MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



— Growing in rapidly flowing water, 

 San Marcos, Tex. The grass grows 

 in water 30 to 120 cm. deep, the 

 lower part of the plant prostrate or 

 floating on the water, the upper part 

 erect. Flowers from April to Novem- 

 ber and at warm periods during 

 winter. Said to be troublesome in 

 irrigation ditches. 



122. ZIZANlOPSIS Doell and 



Aschers. 



Spikelets unisexual, 1-flowered, dis- 

 articulating from the pedicel, mixed 

 on the same branches of the panicle, 

 the staminate below; glumes wanting; 

 lemma 7-nerved, short-awned in the 

 pistillate spikelets; palea 3-nerved; 

 staminate spikelets with 6 stamens; 

 styles rather long, united; fruit obo- 

 vate, free from the lemma and palea, 

 coriaceous, smooth and shining, 

 beaked with the persistent style ; seed 

 free from the pericarp. Robust peren- 

 nial marsh grasses, with stout creep- 

 ing rhizomes, broad flat blades, and 

 large open panicles. Type species, 

 Zizaniopsis microstachya (Nees) Doell 

 and Aschers. Name from Zizania, a 

 generic name, and Greek opsis, ap- 

 pearance, alluding to the similarity 

 to Zizania. 



1. Zizaniopsis miliacea (Michx.) 

 Doell and Aschers. (Fig. 815.) South- 

 ern wildrice. Culms 1 to 3 m. tall 

 or even taller; blades glabrous except 

 the very scabrous margins, 1 to 2 cm. 

 wide, the midrib stout ; panicle rather 

 narrow, nodding, 30 to 50 cm. long, 

 the numerous branches fascicled, as 

 much as 15 to 20 cm. long, naked at 

 base; spikelets 6 to 8 mm. long, short- 

 awned, the staminate slender, the 

 pistillate turgid at maturity. % — 

 Marshes, creeks, and river banks, 

 Maryland to Kentucky and Okla- 

 homa, south to Florida and Texas. 



563 



Figure 814.— Zizania texana. Plant, X H ; pistillate and staminate spikelets, X 5. (Type.) 



