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



one above; glumes somewhat unequal, thin, often papery, scarious-margined, 

 obtuse or acute, sometimes nearly as long as the lower floret, 3- to 5-nerved, 

 the nerves usually prominent; lemmas convex, several-nerved, membranaceous 

 or rather firm, scarious-margined, sometimes conspicuously so, awnless or 

 sometimes awned from between the teeth of the bifid apex, the callus not 

 bearded. Rather tall perennials, the base of the culm often swollen into a 

 corm, with closed sheaths, usually flat blades, narrow or sometimes open, 

 usually simple panicles of relatively large spikelets. Type species, Melica 

 nutans L. Melica, an Italian name for a kind of sorghum, probably from the 

 sweet juice (mel, honey). 



The species are in general palatable grasses but, not being gregarious, do 

 not furnish much forage. Important species are M. porteri, M. imperfecta, 

 and M. subulata. 



Spikelets narrow; lemmas acute (obtuse in M. harfordii) or awned. 



Section 1. Bromelica. 

 Spikelets broad; lemmas obtuse, awnless „ Section 2. Eumelica. 



Section 1. Bromelica 



Lemmas long-awned from a bifid apex. 



Branches of panicle few, distant, spreading, naked on the lower half 1. M. smithii. 



Branches of panicle short, appressed, spikelet-bearing from near the base. 



2. M. ARISTATA. 



Lemmas awnless or minutely awned. 



Culms not bulbous at base; lemmas obtuse, mucronate or awn-tipped. 3. M. harfordii. 

 Culms bulbous at base; lemmas acute or acuminate. 



Lemmas acuminate, usually pilose; panicle narrow, the branches short, usually ap- 

 pressed 4. M. SUBULATA. 



Lemmas acute; panicle broad, the branches long and spreading 5. M. geyeri. 



Section 2. Eumelica 



la. Culms bulbous at base (see also M. calif ornica) . 



Pedicels capillary, flexuous or recurved; panicle narrow 6. M. spectabilis. 



Pedicels stouter, appressed. 



Rachilla soft, enlarged, wrinkled in drying, usually brownish 8. M. fugax. 



Rachilla firm, whitish, not wrinkled. 



Panicle rather dense, the branches short, appressed, usually imbricate; glumes thin, 



indistinctly nerved 7. M. bulbosa. 



Panicle loosely flowered, the branches, or some of them, stiffly ascending-spreading 

 in anthesis, usually somewhat distant, scarcely imbricate; glumes firm, distinctly 



nerved 9. M. inflata. 



lb. Culms not distinctly bulbous at base (somewhat swollen in M . californica.) 

 2a. Spikelets falling entire, nodding to pendulous on capillar}- pedicels. 



Spikelets 4- or 5-flowered, reflexed; panicle narrow (open in M. porteri var. laxa). 



Spikelets V-shaped; glumes 10 to 15 mm. long.. 10. M. stricta. 



Spikelets narrow; glumes not more than 7 mm. long 11. INI. porteri. 



Spikelets 1- to 3-flowered, nodding; panicle open, the lower branches spreading. 



Spikelets with 1 perfect floret; lemma with a few flat, twisted golden hairs on the back 



about the middle 14. M. montezumae. 



Spikelets with 2 perfect florets, lemmas without hairs. 



Glumes nearly as long as the usually 2-flowered spikelet; apexes of the 2 florets 



about the same height; panicle simple or nearly so 12. M. mutica. 



Glumes shorter than the usually 3-flowered spikelet; apex of second floret a little 



higher than that of the first; panicle compound 13. M. nitens. 



2b. Spikelets not falling entire, not pendulous. 

 Spikelets 4 to 6 mm. long; fertile florets 1 or 2. 



Fertile lemmas pubescent; fertile florets often 2 15. M. torreyana. 



Fertile lemmas glabrous; fertile floret usually 1 16. M. imperfecta. 



Spikelets 8 to 15 mm. long; fertile florets 2 to several. 



Spikelets silvery white; glumes about as long as the spikelet; plant tall, somewhat 



woody 17. M. frutescens. 



Spikelets tawny to purplish; glumes shorter than the spikelet; plant lower, herba- 

 ceous 18. M. californica. 



