GEAMINE^J. (GRASS FAMILY.) 397 



winged, nerved, rough on the margins, contracted into a beak scarcely as long as 

 the body, the whole not longer than the thin-margined scale. — Colorado, Utah, and 

 northward. (Eu.) 



85. C. Liddoni, Boott. Culm erect or nearly so : spikes 3 to 6, obovoid or 

 oblong, pointed, erect, chaffy at the base, conspicuously fulvous in color, contiguous, 

 or loosely aggregated into an oblong head (about an inch long) : perigynium large 

 and conspicuous, greenish or tawny, firm in texture, lanceolate (4 to 6 lines long), 

 thrice as long as the elliptic brown achenium, few-nerved when mature, rough on 

 the narrowly winged and incurved margins, very gradually beaked, about the 

 length of the acute and thin-margined scale. — C. adusta, var. congesta, W. Boott. 

 Mostly at high altitudes, South Park, Colorado (John Wolfe), and Montana 

 (F. L. Scribner) ; said to occur in Arizona. 



86. C. adusta, Boott, var. minor, Boott. Culm, very slender towards 

 the top, weak and nodding at maturity, erect when young: leaves narrow, 

 very long-pointed : spikes all silvery brown, long-attenuated at the base, the lower 

 rather remote: perigynium thin and papery, ovate-lanceolate, nearly nerveless. 

 — C. pratensis, Drejer. South Park, Colorado (John Wolfe); also in British 

 America. 



87. C. straminea, Schk. Culms erect, 1 to 2 feet high, mostly stiff, much 

 longer than the erect long-pointed stem-leaves: spikes 3 to 8, all distinct, ovoid or 

 globose, tawny or straw-colored, mostly approximate at the top of the culm: 

 perigynium orbicular or ovate-orbicular, often cordate at base, few-nerved, thin, very 

 widely winged, spreading, abruptly contracted into a smooth or nearly smooth beak 

 vjhich is not longer than the body, much wider and usually longer than the acute 

 scale. — C. festucacea, Schk. Vars. festucacea and aperta, Boott. Dry banks, 

 New Mexico (Fendler), Uintas, Northern Utah ( Watson), Colorado ( Vasey), 

 Bitter Root Valley, Western Montana ( Watson), and eastward ; also in British 

 America. 



Var. tcnera, Boott. Top of the culm slender and somewhat nodding : spikes 

 more tawny. — C. tenera, Dew. Indian Territory ( Geo. D. Butler). 



Order 88. GRAMINEjE. (Grass Family.) 



Grasses, with usually hollow stems (culms) closed at the joints, alter- 

 nate 2-ranked leaves, their sheaths split or open on the side opposite 

 the hlade; the hypogynons flowers implicated with 2-ranked glumes 

 or hraots; the outer pair (glumes proper) suhtending the spikelet of 

 one or several flowers; the inner pair (flowering glume and palet) en- 

 closing each particular flower, which is usually furnished with 2 or 

 3 minute hypogynous scales. Stamens 1 to 6, mostly 3: anthers 

 versatile. Styles 2 or 2-parted: stigmas hairy or plumose. Ovary 

 1-celled, 1-ovuled, forming a seed-like grain in fruit. — Boots fihrous. 

 Sheaths of the leaves more or less extended ahove the hase of the 

 blade into a scarious appendage (ligule). See Vasey's Descriptive Cata- 

 logue of U. 8. Grasses. 



