ELEUSINE. CLXI. GRAMINEJE. 617 



glabrous, rough-edged ; sfieaths longer than the internodes ; panicle loose, 8 1& 

 long, nodding ; spikelets all on long peduncles, about 10" long, ovate, flat, about 

 10-flowered ; glumes unequal, near twice shorter than the flowers ; fls. subfal- 

 cate, 6" long, lower one abortive ; sta. 1. % Dry woods, middle and Western 

 States. Singularly elegant and showy. Aug. 



2. U. GRACILIS. Michx. (Holcus laxus. Linn.) 



St. slender, leafy, 3 4f high ; Ivs. broad-linear, tapering to a slender point, 

 flat, 12 18' long; sheaths shorter than the joints; panicle long, racemose, 

 branches solitary, short, remote, erect; spikelets 3-flowered; fls. spreading, 

 straight, monandrous ; glumes rigid, acute. % Sea coasts, N. Y. to Ga. Aug. 



3. U. SPICATA. (Festuca distachophylla. Michx.} 



St. smooth, round, branched at base, 1 2f high; cauline Ivs. numerous, 

 3 6' long, involute, rigid and acute ; sheaths longer than the joints, close, upper 

 ones hairy at throat ; stip. inconspicuous ; panicle densely spicate, consisting of 

 short, fasciculate branches with sessile spikelets ; spikelets oblong, 5 9-flower- 

 ed ; fls. triandrous. 9| Salt marshes, N. Y. to Car. July. 



44. MELlCA. 



Lat. mel, honey ; the plant to which the name was first applied had a sweet pith. 



Panicle simple or compound ; glumes 2, unequal, membranous, 

 2 5-flowered ; fls. a little longer than the glumes, the upper incom- 

 plete and abortive ; scales truncate, fimbriate ; caryopsis free, not 

 furrowed. 



M. GLABRA. Walt. (M. speciosa. Muhl.) 



St. 3 4f high, glabrous ; Ivs. linear, flat, pubescent beneath ; stip. lace- 

 rate ; panicle glabrous, loose, few-flowered, erect or a little nodding, branches 

 simple, solitary ; spikelets 68" long ; lower glume shorter, very smooth : paleee 

 veined ; upper fl. neuter, pedicellate, consisting of very short, roundish paleae. 

 1\. Mountains, Penn. to Car. 



45. DACTYLIS. 



Gr. SCLKTV\OS : a finger ; from the form of the spikes. 



Spikelets aggregated, compressed, 3 5-flowered ; glumes unequal, 

 the larger one carinate, shorter than the flowers ; paleae subequal, 

 lanceolate, acuminate, the lower one emarginate, carinate, mucro- 

 nate, upper bifid at apex ; scales dentate. 



D. GLOMERATA. Orchard Grass. 



St. roughish, 2 4f high ; Ivs. linear-lanceolate, carinate, a little scabrous, 

 glaucous; sheaths striate, stip. lacerate; panicle remotely branched, rather 

 secund ; spikelets about 4-flowered, in dense, glomerate, unilateral, terminal 

 clusters ; glumes very unequal ; anth. large", yellow. 7J. A fine, well known 

 grass, of rapid growth, introduced in shady fields, as orchards, &c. June. 



TRIBE 8. CHLOREJE. Inflorescence spiked. Spikelets solitary, few-flow- 

 ered, the terminal flower often abortive. Glumes carinate, not opposite. 

 Upper palea with two keels. 



46. ELEUSINE. 



From Eleusis, where Ceres, the goddess of harvests, was worshiped. 



Spikes digitate, unilateral ; spikelets 5 7-flowered ; glumes obtuse, 

 unequal, lower one smaller ; paleae unequal, upper one bifid toothed ; 

 scales truncate, fimbriate ; caryopsis triangular, ovate, enclosed in a 

 separate membrane or perigynium. 



E. INDICA. Wire Grass. 



St. oblique, compressed, procumbent and branching at base, 12 16' long; 

 Ivs. linear, somewhat hairy, on smooth, loose sheaths hairy at the throat; 

 spikes 2 4, rarely xnore or less, linear, straight, divaricate, 2 1' long ; spikelets 



