GRASS FAMILY. 45 



without «. slender, twisted, dorsal awn which equals or exceeds the 

 bracts; palea narrow. Scales 2, oblong, entire, as long as the ovary. 

 Stamens 3. Stigmas sub-sessile. ((Jreek gastrideon, a ventricle 

 having reference to the ventricose bases of the bracts.) ' 



1. G. lendigerum (L.) Gaudin. Nit-qkass. Stems tufted, erect 

 from a geniculate base, 6 to 24 in. high, branching at the lower nodes; 

 sheaths slightly rough; ligule about 2 lines long, lacerate-fringed; 

 blades 2 to 5 in. long, about 2 lines wide, long-pointed, scabrous on 

 both sides, pale green; panicle 3 to 6 in. long, about \ in. wide, in 

 large specimens somewhat lobed, very pale green, shining with a 

 satiny luster; pedicels clavate; spikelets about 2 lines long, very 

 acute; bracts somewhat scabrous above; bractlet hairy, white, 

 shining, 4-toothed; awn from just below the apex, very slender. — 

 (6. australe Beauv.) 



Native of the ^Mediterranean Region, also found in Chile; intro- 

 duced in California, and common near the coast: Petaluma; Briones 

 Hills; Berkeley, and northward and southward. June-Oct. 



14. CALAMAGROSTIS Adans. Kbed Bbnt-gkass. 



Stems tall, often reed-like. Panicle-branches whorled. Spikelets 

 1-flowered; rachilla jointed above the bracts, shortly prolonged beyond 

 the insertion of the flower and bearing a tuft of long, white, silky 

 hairs, which in all of ours are much shorter than the bractlet. Bracts 

 enclosing the bractlet, sub-equal, concave, acuminate, awnless; upper 

 3-nerved. Bractlet hyaline, 3 to S-nerved, truncate, 2-fid, toothed, in 

 ours awned at the tip or on the back with a twisted, strongly genicu- 

 late, conspicuously exserted awn. Palea small, 2-nerved. Scales 2, 

 entire, acute. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous; styles short, distinct; 

 stigmas feathery. (Greek kalamos, a reed, agrostis, grass, with 

 reference to the reed-like habit of some species.) 



In the absence of an adequate series of specimens the following key 

 has been adapted from that prepared by Kearney in his Revision of 

 the X. American species of the genus, in Bull. 11, of the U. S. Dep. 

 of Agriculture, Division of Agrostology.) 



Awn greatly exceeding the bracts. 

 Strongly csespitose, rather hard In texture; leaf-blades strongly involute; 



panicle dense, branches appressed . 1. 0. pwrpwrascens. 



Awn sliorter than, or not much exceeding the bracts. 

 Spikelets strongly compressed; bracts sharply keeled; plant tall; leaf-blades 

 not filiform. 



Panicle wide, not spikelike, usually loose; leaves often flat 



2. C. Aleuilca. 

 Panicle narrower and dense, spike-like; leaves all strongly involute. 



Panicle strict, spikelets about 3 lines long 3. C angusta. 



Panicle usually somewhat flexuous; spikelets 2 to 2^ lines long; awn 



arising from near the base of the bractlet ~i. C^ sub-fiexuosa. 



Spikelets not strongly compressed; bracts not strongly keeled; plant csespitose: 

 stems usually somewhat rigid; leaf-blades usually filiform. 

 Lower leaves in a dense tuft, short, rather rigid, strongly involute; spikelets 



about 3)^ lines long 5. C. fasci&daia. 



Lower leaves rarely forming a dense tuft, usually elongated, not rigid; 

 panicle narrow, spieiform, usually red-purple . . 6. C. ruhescens. 



1. C. purpurascens E. Br. Purple Kbkd-qrass. Rootstock 



