101 



This perennial grass is a native of the Southern States. As all farm stock except 

 hogs are fond of it, and it is green through the winter and spring, it has been de- 

 stroyed when grazing animals have access to it at all times. It is, however, found 

 in many of our States along the banks of wooded streams, of ditches, and in fence- 

 corners among briers and thickets It will grow on thin clay, gravelly, or sandy 

 soil, but much better on rich lands, dry or rather moist, and will thrive ten, twenty, 

 or more years on the same land. 



Aspbella, Willd. (Gymnostichum, Schr.) 



Spikelets two to three, or sometimes solitary at each joint of the 

 rhaehis, raised on a very short callous pedicel, loosely two to four 

 flowered (when solitary flatwise on the rhaehis) in a loose terminal 

 spike. Empty glumes none, or small, awn-like, and deciduous; 

 flowering glumes, narrow, lanceolate, rounded on the back, three to 

 five-nerved above, long-awned from the apex ; palet two-keeled. 



1. A. Calif ornica, JBenth. California. 



2. A. hystrix, Willd. Hedge-hog grass. New England to Texas. 



Arondinaria, Mich. 



Spikelets many-flowered, flattened, racemose or paniculate, the 

 uppermost flowers imperfect; outer glumes very small, membrana- 

 ceous, the upper one larger ; flowering glumes much larger, metn- 

 branaceo-herbaceous, convex on the back, not keeled, many-nerved, 

 acuminate, mucronate or bristle-pointed ; palet shorter than its 

 glume, prominently two-keeled. 



1. A. macrosperma, Michx. Southern States. Cane. 



2. A. tecta, Muhl. Maryland, Illinois, and south. Switch cane, 



Small cane. 

 Professor Phares, of Mississippi, says of this grass : 



This largest of our grasses has a hard woody stem from one- half to 3 inches in 

 diameter, and from 10 to 40 feet high, erect, tapering from near the base, jointed 

 every 8 to 12 inches for one-half the length or more, then the joints becoming 

 shorter and smaller to the top ; leaves 1 to 2 inches wide, persistent, on clustered 

 spreading branches, which also are jointed and appear the second year. On rich 

 land, in spring, the young stems shoot up full size, 10 or 20 feet high, and are as 

 crisp as asparagus, and by some persons as much relished. Hogs, cattle, and other 

 animals are fond of the young plants and seeds. The age at which the large cane 

 blooms has not been definitely decided. It probably varies with the latitude, soil, 

 and surroundings, from ten to thirty years. When the seeds mature the cane dies. 

 Grazing animals feed greedily on the leaves in the winter, and find protection from 

 the driving rains and piercing winds under the dense roof of the cane brake or thicket. 

 The stems are used for fishing rods, scaffolds for drying cotton, for pipe stems and 

 pipes, and splits for baskets, mats, and other purposes. The small cane is different 



