190 



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



scabrous branches naked at base, 

 drooping, the spikelets crowded to- 

 ward the ends, 2- to 5-flowered, 12 

 to 15 mm. long, the lower part of 

 lemma and rachilla joints densely 

 pilose with white hairs. % — Oc- 

 casionally cultivated as an orna- 

 mental; escaped and established in 

 Napa County, Calif. Mediterranean 

 region. Generic name often incorrectly 

 spelled Ampelodesma. 



28. PHRAGMITES Trin. 



Spikelets several-flowered, the ra- 

 chilla clothed with long silky hairs, 

 disarticulating above the glumes and 

 at the base of each segment between 

 the florets, the lowest floret staminate 

 or neuter; glumes 3-nerved, or the 

 upper 5-nerved, lanceolate, acute, un- 

 equal, the first about half as long as 

 the upper, the second shorter than 

 the florets; lemmas narrow, long- 

 acuminate, glabrous, 3-nerved, the 

 florets successively smaller, the sum- 

 mits of all about equal; palea much 

 shorter than the lemma. Perennial 

 reeds, with broad, flat, linear blades 

 and large terminal panicles. Type 

 species, Arundo phragmites L. (Phrag- 

 mites communis). Name from the 

 Greek, in reference to its growth like a 

 fence (phragma) along streams. 



1. Phragmites communis Trin. 

 Common reed. (Fig. 253.) Culms 

 erect, 2 to 4 m. tall, with stout 

 creeping rhizomes and often also with 

 stolons; blades flat, 1 to 5 cm. wide; 

 panicle tawny or purplish, 15 to 40 

 cm. long, the branches ascending, 

 rather densely flowered; spikelets 12 

 to 15 mm. long, the florets exceeded by 

 the hairs of the rachilla. % (P. 

 phragmites Karst.) — Marshes, banks 

 of lakes and streams, and around 

 springs, Nova Scotia to British Co- 

 lumbia, south to Maryland, North 

 Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana, and Cali- 



fornia; Florida; Mexico and West 

 Indies to Chile and Argentina; Eura- 

 sia, Africa, Australia. 



In the Southwest this, in common 

 with Arundo donax, is called by the 

 Mexican name carrizo and is used 

 for lattices in the construction of 

 adobe huts. The stems were used by 

 the Indians for shafts of arrows and 

 in Mexico and Arizona for mats and 

 screens, for thatching, cordage, and 

 carrying nets. 



29. NEYRAUDIA Hook. f. 



Spikelets 4- to 8-flowered; rachilla 

 jointed about half way between the 

 florets, the part below the joint gla- 

 brous, the part above bearded, form- 

 ing a stipe below the mature floret; 

 glumes unequal, 1-nerved; lemmas 

 narrow, 3-nerved, acuminate, con- 

 spicuously long-pilose on the margins, 

 awned from between 2 fine teeth, the 

 awn recurved. Tall perennial with 

 large open many-flowered panicles. 

 Type species, Neyraudia madagas- 

 cariensis (Kunth) Hook. f. (N. arun- 

 dinacea (L.) Henr.) Name an ana- 

 gram of Reynaudia, a genus of Cuban 

 grasses. 



1. Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) 

 Keng. (Fig. 254.) Reedlike perennial, 

 1 to 3 m. tall, resembling Phragmites 

 communis; sheaths woolly at the 

 throat and on the collar; blades flat, 

 1 to 2 cm. wide or sometimes narrow 

 and subinvolute; panicle nodding, 30 

 to 60 cm. long, rather densely flow- 

 ered; spikelets 4- to 8-flowered, the 

 lowest 1 or 2 lemmas empty, 6 to 

 8 mm. long, rather short-pediceled 

 along the numerous panicle branches; 

 lemmas somewhat curved, slender, 

 the awn flat, recurved. % — Plant- 

 ed in testing garden at Coconut 

 Grove, Fla., and occasionally es- 

 caped; native of southern Asia. 



30. MfiLICA L. Melicgrass 



Spikelets 2- to several-flowered (rarely with 1 perfect floret), the rachilla 

 disarticulating above the glumes and between the fertile florets (in some 

 species spikelets falling entire), prolonged beyond the perfect florets and bear- 

 ing 2 or 3 approximate gradually smaller empty lemmas, each enclosing the 



