GKAMINE^. (grass FAMILY.) 549 



Jrom the base; panicle vei-y simple and raceme-like, few-flowered; awn 2-3 

 times the length of the rather hairy whitish palecs. (Urachne, Trin.) — Hill-sides, 

 &c., in rich woods; common northward. May. — Leaves concave, keelless, 

 rough-edged, pale underneath, lasting through the winter. Squamulse lanceo- 

 late, almost as long as the inner palea ! 



3. O. Canadensis, Torr. Culms slender (6'- 15' high), the lowest 

 sheaths leaf-bearing; leaves involute-thread-shaped; panicle contracted (l'-2' 

 long), the branches usually in pairs ; palese pubescent, whitish ; awn short and 

 very deciduous, or wanting. (0. parviflora, iNTwft. Stipa juncea, McAr. S. Can- 

 adensis, /"otr. Milium pungens, SVr. Urachne brevicaudata, rnn.) — Bocky 

 hills and dry plains, W. New England to Wisconsin, and northward; rare. 

 May. — Glumes l"-2" long, sometimes purplish. — Through the species, or 

 perhaps variety, Urachne micrantha, Trin., this genus is strictly connected with 

 Stipa. 



14. STIPA, L. Feathee-Gbass. 



Spikelets 1-flowered, terete : the flower falling away at maturity, with the con- 

 spicuous obconical bearded and often sharp-pointed stalk (callus), from the mem- 

 branaceous glumes. Lower palea coriaceous, cylindrical-involute, closely em- 

 bracing the smaller upper one and the cylindrical grain, having a long and 

 twisted or tortuous simple awn jointed with its apex (naked in our species). 

 Stamens mostly 3. Stigmas plumose. — Perennials, with narrow involute leaves 

 and a loose panicle. (Name from arimrj, tow, in allusion to the flaxen appear- 

 ance of the feathery awns of the original species. ) 



* Callus or base of the flower short and blurU ; glumes pointless. 



1. S. Ricliardsonii, Link. Culm (I^°-2°high) and leaves slender ; 

 panicle loose (4' -5' long), with slender few-flowered branches; glumes nearly 

 equal, oblong, acutish (2J" long), about equalling the pubescent linear-oblong 

 lower palea, which bears a tortuous or geniculate awn 6" - 8" long. — Pleasant 

 Mountain, near Sebago Lake, Maine, C. J. Sprague ; and northwestward. 

 (Flowers rather smaller than in Eichardson's plant, as described by Trinius 

 and Ruprecht.) 



* * Callus or base of the flower pungenlly pointed: at maturity viUous-bearded : lower 

 palea slender and minutely bearded at the tip : glumes taper-pointed. 



2. S. avcnacea, L. (Black Oat-Gkass.) Culm slender (l°-2° 

 hin'h) ; leaves almost bristle-form ; panicle open; paleai blackish, nearly as long as 

 the almost equal glumes (about 4" long), the awn bent above, twisted below (2'- 

 3' long). — Dry or sandy woods, S. New England to Wisconsin, and (chiefly) 

 southward. July. 



3. S. spArtea, Trin., not of Hook. (PoRcnriNia Guass.) Culm rather 

 stout (lJ°-3° high) ; panicle contracted ; palece linear, |'-1' long (including the 

 long callus), pubescent below, shorter than the lanceolate slender subulate-pointed 

 greenish (//tunes ,• the twisted strong awn 3j'-7' long, pubescent below, rough 

 above. (S. juncea, Pursh?) — Plains and prairies, from Illinois and N. Michi- 

 gan northwestward. 



