GRASSES OF OHIO 293 



lanceolate, awn-pointed; lemma keeled, the keel hispid-ciliate, 

 awned ; palet 2-keeled; grain with a deep groove, hairy at the 

 apex, free. 



1. Secale cereale L. Rye. A tall, light green, animal grass with 

 slender, erect, hollow stems, 2-6 ft. high, and more or less nodding, 

 terminal spikes. Spikelets 2-3-flowered ; lemma sharply keeled, 

 awned. Cultivated as a winter annual for its grain and straw, and 

 for temporary pasturage. The grain is sometimes infested and dis- 

 torted by ergot. 



In cultivated fields and waste places, especially along railways. 

 May-July. Erie, Morrow, Franklin, Scioto. Escaped. 



26. Elymus L. Wild-rye. 



Tall, erect tufted perennials w r ith flat leaves and dense terminal 

 spikes. Spikelets 2-several-flowered, sessile, usually in pairs, some- 

 times in threes; empty glumes equal, rigid, narrow, 1-3-nerved, acute 

 or awned; lemma convex, obscurely 5-nerved, usually with an awn: 

 palet 2-keeled, a little shorter than the lemma ; grain adherent to 

 the palet. 



1. Empty glumes narrowly lanceolate ; spike stout. 2 



1. Empty glumes narrowly awl-shaped; spike and stem slender. E. striatus. 



2. Lemma glabrous; spike erect, empty glumes indurated. E. virginicus. 



2. Lemma more or less pubescent. 3 



3. Spike erect: empty glumes indurated below. E. hirsutiglumis. 

 3. Spike nodding, empty glumes not indurated below. E. canadensis. 



1. Elymus virginicus L. Virginia Wild-rye. A dark yellow- 

 green grass with stout, erect, simple stems, 2-5 ft. high, and thick, 

 rigidly upright spikes, often included at the base in the uppermost 

 inflated sheath. Spikelets 2-3-flowered ; lemma smooth, bearing a 

 rough awn. Extensively infested with ergot. 



In moist soil, especially in ravines and along streams. July. 

 August. General. 



2. Elymus hirsutiglumis Scrib. Strict Wild-rye. A grass with 

 an erect stem, 2-3 ft. high, and a stout, erect spike, the rachis 

 pubescent. Spikelets crowded, in pairs, 2-5-flowered ; lemma 5>- 

 nerved, lanceolate, appressed-hirsute, long acuminate into a rough 

 awn. 



On river banks and moist places. July, August. Ottawa, Huron. 



3. Elymus canadensis L. Nodding Wild-rye. A light green or 

 usually glaucous grass with simple erect stems, 2-7*4 ft. high, and a 

 broad, stout, compact, nodding spike interrupted below, its peduncle 

 much exserted. Spikelets divergent from the rachis, 3-5- 

 flowered ; lemma hirsute with a long, spreading awn. ( )ften infested 

 with ergot. 



In sandy soil and moist ground. July, August. Rather general. 



