PHEAGMITES.^AKUlirDINAEIA. 179 



40. PHRAGMITES— 7^•^•/^. Reed. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Spikelets 3 to 7-flowered, the flowers rather distant, 

 silky villous at their base, and with a conspicuous 

 sUky -bearded rhachis, all perfect and 3-androus, ex- 

 cept the lowest, which is either neutral or with 1 to 

 3 stamens, and naked; glumes membranaceous, 

 shorter than the flowers, lanceolate, keeled, sharp- 

 pointed, very unequal ; palets membranaceous, slen- 

 der, the lower narrowly awl-shaped, thrice the length 

 of the upper ; squamulse 2, large ; -styles long ; grain 

 free. Tall and stout perennials, with numerous 

 broad leaves and a large terminal panicle. 



PTiragmites, a Greek word, i. e., growing in 

 hedges, which this aquatic grass does not. 



1. P. Communis (The Common Reed grass). A very 

 taU, broad-leaved grass. It looks at a little distance 

 like broom corn. Stem 5 to 12 feet high ; leaves 2 

 inches wide ; grows on the edges of ponds. This is 

 one of the largest grasses in the United States. 



„41. ARUjS'DINARIA— Mich. Cane. 



GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Spikelets flattened, 5 to 14-flowered, the flowers 

 somewhat separated on the jointed rhachis ; glumes 

 very small, membranaceous, the upper one larger ; 

 -palets herbaceous or somewhat membranaceous, the 



