No. 4. 



PHALARIS AMETHYSTINA Trin. Act. Petr. Ser. 6. iii. 56 



Plant annual, rather coarse, smooth throughout. 



Culms erect, stout, rarely branched, terete, naked above, 2 to 3 feet high. 



Leaves of culm 4 to 6; sheaths rather loose, striate, scarious- margined, shorter 

 than the internodes; blades flat, lanceolate, acute, about 9- nerved, 4 to 6 lines wide 

 3 to 8 inches long; ligule membranaceous, obtuse, 3 lines long. 



Inflorescence a dense, oblong, spike-like panicle § inch in diameter and 3 to 4 times 

 as long; branches mostly alternate, crowded with short- pediceled spikelets on the 

 numerous divisions. 



Spikelets elliptic-obovate, 1 -flowered, 3 to 3J lines long; empty glumes 4; outer 

 pair nearly equal, ovate-oblong, acute, purplish on the margins, minutely hispid on the 

 keel, carinate and narrowly winged above; inner pair hairy, rudimentary scales a line 

 long, rather prominent for the genus ; floral glume broadly ovate, acute, coriaceous, 

 finely pubescent, obscurely nerved, 1£ to 2 lines long; palet lanceolate, thin-coria- 

 ceous, smooth, slightly cleft at apex, 1£ to 2 lines long. 



Plate IV ; a, spikelet with empty glumes spread to show inclosed parts ; b 7 inner 

 empty glumes and floret with floral glume and palet slightly spread. 



California and Oregon. 



