140 MISC. PUBLICATION 200, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



to 12 cm. long, the branches stiffly 

 ascending, the spikelets pendent, tri- 

 angular-ovate, 3- to 6-flowered, about 

 3 mm. long. O — Introduced at 

 several localities in the Eastern States 

 from Canada to Florida, Arkansas, 

 and Texas, becoming common on the 

 Pacific coast, especially in California. 

 3. Briza media L. (Fig. 185.) Per- 

 ennial; culms 15 to 60 cm. tall; ligule 

 of the upper leaf about 1 mm. long, 

 truncate; blades 2 to 5 mm. wide; 

 panicle erect, 5 to 10 cm. long, the 

 branches rather stiff, ascending, 

 naked below; spikelets 5- to 12-flow- 

 ered, orbicular, about 5 mm. long. 

 9[ — Fields and waste places, spar- 

 ingly introduced, Ontario to Connec- 

 ticut and Michigan. 



Desmazeria sicula (Jacq.) Dum. Low 

 annual; culms spreading with ascending 

 ends; panicles simple, 3 to 5 cm. long, with 

 large flat 2-ranked spikelets. O — Occa- 

 sionally cultivated for ornament. Europe. 

 (Name sometimes spelled Demazeria.) 



Figure 185. — Briza media. Panicle, X Yi- (Oakes, 

 Mass.) 



14. ERAGROSTIS Beauv. Lovegrass 



Spikelets few- to many-flowered, the florets usually closely imbricate, the 

 rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and between the florets, or con- 

 tinuous, the lemmas deciduous, the paleas persistent; glumes somewhat 

 unequal, shorter than the first lemma, acute or acuminate, 1-nerved, or the 

 second rarely 3-nerved; lemmas acute or acuminate, keeled or rounded on the 

 back, 3-nerved, the lateral nerves sometimes obscure; palea usually about as 

 long as the lemma, the keels sometimes ciliate. Annuals or perennials of 

 various habit, the inflorescence an open or contracted panicle. Type species, 

 Eragrostis eragrostis Beauv. (E. poaeoides). Name from the Greek eros, love, 

 and agrostis, a kind of grass. 



Although the species are numerous, they in general appear to have little 

 forage value. Eragrostis intermedia is said to furnish forage on the grazing 

 lands of Arizona and New Mexico. Three introduced African species, E. 

 curvula, E. lehmanniana, and E. chloromelas, show promise of being valuable 

 in erosion control in the Southwest. 



la. Plants annual. 

 2a. Plants creeping, rooting at the nodes, forming mats. 



Plants with perfect flowers; anthers 0.2 mm. long 11. E. hypnoides. 



Plants dioecious; anthers 2 mm. long 10. E. reptans. 



2b. Plants often decumbent at base but not creeping and forming mats. 



3a. Palea prominently ciliate on the keels, the cilia usually as long as the width of the 

 lemma. 

 Panicle interruptedly spikelike, rarely somewhat open; spikelets usually 3 to 4 mm. 



long 7. E. ciliaris. 



Panicle narrow but open, the pedicels ascending or spreading; spikelets 2 mm. long. 



8. E. AMABILIS. 



3b. Palea scabrous to short-ciliate. 



4a. Panicle long, narrow, rather dense, tawny or stramineous; spikelets 2 to 3 mm. 



long 9. E . GLOMERATA. 





