GRAMINEAE QGEASS FAMILY) 



161 



awn; palea usually about equaling the lemma. — Perennials or annuals with 

 terminal panicles. (An ancient Latin name of some kind of grass, of uncertain 

 meaning.) 



F> m.yyrott. 

 F. ficiurett. 

 F. OGtoJlora. 



% 1. Annuals ; stamen usually one. — V^lpia (C. 0. Qniel.) Eeichenb. 

 Awn more than twice as lon^ as the lemma; t-jiikclets 1-5-flowered. 

 First glume one third to one half as long as the second . . . 1. 



First glume two thirds to three fourths as long as the second ... 2. 

 Awn not longer than the lemma, spikeleLs 5-13-flowered t . . . 8, 

 §2. Perennials; stamens 3. — Eufbst^oa Griseh. 

 Leaves involute ; lemma awl-shaped, iiwned or pointed. 

 Innovations cxtravaginal ; spikelets more or less glaucous . • , i, F, rubra. 

 Innovations intravaginal ; spikelets green. 



Awns longer than the membranaceous lemmas 5. 



Awns shorter than the coriaceous lemmas ... . . ,6. 

 Leaves flat. 

 Lemma indurated, not at all keeled, awnless or tapering into a short awn. 

 Lemma o-7 mm. long ; panicle narrow, with short erect branches . 7. 

 Lemma 4-4.5 mm. long ; panicle with long spreading or ascending 

 branches. 

 Lemma subacute ; spikelets loosely scattered . . , , 8, 



Lemma obiuse ; spiliclets somewhat aggregated 9. 



Lemma membranaceous, indurated only near the base, keeled above, awned 



from a cleft apex . . . W. F. gigantea. 



F. occidentalis 

 F, ovina. 



F, elaiior. 



F. nutans. 

 F. SliorUi. 



1. F. MTtrEOS L. Culms erect or geniculate at base, solitary or in small tufts, 

 2-6 dm. high ; sheaths smooth, overlapping ; blades smooth, linear, involute or 

 rarely flat; panicle 7-20 cm. long, narrow, the branches appressed, the tips 

 somewhat nodding ; spikelets 4-5-flowered, 8-11 toto. long ; glumes very unequal, 

 the first 1-1.5 mm., the second 4-5 mm. long ; lemma linear-lanceolate, scabrous 

 above, attenuate into a scabrous awn about twice its length. — Dry fields and 

 waste places, N. E. to 0., and south w. June, July. (Nat. from Eu.) 



2. F. sciiirea Nutt. Similar to the preceding, usually lower ; panicle erect ; 

 spikelets 4-5 mm. long ; first glume 2 mm., second 3.5 mm. long ; lemma sparsely 

 short-pubescent. — Sandy ground, s.e. Va., and southw. May, June. 



l/" 3. F. octofl6ra Walt. Culms slender, erect, often tufted, 0.5^ dm. high ; 

 sheaths shorter than the internodes ; blades narrowly linear, involute or rarely 

 flat, soft, erect or ascending ; panicle narrow, erect, 3-12 cm. long, usually re- 

 duced to a more or less secund raceme ; spikelets 5-12 mm. long ; glumes subu- 

 late-lanceolate ; lemma lanceolate, attenuate into a scabrous straight awn 1-7 

 mm. long. {F. tenella Willd.) — Dry sterile soil, w. Que. to .B. C, and through- 

 out the U. S., especially soulhw. Fig. 174. 



4. F. rubra L. Ozilms solitary or few, erect from creeping rootstocks, 4-Q dm. 

 high ; sheaths and blades smooth ; panicle 5-20 cm. long, usually contracted, 

 the branches erect; spikelets 4-6(rarely 10)-flowered, mostly 7-8 mm. long, 

 often glaucous-purplish ; glumes smooth ; lemma 5-7 mm. long, smooth or soa^ 

 brous toward the apex, terminating in a scabrous awn usually 

 about half as long. — Brackish meadows or low sandy soil, mostly 

 near the coast. Lab. to Va. (Eu.) Var. PKOLfFEKA Piper. Floral 

 organs abnormally elongated. — Mts. of N. E. and Que. Var. 

 MEoAsTAOHYS Gaudiu. Spikelets 10-12 mm. long. — Que., N. J. 

 (Eu.) Var. mdltifl6ra (Hoffm.) Asch. & Graebn. Blades flat ; 

 spjxelets green. ^ Me. (Eu.) Var. subvii,l6sa Meft. & Koch. 

 Spikelets pubescent with short hairs. — Local, e. Que. to N. H. 

 (Briggs) and Vt. (Jones'). (Eu.) 



5. F. occidentalis Hook. Culms densely tufted, no root- 

 stocks, erect, slender, glabrous and shining, 5-8 dm. high ; basal 

 leaves numerous, filiform-involute, soft ; panicle loose, subsecund, 

 flexuous, 8-20 cm. long ; spikelets loosely 3-5-flowered, 6-10 mm. 

 long ; glumes unequal, variable even on the same plant, mostly 

 acute or acuminate ; lemma 5-6.5 mm. long, awn about as long. 

 — Open woods, Keweenaw Co., Mich. {Farwell) ; and in the Northwest. 



6. F. ovina L. (Sheep's Fescue.) Densely tufted ; culms erect, 1.5-6 dm, 

 high ; leaves pale green, capillary, strongly involute, firm, the basal ones 5-12 

 cm. long, those of the culm often very short ; panicHe contracted after blooming. 



okay's manoal — 11 



174. F. octoflora 

 Spikelet x 8, 



