612 FLORA OF TEXAS. 



near the apex, that of the staminate flower bearing a long 

 bent awn below the middle; stamens 3. 



A. AVENACEUii, Beauv. Culms smooth, 2°-3° high; 

 leaves broadly linear; panicle narrow, whitish, 8-10' long; 

 glumes scarious. May. Perennial. 



PHALARIS, L. 



Spikelets crowded in a densely spiked panicle, 3-flowered ; 

 the two loiuer flowers reduced to hairy scales ; the ^fj!?/?er 

 perfect, consisting of 2 boat-shaped awnless, at length coria- 

 ceous palece, the lower one longer and inclosing the upper, 

 and two nearly equal broadly keeled glumes which are longer 

 than the flower; stamens 3; styles elongated; grain in- 

 closed in the paleae. 



P. INTERMEDIA, Bosc. Culms asceuding, slender, 6-12' 

 high; leaves short, with the uppermost sheath inflated; 

 spike (J'-l' long) oval, compact ; glumes lanceolate, slender- 

 pointed, broadly keeled, twice as long as the hairy ovate 

 flower. (P. Americana, Ell. ; P. microstachya, DC.) vSandy 

 places along the coast. April and May. Leaves broadly 

 linear, l'-2' long, somewhat glaucous; spike white or 

 purplish. Annual. 



Var., Ai^^GUSTA. (P. angusta, Nees.) Culm stout (2°-3° 

 high; spike cylindrical (2'-4' long), somewhat interrupted 

 at the base ; glumes short-pointed, rather narrowly keeled, 

 ^ longer than the ovate hairy flower. Leaves not glaucous, 

 4'-10' long. Annual. 



PASPALUM, L. 



Spikelets spiked or somewhat racemed, apparently 1 -flow- 

 ered, awnless, borne in 1-4 rows on one side of the flattened 

 or triangular jointless rachis; glumes 2, membranaceous, 

 nearly equal; j^cilecB 2, ovate or roundish, coriaceous, the 

 loioer one larger, concave, and partly inclosing the flattened 



