GRAMINBAE (GRASS FAMILY) 



93 



w 



E, saccharoides x II4. 



'ong ; palea minute, nerveless. — Tall and stout reed-like perennials, with elon- 

 gated flat leaves, racemes crowded in a panicle and clothed with long silky hairs, 

 especially in a tuft arouud the base of each spikelet (whence the name, from 

 ipiov, wool, and &veos, flower). 



* Awn terete, straiyht. 



1- Hairs at base ofspikelets copious, as long as the glumes or longer ; panicle-axis 



and upper part of culm densely appressed-villous. 



++ Panicle loose and open; hairs longer than the glumes. 



1. E. saccharoides Miohx. Culm 1-2 m. high, usually with a dense ring of 

 appressed hairs at the nodes ; leaves 1-2.5 cm. wide, villous ; panicle tawny or 

 purple. — Moist ground, N. J. and southw., rare. 



Sept., Oct. Fig. 49. 



*+++ Panicle dense and compact ; hairs about as long 

 as the glumes. 



2. E. compactus Nash. Culm 1-3 m. high, villous 

 at the nodes ; blades 6-12 mm. wide, usually villous 

 only on the upper surface near the base ; panicle 

 tawny. — Moist ground, N. J. and southw. Aug., 

 Sept. 



1- -1- Hairs at base of spikelets rather sparse or want- 

 ing, shorter than the ghimes ; culm and axis of 

 panicle glabrous or sparsely villous. 



3. E. brevibdrbis Michx. Culm 1-2 m. high, sparingly villous at the nodes; 

 sheaths glabvous ; blades 6-10 mm. wide, scabrous ; panicle purple, narrow, the 

 branches appressed, sparingly silky, appearing striate from the stiff straight 

 awns. — Moist ground, Del. and southw. Sept., Oct. 



** Awn flattened and twisted. 

 ■i- Panicle pale, axis very villous; basal hairs copious, exceeding the glumes, 

 i. E. divaricHtus (L.) Hitchc. Culm 1.5-3 m. high, nodes and upper portion 

 appressed-villous ; sheaths glabrous ; leaves 1.5-2.5 cm. wide ; panicle loose, silky. 

 (£. alopecuroides Ell.) — Moist ground, N. J. to Ga., w. to Ky. and s. Mo. Sept. 

 1- 1- Panicle dark, axis sparsely villous ; basal hairs rather sparse, scarcely 

 as long as the glumes. 

 5. E. contfirtus Baldw. Culm 1-2 m. high, nodes soon glabrous ; sheaths 

 glabrous ; leaves 5-15 mm. wide ; panicle narrow, less silky than in the preceding. 

 — Low meadows, Va. to Ky., and southw. 



4. ANDR0p6G0N [Royen] L. Beard Grass 



Spikelets in pairs (one sessile and perfect, the other pediceled, sterile, often 

 rudimentary) at each joint of the articulate rhachis ; glumes of fertile spikelet 

 subequal, indurated, the first dorsally flattened, with a strong nerve near each 

 margin, the midnerve faint ; second glume keeled above ; first lemma empty, 

 hyaline ; fertile lemma membranaceous or hyaline, awned ; palea hyaline, 

 sometimes obsolete. — Tall tufted perennials; spikes lateral and terminal, the 

 rhachis and usually the pedicels long-villous with silky hairs (whence the name, 

 composed of dc^jo, man, and vdiyoiv, beard.) 



Eacemes solitary ; joints of the rhachis clavate 



Kacemes in fascicles of 2-6 ; joints of the rhachis not clavate. 

 Pedicellate spikelet reduced to the pedicel or the glumes only ; racemes 

 usually subtended by a foliaceous spathe (the upper sheath) ; rhachis- 

 jolnts very slender. 

 Racemes not Jongor than the spathe, which incloses the common peduncle. 

 Branches of inflorescence in a dense terminal corymbiform cluster 

 Branches of inflorescence scattered along the culms 

 Racemes, or some of theni, on peduncles exserted beyond the spatbes. 

 Upper sheaths inflated ; racemes delicate, flexuous .... 

 Upper sheaths not inflated ; racemes stouter, strict .... 

 Pedicellate spikelet staminate, with glumes and lemmas .... 



1. A. scoparius. 



2. A. 



S. A. 



4. ,1 

 6. A. 

 6. A. 



glomeratus. 

 virginicue, 



Elliottii. 

 ternarhts 

 /urcatue. 



