TiiK CtRASsKs OK Tknnksskk. 67 



1. Muhlenbergia capillaris Kunih. 



Plate XX. Figure 7». 



An erect perennial two to three or four feet hi^h* with sim])le 

 or iinbranched stems, lon^ involute leaves and an elegant o])en 

 capillary panicle six to twenty-four inches lonj:^. Nodes three to 

 four, smooth. Sheaths hnii^er than the internodes, smooth; lij^^ule 

 rij^id, one to three lines loni^; leaf-blade six to eighteen inches lon^, 

 convolute-setaceous. Panicle branches and lonj^- ca])illary ])edi- 

 cels widely spreadinj.^. Spikelets about two lines long, linear- 

 lanceolate, purjilish; empty glumes nearly equal, one-half to one 

 line long, narrowly ovate or lanceolate, the upper and sometimes 

 the lower bristle-pointed; flowering glume three-nerved, smooth, 

 awned from the apex or from between the bristle- or awn-like divis- 

 ions of the bifid apex, awn three to four lines long. Palea about 

 as long as its glume. 



In dry sandy soil, open woods. August — September. 



2. Muhlenbergia diffusa Schreb. Nimble Will. 



Plate XX. Figure S<). 



A low, ascending perennial with slender, much-branched, wiry 

 culms one to two feet long. vSheaths smooth, pilose at the throat; 

 ligule very short; leaf-blade one to two lines wide, one to four 

 inches long, scabrous on both sides. Panicles three to seven inches 

 long, slender, branches erect, rather densely-flowered Spikelets 

 a line long, equalling or exceeding the pedicels; empty glumes 

 minute, unequal, the lower sometimes obsolete; flowering glume 

 narrowly lanceolate, pilose near the base, scabrous on the nerves 

 above, terminating in a slender straight awn one to two lines long; 

 palea equalling the glume. Common on dry hills, in woods, and 

 especially in shaded waste grounds about dwellings. August to 

 October. 



This grass is well known by its slender, diffusely-branched and 

 tough, wiry stems. It is exceedingly difficult to mow, and the turf 

 it sometimes forms is equally difficult to break up. It has com- 

 paratively little agricultural value. 



y OTE :— M uhleiiberrna glomerata Trin. ''Wild Timothy," Plate XXI, Fig- 

 ure 81, ha-; not been recorded as growing: in the State, but very likely it 

 will be found in tiie mountain regions of East Tennessee. It is a rather 

 stout u])riirht perennial, with nearly simple culms two to three feet hip:h, 

 and a densely-tlowered, narrow panicle two to four inches lonp:. The 

 creeping root-stock is very tough and closely covered with thickened 

 scales. It usually pfrows in low grounds and makes a fair ''wild hay." In 

 some parts of the'West it has been recommended as an excellent grass for 

 foraj^e. 



3- Muhlenbergia sobolifera Trin. 



Plate XXI. Figure 82. 



A slender perennial, with more or less branching leafy culms 

 one to two feet high, from creeping scaly root-stocks. Sheaths 

 smooth or slightly scabrous; ligule very short; leaf-blade flat, one 

 to three lines wide, three to five inches long, scabrous. Panicle 

 two to seven inches long, filiform, with erect appressed branches. 



