124 Bulletin VII. 1. 



I. Secale cereale Linn. Rye. 



An annual grass, four to six feet high, with linear-lanceolate 

 leaves and terminal, somewhat flattened, linear, bearded spikes 

 four to six inches long. Culms sin>ple, erect, hairy near the spike; 

 sheaths striate, smooth; ligule short, dentate; leaf-blade smoQth 

 on the lower surface, scabrous on the upper surface and margins. 

 Empty glumes linear-subulate, nearly equal, scabrous, bristly- 

 pilose at the base; flowering glumes ventricose, acuminate, com- 

 pressed near the apex and terminating in a long, scabrous awn. 



61. TRITICUM Linn. Gen. N. 99. 



Spikelets two- to five-flowered, solitary and sessile at the joints 

 of the rachis, forming dense terminal spikes; rachilla articulated 

 between the florets; lower flowers in each spikelet hermaphrodite, 

 the upper staminate or imperfect. Empty glumes at the base of 

 the spikelet two, rigid, usually shorter and narrower than the 

 flowering glumes, short-awned or awnless; flowering glumes 

 oblong, ventricose or rounded on the back, sometimes keeled above, 

 five- to nine-nerved, awned or awnless; palea two-keeled, keels 

 ciliate. Stamens three. Styles very short; stigmas plumose. 

 Grain ovoid or oblong, sulcate, hairy at the apex, free or adherent 

 to the palea. xVnnual erect grasses with terminal cylindrical spikes. 



Species (including the section .-Egihps) about fifteen, natives of 

 the Old World. 



I. Triticum sativum Linn. Wheat. 



An annual, with terete simple culms two to five feet high. Leaves 

 narrowly lanceolate, striate, usually scabrous on the upper surface. 

 Sheaths striate, smooth; ligule short, truncate. Spike three to six 

 inches long, dense, four-sided, axis compressed, rather broad, mar- 

 gins hirsute; spikelets broadly obtuse, three- to five- flowered; 

 glumes ventricose obtuse, mucronate or awned. 



This cereal is one of the most important members of the grass 

 family. It presents many varieties based upon the presence or 

 absence of awns, color of the chaff, hardness of the grain, etc. 

 In Egyptian Wheat the ordinarily simple spike, which forms the 

 "head," is compound or branched. 



62. HORDEUM Linn. Gen. N. 98. 



Spikelets one-flowered, two to three together at each joint of 

 the rachis, sessile or on very short pedicels, forming a spike; ra- 

 chilla articulated above the empty glumes and continued behind 

 the palea into a naked bristle which sometimes bears the rudiment 

 of a second floret. Lateral spikelets usually imperfect, and raised 

 above the central one; empty glumes two, very narrow or subulate, 

 rigid, persistent; flowering glumes lanceolate, rounded on the back, 

 five-nerved above, awned; palea shorter than the glume, two- 

 keeled. Stamens three. Styles very short, distinct. Ovary hairy 

 at the top. Grain sulcate, adherent to the palea. 



