272 OHIO BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Subfamily, Poacatae. 

 Tribe, Festuceae. Fescue-grass Tribe. 



Grasses with laterally compressed, 2-several-flowered spikelets 

 jointed above the empty glumes and arranged in panicles; empty glumes 

 usually shorter than the flowering glumes; palets not aimed or the awn 

 terminal and straight, rarely born just below the apex. 



1. Bromus L. Chess, Brome-grass. 



Annual or perennial grasses with terminal panicles. Spikelets 

 rather large, few-many-flowered; empty glumes unequal, 1-5-nerved, 

 acute ; flowering glumes longer than the empty glumes ; lemmas 

 rounded on the back or sometimes compressed-keeled, 5-9-nerved, 

 usually 2-toothed at the apex, generally awned ; palet 2-keeled ; stig- 

 mas sessile, plumose, inserted below a hairy cushion-like appendage 

 at the top of the ovulary ; grain adherent to the palet. 



1. Outer or lower empty glume 3-nerved, the inner or upper one 5-9-nerved. 2 



1. Outer empty glume 1-nerved, the inner one 3-nerved. 8 



2. Lemma distinctly awned. 3 



2. Lemma awnless or only awn-pointed # nearly as broad as long ; annuals. 



B. brizacformis. 



3. Lemma pubescent on the back, with well developed hairs. 4 



3. Lemma glabrous or minutely roughened on the back ; annuals. 5 



4. Hairs of the lemma long and silky; perennials. B. kalmii. 



4. Hairs of the lemma short ; annuals. B. hordeaceus 



5. Leaf sheaths glabrous or only slightly pubescent ; lemmas with strongly in- 

 rolled margins, the nerves not prominent. B. secalinus. 



5. Leaf sheaths pubescent, often velvety; lemmas not with inrolled margins, the 

 nerves prominent. 6 



6. Panicle contracted, usually not over 3 in. long, its branches erect or ascend- 

 ing, ^2-1^2 in. long. B. hordeaceus leptostaehys. 



0. Panicle loose and spreading, usually C>-12 in. long, its lower branches usually 

 2-6 in. long. 7 



7. Sheaths pubescent; panicle 8 in. or less long; spikelets broadly lanceolate, 

 usually 1 or 2 on the longer branchlets. B. racemosus. 



7. Sheaths densely velvety-pubescent with reflexed hairs; panicle 8-12 in. long; 

 spikelets lanceolate, several on the longer branchlets. B. arvensis. 



8. Awn shorter than the body of the lemma, or wanting; rather tall perennials. 9 



8. Awn longer than the bodv of the lemma; low annuals with drooping pan- 

 icle-. L2 



•.». Lemma awnless or merely awn-pointed. B. inermis. 



9. Lemma awned. 10 



L0. Leaf sheaths glabrous or softly pubescent. 11 



10. Leaf sheaths strongly retrorse-hirsute. B. asper. 



11. Lemma pubescent on the margins only. B. ciliatus. 



11. Lemma evenly pubescent all over the back. B. purgans. 



12. \\\n less than y A in. long; body of the lemma strigose ; not over */> in. long. 



B. tcctorum. 



12. Awn about 1 in. long or more: body of the lamina sparsely hispidulous, Vi 



in. long or more. B. sterilis. 



