502 THE GRASS FAMILY. 
the side opposite to the blade, and terminate, within the base 
of the blade, in a small scarious appendage called a /zgule. 
Flowers in spikelets, arranged in terminal spikes, racemes or 
panicles. Hach spikelet consists usually of 3 or more chaff-like, 
concave scales or bracts, called glumes, arranged alternately on 
opposite sides of the spikelet, their coneave faces towards the 
axis ; the 2 lowest, or first and second glumes usually empty, 
nearly opposite to each other, and often differently shaped from 
the others. ‘The succeeding, or flowering glumes, enclose each a 
rather smaller scale called a palea, usually thinner, and with 2 
longitudinal ribs or veins, placed either between the glume and 
the axis of the spikelet, with its back to the axis, or apparently 
opposite the glume at the end of the axis. Where there are 
more than three glumes, the third, or lowest flowering glume is 
usually close to the second, its flower is sometimes imperfect, or 
it is even quite empty,-and it is often intermediate in shape 
between the outer empty ones and the succeeding flowering ones, 
which are inserted on the axis at distinct intervals. Within 
the palea, or apparently between the flowering glume and the 
palea, is the real flower, consisting usually of 2 minute, almost 
microscopical scales called Jodicules, of 3 (rarely 2 or 6) stamens, 
and of a l-celled, 1-ovuled ovary, crowned by 2 more or less 
feathery styles. The name of flower, however, is here, as in 
other works, generally meant to include the flowering glume © 
and palea. Fruit 1-seeded and seed-hke, called a grain or cary- 
opsis, consisting of the real seed and pericarp, either free or 
adhering to the persistent palea, or enclosed in the more or less 
hardened flowering glume and palea, or in the outer glumes. 
Embryo small, at the base of a mealy albumen. 
Such is the general plan upon which the flowers of Grasses are arranged, 
but there are many variations which require to be carefully attended to in 
discriminating the genera of this most natural, but somewhat difficult 
family. When the spikelet contains but one flower, its flowering glume 
and inner palea appear often almost opposite to each other, like an inner 
pair of glumes within the outer empty ones. Sometimes there are three or 
even more outer, empty glumes, either passing gradually into the shape of 
the flowering ones, or one or two, very differently shaped (usually much 
smaller), are placed between the outer empty pair and the flowering one; 
or the axis of the spikelet terminates in one or more rudimentary, empty 
glumes. Occasionally one flower, either below or above the perfect one, 
has stamens only, and some exotic species are always monccious or 
dioecious. Frequently the midrib of the flowering glumes alone, or of the 
intermediate empty ones alone, or of all the glumes, is prolonged into a 
bristle, sometimes very long, called an awn, and the awn is either terminal, 
