MELICA. — GLYCERIA. 167 



31. MELICA— Linn. Melic Grass. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Spikelets 2 to 5-flowered ; the 1 to 3 upper flowers 

 imperfect and dissimilar, convulate around each 

 ■other, and enwrapped by the upper fertile flower. 

 Glumes usually large, scarious-margined, convex, 

 obtuse, the upper 7 to 9-nerved. Palets papery- mem- 

 branaceous, dry and sometimes indurating with age; 

 the lower rounded or flattish on the back, 7 — many- 

 nerved, scarious at the entire blunt summit. Stamens 

 3. Stigmas branched plumose. Perennials with 

 soft and flat leaves. Paniules simple or sparingly 

 branched ; the rather large spikelets racemose-one- 

 sided. 



An old name, from vieli, honey. 



1. M. Mutica (Melic Grass). Of wlrich there are 

 several varieties, viz. , M. Glabra, M. Diffusa. Rich 

 soils southeastern Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, and 

 southward. 



32. GLYCERIA— E,. Br., Trin. Manna Grass. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Lpikelets tirete or flattish, several — many-flowered; 

 the flowers mostly early deciduous by the breaking up 

 of the rhachis into joints, leaving the short and une- 

 equal 1 to 3-nerved membranaceous glumes behind. 

 Palets naked, of a rather firm texture, nearly equal ; 

 the lower rounded on the back, scarious (and some- 



