37 



the base; leaves linear, 3 to 5 inches long', 1 to 2 lines wide; sheaths 

 short; nodes thickened; panicles simple, terminal and lateral, 3 to 5 

 inches long, the few branches single, capillary, distant, 1 to 3 inches 

 long, bearing each 2 to G spikelets, which are mostly in pairs at the 

 end of the branchlets; spikelets oblong-obovate, acnte, 1J lines long, 

 the outer glumes papillose hispid, the lower one minute, acutish. 



South Carolina to Texas. 



50. P. anceps, Michx, — Culms flattened, erect, 2 to 3 feet high, less 

 stout than in P. agrostoides, from strong creeping root-stocks ; leaves 

 rather broadly linear, a foot or more long, 4 to 5 lines wide, smooth or 

 the lower ones with the sheaths pubescent; panicles contracted, lateral 

 and terminal, G to 12 inches long, the branches from single to verticil- 

 late, rather distant, particularly below, generally very abundantly flow- 

 ered ; spikelets 1 to 1J lines long, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, the 

 apex a little curved, lower glume about one-half as long as the spikelet, 

 upper glume five to seven -nerved. 



V (a) Var. pubescens. — Leaves and sheaths more or less pubescent; 

 panicle and branches slender; spikelets ovate-lanceolate, acute, little 

 more than 1 line long. 



Mobile, Ala. (Dr. Mohr). 

 \f (b) Var. angusta. — Lower sheaths villose; leaves very long and nar- 

 row, erect, rigid ; spikelets narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 1J lines long, 

 the lower glume one- third as long as the spikelet. 



Texas (G-. C. Nealley). 

 S (c) Var. densifloruin.— Leaves broad; panicle glomerate and inter- 

 rupted, the branches densely flowered ; spikelets lanceolate, IJliueslong. 



Texas (J. F. Riggs). 



57. P. agrostoides, Spreng. — Culms flattened, erect, stout, 2 to 4 feet 

 high, usually in thick clumps, glabrous, much branched above, the 

 branches erect; leaves linear, 1 to 2 feet long, 3 to 4 lines wide, 

 smooth, as are the compressed sheaths; panicles terminal and lateral, 

 4 to 12 inches long, oblong, becoming pyramidal, very full, the lower 

 branches 2 to 3 inches long, much subdivided to the base; spikelets 

 racemose, very short pedicelled, crowded and mostly one-sided on the 

 brauches, ovate-oblong to lanceolate, three-fourths of a line to 1J lines 

 long, lower glumes acute or acutish, half as long as the spikelet, second 

 and third glumes five nerved, half longer than the perfect flower, which 

 is a little bearded at the apex. In wet ground. 



Varies in the size and form of the spikelets, which in the Western form 

 seldom exceed a line long; tuere is an Eastern form in which the spike- 

 lets are lanceolate, about \\ lines long, and the perfect flower small and 

 conspicuously stalked. 



58, P. bulbosum, H. B. K.— Rhizoma creeping, thick, bulbous; culms 

 4 to 5 feet high, smooth, stout, with long internodes; leaves long and 

 narrow (1 to 2 feet by 2 to 4 lines), smooth, or the lower ciliate below; 

 panicle about 1 foot long, spreading, copious, pale green, branches 



