202 BULLETIN 772, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The grass has no forage value. It is now common along roadsides 

 and in grassland throughout the Eastern States. Like the species of 



Torresia it has an aromatic odor due to the 

 presence of coumarin. Sweet vernal grass 

 is an erect perennial, about a foot high. An- 

 other species, A. aristatum Boiss. (.4. puelln 

 Lee. and Lam.), a low annual, is introduced 

 at a few localities. 



101. PHALAKIS L. 



Spikelets laterally compressed, with 1 

 terminal perfect floret and 2 sterile lemmas 

 below, disarticulating above the glumes, ar- 

 . ranged in usually dense spikelike panicles ; 

 glumes equal, boat shaped, often winged on 

 the keel; sterile lemmas reduced to 2 small 

 scales (rarely only 1) ; fertile lemma coriace- 

 ous, shorter than the glumes, 

 inclosing the faintly 2-nerved 

 palea. 



Annual or perennial erect 

 grasses, with flat blades. 

 Species about 20, in temper- 

 ate regions of Europe and 

 America. Nine species are 

 found in the United States, 

 four being introduced from 

 Europe. 



Type species : Plialaris canari- 

 ensis L. 



Phalaris L., Sp. PI. 54, 1753; 

 Gen. PI., ed. 5, 29. 1754. Five 

 species are described, P. canari- 



FIG. 120. Sweet vernal grass, Anthoxantlium odoratum. Plant, X 

 sterile lemmas, and fertile floret, X 5. 



spikelet, two 



