432 



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



fine point, long-ciliate at base; pan- 

 icle open, as much as 30 cm. long, 

 the branches stiffly ascending, the 

 lower as much as 15 cm. long; spike- 

 lets appressed along the nearly simple 

 branches and branchlets, about 3 mm. 

 long; first glume narrow, acuminate, 

 about half as long as the spikelet, the 

 second glume, lemma, and palea 

 acute, about equal. % — Known 

 only from Padre Island, Tex. 



84. BLEPHARONEURON Nash 



Spikelets 1-flowered, the rachilla 

 disarticulating above the glumes; 

 glumes subequal, rather broad ; lemma 

 3-nerved, the nerves densely silky 

 villous; palea densely villous be- 

 tween the two nerves. Tufted peren- 

 nial, with open, narrow panicles. 

 Type species, Blepharoneuron tricho- 

 lepis. Name from Greek blepharis, 

 eyelash, and neuron, nerve, alluding 

 to the villous nerves of the lemma. 



1. Blepharoneuron tricholepis 

 (Torr.) Nash. Hairy dropseed (Fig. 

 620.) Culms erect, densely tufted, 

 slender, 20 to 60 cm. tall; leaves 

 crowded on the innovations, mostly 

 less than half as long as the culm, the 

 slender blades flat, soon becoming in- 



volute, often flexuous; panicle gray- 

 ish, elliptic, 5 to 20 cm. long, 2 to 

 5 cm. wide, many-flowered, the 

 branches ascending, the pedicels cap- 

 illary, flexuous; spikelets 2.5 to 3 mm. 

 long; glumes obtuse or subacute, a 

 little shorter than the abruptly 

 pointed lemma; palea slightly ex- 

 ceeding the lemma. 01 — Rocky 

 slopes and dry open woods, 2,000 to 

 3,500 m., Colorado to Utah, south 

 to Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. Pal- 

 atable and sufficiently abundant in 

 places to be of importance. 



85. CRYPSIS Ait. 



Spikelets 1-flowered, disarticulating 

 below the glumes; glumes about 

 equal, narrow, acute; lemma broad, 

 thin, 1-nerved; palea similar to the 

 lemma, about as long, splitting be- 

 tween the nerves; fruit readily falling 

 from the lemma and palea, the seed 

 free from the thin pericarp (easily re- 

 moved when wet). Spreading annual, 

 with capitate inflorescences in the 

 axils of a pair of broad spathes, these 

 being enlarged sheaths with short 

 rigid blades. Type species, Crypsis 

 aculeata (L.) Ait. Name from Greek 

 krupsis, concealment, alluding to the 

 partially hidden inflorescence. 



Figure 621. — Crypti* niliaca. Plant. X '-j'. glumes and floret, X 10. (Brandegee, Calif.) 



