66 TRIAXDRIA DIGYNIA 



.producing a third pedicellate floret. Lower paiea subcoriaceous, awnless, uppc> 

 one membranaceous. 



Hab. Moist woodlands: frequent. Fl. May. Fr. July. 



Obs. This plant was mistaken for the awnless Vur. of Aim pallens^ Muhl. whet 

 my Catalogue was published* I am now satisfied. by an inspection of Muhlenberg** 



Herbarium, that it is the A. moHtfffOfthat author ;— I suspect it is also the A. trijlo* 

 ra, of Ell.— though 1 observe Dr. Torrty makes the latter a synonym of A. truncata 



2. K. tiittxcata, Torr. Panicle oblong, contracted ; branches short, 



erect ; spikelets in clustered racemes, all 2-flowered. Beck* Hot* p. 408. 



Spkci.m. Gray, (J ram. 1. no, 44. 



Holcus Btriatiifl ? Wdld, A*/-. 4. p. 934. 



Aira obtusata. Mx. Am. I. p. 62. Pers. Syn. 1. /;. 77. Pureh, Am. 



I. p. 76. JVtit*. Gen. i./>. 62. J&ar*. -PAiV. 1. p. 57. £//. A*. 1. p, 



153. Also, Eat. Man. p. 10. 



A. truncata. Muhl, CutaL p. 11. Ejusd. Cram. p. S3. Bigel. Bost. 



p. 31. Limll. Ency. p. 58. 



Tkuncatk Kokllhia. 



jRoo/ perennial. C1////1 about 2 feet high, smooth. Leaves lance-linear, slight- 

 ly scabrous, pubescent: sheathe striate, softly pilose (glabrous, Muhl.); ligule 

 short, retuse, laciniate. Panicle i> t«» 1 or 5 inches long, contracted, with the bran- 

 ches short, nearly erect, and tin; spikelets rather densely crowded. The Jiorets 

 appear acuminate, by reas >n of the palea? projecting beyond the plumes. (Jlumes 

 of nearly equal Length ; the lower one linear, the upper one broad-ovate, very ob- 

 tuse, or truncate. Palea nearly equal ; Lower i, ae subcoriaceous, awnless, upper 

 one membranaceous- Seed linear, compressed. 

 Hob. Fields, and open woodlands: frequent. Fl. June. Fr. July. 



Obs. 1 have specimens of Aira obtusata, Mat.— one from Georgia, by Dr. Bald- 

 trtw, the other from X. Carolina, by Mr. Curtis; and although the panicle in the 

 southern specimens, is larger than in our plant, I can perceive no material differ- 

 ence In the general character. This is certainly nearly allied to the preceding 

 species; but is readily distinguished- by its more 4ense, glaucous or ash-colored 

 panicle, and its very obtuse or truncate glumes, and somewhat tumid fi> rets. The 

 specimens, in my copy of Dr. Gray's work, do not agree well with our K. truncata; 

 hot appear rather to be a variety of K. permst/lvanica. Three other specits art 

 enumerated in the U. States. 



43. AVENA. /,. JVutt. Gen. 105. 



[A classical Latin name; applied to this genus] 



Spikelets 2 to 5-flowcrcd. Glumes 2, loose and membranaceous, gen- 

 erally nearly equal, longer than the florets. Palete 2, mostly hairy at 

 base ; the lower one bifid, with a contorted or geniculate awn on the 

 back. 



1. A. elatior, L. Panicle oblong, somewhat contracted, at length 

 spreading ; spikelets 2-flowered ; the lower floret staminate, awned; the 

 *pper one perfect, mostly awnless. Beck, Bot. p. 403. 

 Arrbenatherum avenaceum. Beauv. Torr. Fl. 1. p. 130, Ejusd> 

 Comp, p. 63. Also Eat. Man. p. 29. 



Holcus avenaceus. Ait. Ketv. p. 431. Lindl. Ency. p. 860. 

 Talma Avena. Vulgo — Oat-grass. Grass of the Andes. 



