GEAfiS FAMILY. 41 



for J to j^ their length; awn about 4 lines long, exserted J its length, 

 introduced from Europe, and found not infrequently near settle- 

 ments but apparently nowhere plentiful; Waverly, Sanford. 

 Apr. -July. 



2. A. Californicus Vasey. California Pox-tail. Perennial, 

 allied to A. pratensis, but the thyrse only 1 to 2 in. long; spikelets 

 1^ to 2_hnes long; bracts obtuse, only slightly united at the base and 

 often ciliate for only two-thirds of their length; awn exserted IJ to 2 

 lines, mostly strongly geniculate; anthei-s bright yellow. 



Apparently peculiar to California and Oregon. Wet places: Santa 

 Cruz Co., Dr. Anderson; Berkeley, Budeiii. :\Iay. 



3. A. geniculatus L. Water Pox-tail. Perennial; stems 

 procumbent and rooting from the lower nodes, then ascending 1 to 

 IJ ft., smooth; sheaths smooth, upper inflated; ligule 1 to IJ lines 

 long; blades J to 1^ lines wide; panicle slender, dense, cylindrical, 

 obtuse, f to 1 in. long; branches very short, with often only 

 1 spikelet; spikelets 1 to IJ lines long, truncate; bracts silky, ' 

 especially on the keel, obtuse, broadly scarious; bractlet glabrous; 

 margins united J way up; awn about 2 lines long, exserted J its 

 length; anthers purplish. 



Introduced in wet meadows, ditches, and marshy or springy places: 

 collected on the State Survey by Bolander but locality not stated; 

 near the Pish Hatchery, Bear Valley, ilarin Co, Davy. Apr.-Sept. 



Var. aristulatus Torr. (var. fulvus, Scribn.) Wild Water Pox- 

 tall, is said to differ mainly in being glaucous; sheaths more inflated; 

 blades broader; panicle longer (often 2 in.) and paler, and the bracts 

 still more obtuse; awn very short, barely exserted, inserted near the 

 middle of the bractlet; anthers shorter, yellow, oblong. — In wet 

 places, apparently indigenous. Reported from the Klamath Marshes, 

 Bigelow, Lemmoii, and Marin Co., Be/ir. 



Var. robustus Vasey, is described as more robust; stems stouter, 

 though apparently not taller than the typical species; ligule 2 lines 

 long; blades 3 lines wide; panicle 2 to 3 in. long, 3 to 4 lines wide. — 

 Said to have been collected in California by Lemmon in 1874 and 

 Rattan in 1884, but localities not mentioned. The type specimens 

 were from Alaska and Vancouver Island. 



n. POLYPOGON Desf. Beard-gkass. 

 Stems solitary or tufted, decumbent at base. Blades flat. Panicle 

 contracted. Spikelets 1-flowered, rarely exceeding a line in length, 

 jointed on the pedicel below the bracts so that these fall away with 

 the flower at maturity. Bracts sub-equal, keeled, bifld or notched, 

 with a terminal straight awn at or below the apex, 1-nerved, decid- 

 uous. Bractlet awiied or not; palea smaller, 2-nerved. Scales 2. 

 falcate, entire, as long as the ovary. Stamens 8; anthers small. 

 Ovary glabrous; styles short, free; stigmas long, feathery. (Greek 

 polus, many, pogon, a beard, referring to the numerous awns; thesi- 

 give a bristly appearance to the inflorescence.) 



