THE GRASSES OF MAINE. 23 



bristles, the upper somewhat longer than the lower ; flowering glume 

 raised slightly above the base of the inside of the lower glumes, 

 and bearing a short awn on the back just below the apex ; palea 

 slightly shorter than the flowering glume. Stamen one. 



11. Cinna aruxdinacea, Linneus. 



Cin'-na a-run-di-na'-ce-a. 



PLATE V. 



Common Name. "Wood Reed Grass. 



Stem erect, from three to six feet high ; leaves a foot long and 

 nearly half an inch wide; ligule. conspicuously long. Panicle from 

 six inches to a foot in length, rather dense, the branches spreading 

 in flower and erect afterwards. 



This grass grows in moist woods and shady swamps, flowering 

 in August and September. It would furnish a large amount of 

 fodder, but no experiments have been made to cultivate it for the 

 purpose of ascertaining its value. 



An analysis made of specimens of it collected in Indian Territory, 

 gave, at the Department of Agriculture, the following percentages : 

 Ash 6.69, fat 2.98, nitrogen-free extract, 54.47, crude fiber 29.64, 

 albuminoids 6.22. We are not informed what stage it was in when 

 collected, but the percentage of the albuminoids is high enough to 

 make it deserving of further investigation. 



Genus Muhlexuergia, Schreber. 

 Mu-len-ber'-gi-a. 



Named in honor of Dr. Muhlenberg, a distinguished American 

 botanist. 



Spikelets one-flowered, arranged in contracted or rarely open 

 panicles ; glumes mostly bristle-pointed or acute, the lower one 

 rather smaller than the upper one, or minute ; flowering glume from 

 three to five-nerved, mucronate or awned, sometimes with a long, fine 

 awn from the apex between two short teeth, frequently somewhat 

 hair}' at the base ; palea nearly the same length as the flowering glume 

 in some species but shorter in others. Stamens three. There are 

 three species of this genus in Maine, which may be separated by 

 the following synopsis : 



