Order 166.— GRAMmB^. 777 



terruptea, 2 — 3' long, many-flowered ; glumes linear, i the length of their awns; 

 lower paleae mueronate. — It Bog meadows, also on rooky mountains, N. Eng. to 

 Mo. Aug., Sept. '(Polypogoa racemosus Nutt.) 



2 M. Mexicana Trin. Culm erect or ascending, with swelling nodes, much 

 branched and leafy above, often nearly leafless below, IJ — Sfhigh; Its. lanceolate, 

 scabrous, with half-clasping sheaths; panicles numerous, terminal and lateral, 

 spike-clustered, dense-flowered and purple-spotted, lateral ones partly enclosed in 

 the sheath ; glumes narrow acuminate, mostly shorter than the subequal, pubes- 

 cent pales. — y Wet shades, U. Eng. to Wise, common. Aug. (Agrostis L.) 



3 M. subolifera Gray. Culm erect, slender, producing shoots at base, branched, 

 18 — 30' high; branches erect and filiform; nodes not swelling ; Ivs. linear-lanceo- 

 late, with open sheaths ; panicle simple,^ filiform, with appressed branches, and 

 rather crowded spikelets ; paleas equal, longer than the acute glumes. — 2f Koeky 

 hills, ]Sr. Eng. to 111. and S. States, frequent. Aug. (Agrostis Muhl.) 



4 M. sylvatica Terr. & Gr. Culm ascending, 2 — 3f long, much branched, dilTuse, 

 smooth, with swelling nodes ; Ivs. lanceolate, scabrous, veined, 4 — 6' long, with 

 smooth, open sheaths ; panicles slender, rather dense ; glumes nearly equal, acu- 

 minate, a little shorter than the palece; awns several times longer than the spike- 

 let.— y Rocky shades, N. T. to III, N. J., Penn. Sept. (Agrostis Torr.) 



5 M. "Willdend'wii Trin. Culm erect, subsimple, pubescent at the nodes, with 

 a few appressed branches; Ivs. 6 — 9' by 2 — 3'', lanceolate, veined, scabrous, 

 spreading, with pubescent sheaths ; panicle contracted, very slender and lon,g, 

 with remote, filiform branches ; glumes subequal, acuminate, half as long as the 

 pale(B; awn 3 — i times the length of the spikelet. — 2f Rocky woods. Can. and 

 U. S. July, August. (Agr. tenuiflora Willd.) 



6 M. dixfCisa Schreb. Cvim decumbent, diffuse, branching, slender, compressed ; 

 branches assurgent; Ivs. 2 — 3' by 2", linear-lanceolate, rough, with smooth, 

 striate, open sheaths; panicles terminal and lateral, with remote, appressed, 

 rough branches; spikelets 2" tonj, pedicellate, often purple; awn about as long 

 as the paleas ; glumes extremely minute. — y Borders of woods and shady fields, 

 N. Eng. to Car. and Ky. Aug. 



7 M. aristata Pers. Culm erect, simple, retrorsely pubescent at the nodes, 2 — 3f 

 high; Ivs. lanceolate, scabrous, ciliato on the margin, 4 — 6' long, 3'' or more 

 wide, with somewhat open sheaths ; panicle terminal, simple, racemous, con- 

 tracted; spikelets 6" (16" including the awn) long, pedicellate; glumes minute, the 

 lower obsolete ; lower palete half as long as its awn, upper palese with a short 

 awn (abortive pedicel) at base lodged in the dorsal groove. — y Rocky hills. Can. 

 and U. S., frequent. July. (Braohyelytrum Beauv. M. erecta Roth.) 



8 M. capillaris Kunth. Cffispitous ; culms erect, very slender and smooth, 18 — 

 24' high ; Ivs erect, becoming fiUform towards the end. 1 — 1 Jf long ; panicle 

 diffuse, with the branches 1 — i' long, in pairs, and as fine as hairs; spikelets 

 purple; lower paleEe produced into an awn 3 or 4 times its length. — y Sandy 

 soils, K Eng. to Ga. and Ky. An exceedingly delicate grass, with large, purple, 

 glossy and almost gossamer-like panicles, waving in the breeze. Jn., JI. (Tri- 

 ohoohloa DC.) 



8. POLYPO'GON, Desf. Polypog Geass. (Gt. TroXvg, many, nayyuv, 

 beard.) Spikelets l-flowered, densely panicled ; gls. 2, subequal, thin, 

 carinate, both similarly avvned, much longer than the flower ; pales 

 thin, the lower usually awned near the tip, upper bicarinate ; grain free, 

 oval, smooth. — Leaves flat. Panicle spike-like. 



P. Monspeli^nsis Desf. Culm simple, decumbent below. If or more high ; Ivs. 

 lance-linear, much shorter (2 to 6' by 2 to 3"), acute-pointed, minutely downy ; 

 panicle much-branched, spicate-lobed, 2 to 3', the branches very short and dense- 

 Uowered, pale ; gls. hispidulous, 1" long, the awns a little longer. — Fields, coast- 

 ward, N. Eng. ? common South. § Eur. 



9. CALAffiAGROS'TIS, Adans. (Name compounded of CaZamms and 

 Agrostis.) Spikelets l-flowered ; glumes 2, subequal, acute or acumi- 



