THE GRASSES OF MAINE. 11 



Monoecious. The staminate and pistillate flowers separate but on 



the same plant. 

 Midrib. The central and principal nerve or vein of a leaf or glume. 

 Mucronate. Abruptly tipped with a short awn or bristle. 

 Nerves. The ribs or veins of a leaf or leaf-like organ. 

 Neutral. Having neither stamens nor pistils. 

 Nodes. The thickened and solid places in the stems from which 



the leaves arise. 

 Ovary. That part of the pistil which contains the seed. 

 Ovule. The body which is destined to become a seed. 

 Palea or palet. The inner scale or chaff of the proper flower, placed 

 nearly opposite and a little higher than the flower- 

 ing glume. 

 Panicle. A branched and sub-divided stem bearing the spikelets. 

 Pedicel. A small branchlet bearing a spikelet. 

 Peduncle. The main stem or stalk of a flower spike. 

 Perennial. Living year after year indefinitely. 

 Perfect. Having both stamens and pistil in the same flower. 

 Petiole. The sheath or stem of a leaf. 

 Pistil. The central or female organ of a flower, that in which the 



seed is developed. 

 Pistillate. Having only pistils without stamens. 

 Pollen. The fertilizing powder contained in the anthers. 

 Pubescent. Clothed with short and soft hairs. 

 Radical leaves. Those growing from the base of the stem. 

 Rhachis or rachis. The axis or stem on which the flowers of a 

 spikelet are arranged ; also the common axis 

 of a close spike or of a panicle. 

 Rhizoma or root-stoclc. A horizontal underground stem. 

 Ribs. Prominent nerves of the leaves or glumes. 

 Rugose. Wrinkled or furrowed. 



Serrate. Having teeth on the margin, pointing towards the apex. 

 Sissile. Without a footstalk or pedicel. 

 Setaceous. Like a bristle. 



Sheath. That part of the leaf which encloses the stalk. 

 Spike. A collection of sessile or nearly sessile flowers on a close, 



narrow axis. 

 Spikelet. A flower or cluster of flowers having one pair of outer 

 glumes. 



