38 



FIRST BOOK OF GRASSES 



Returning to Fig. 25 with its one spikelet at 

 each joint, flat against the rachis, compare with it 



Fig. 29 (Elymus vir- 

 ginicus, or rye-grass). 

 In this there are two 

 spikelets at each joint 

 of the rachis, the first 

 glumes back to back, 

 the spikelets somewhat 

 distorted, each pair 

 reaching around the 

 edges of the rachis. The 

 figure shows a pair of 

 spikelets and two joints 

 of the rachis, with the 

 pair of spikelets next 

 above, on the opposite 

 side of the rachis, lightly 

 sketched in behind; two 

 more internodes of the 

 rachis, with spikelets re- 

 moved, are shown by 

 dotted lines. A dia- 

 grammatic sketch of a 

 pair of spikelets, the dis- 

 tortion reduced, is shown 

 above. A comparison of 

 the diagrammatic spike- 

 let with the spikelet in Fig. 25 will show the structural 

 similarity. In their natural position the spikelets, 



Fig. 29. A, pair of spikelets of Ely- 

 mus virginicus; B, diagrammatic 

 figure of the pair of spikelets. 



