Sandy ground, s.e. Va,, and southw. May, June. 



3. F. octofl6ra Walt. Culms slender, erect, often tufted, 0.5-4 dm. higli ; 

 sheaths shorter than the internodes ; blades narrowly linear, involute or rarely 

 fiat, soft, erect or ascending ; panicle narrow, erect, 3-12 cm. long, usually re- 

 duced to a more or less secund raceme ; spikelets 5-12 mm. long; glumes subu- 

 late-lanceolate ; lemma lanceolate, attenuate into a scabrous straight awn 1-7 

 mm. long. CF. tenella Willd.) — Dry sterile soil, w. Que. to B. C, and through- 

 out the U. S., especially southw. Fig. 174. 



4. F. rubra L Culms solitary or few., erect from creeping rootstocks, 4-0 dm. 

 high ; sheaths and blades smooth ; panicle 6-20 cm. long, usually contracted, 

 the branches erect; spikelets 4-6(rarely 10)-flowered, mostly 7-8 mm. long, 

 often glaucous-purplish ; glumes smooth ; lemma 5-7 mm. long, smooth or sca- 

 brous toward the apex, terminating in a scabrous aion usually 

 about half as long. — Brackish meadows or low sandy soil, mostly 

 near the coast, Lab. to Va. (Eu.) Var. PROLfrERA Piper. Floral 

 organs abnormally elongated. — Mts. of N. E. and Que. Var. 

 MEGASTACHYS Gaudin. Spikelets 10-12 mm. long. —Que., N. J. 

 (Eu.) Var. multifl6ra (Hoffm.) Asch. & Graebn. Blades flat ; 

 spixelets green. — Me. (Eu.) Var. subvill6sa Mert. «& Koch. 

 Spikelets pubescent with short hairs. — Local, e. Que. to N. H. 

 (Briggs) and Vt. (Jones). (Eu.) 



5. F. occidentalis Hook. Cidms densely tufted, no root- 

 stocks, erect, slender, glabrous and shining, 5-8 dm. high ; basal 

 leaves numerous, filiform-involute, soft ; panicle loose, subsecund, 

 flexuous, 8-20 cm. long ; spikelets loosely 3-5-flowered, 6-10 mm. 

 long; glumes unequal, variable even on the same plant, mostly 

 acute or acuminate ; lemma 5-6.5 mm. long, awn about as long. 

 — Open woods, Keweenaw Co., Mich. {Farwell) ; and in the Northwest. 



6. F. ovina L, (Sheep's Fescue.) Densely tufted ; culms erect, 1.5-6 dm. 

 high ; leaves pale green, capillary, strongly involute, firm, the basal ones 5-1*2 

 cm. long, those of the culm often very short ; panicle contracted after bluon\in(i 



JRAY'S MANUAt— -IJ 



174. F. octoflora 

 Spikelet x 3. 



