MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



179 



FlGUBE 352.— Distribution of 

 Distichlis stricta. 



Figure 354.— Distribution of 

 Distichlis dentata. 



6 mm wide; panicle narrow, pale, 10 to 25 cm long, somewhat inter- 

 rupted, the branches appressed; spikelets somewhat compressed, 4- 

 to 8-flowered, 1 to 1.5 cm long; glumes 5 and 



7 mm long, acute; lemmas of pistillate spike- 

 lets closely imbricate and appressed, about 8 

 mm long with 3 strong nerves, the inter- 

 mediate nerves obscure, acute, the margins 

 broad, hyaline; paiea of pistillate spikelets 

 shorter than the lemma, strongly bowed out 

 below, closely convolute around the pistil, the 

 keels with narrow erose or toothed wings; 

 lemmas of staminate spikelets more spreading, about 6 mm long; 



palea about as 



long as the 



lemma, not 



bowed out, not 



convolute, the 



keels minutely 



scabrous, not 



winged ; anthers 



3 mm long. % 



— Sand flats, Presidio, Tex., and 



northern Mexico. 



20. UNIOLA L. 



Spikelets 3- to many-flowered, the 

 lower 1 to 4 lemmas 

 empty, the rachilia 

 disarticulating above 

 the glumes and be- 

 tween the florets; 

 glumes compressed- 

 keeled, rigid, usually narrow, 3- to 7-nerved, acute 

 or acuminate, rarely mucronate ; lemmas compressed, 

 sometimes conspicuously flattened, chartaceous, 

 many-nerved, the nerves sometimes obscure, acute 

 or acuminate, the empty ones at the base and the 

 uppermost usually reduced; palea rigid, strongly 

 keeled, bowed out at base, weakly so in Uniola pan- 

 iculata. Rather tall, erect perennials, with flat or 

 sometimes convolute blades and narrow or open 

 panicles of compressed, sometimes very broad and 

 flat _ spikelets. Type species, Uniola paniculata. 

 Ancient Latin name of a plant. 



The inland species are not abundant enough to be 

 of value for forage. Uniola latifolia is worthy of cul- 

 tivation as an ornamental; U. paniculata is a sand 

 binder along the southern seacoast; the seeds of U. 

 palmeri Vasey of Mexico are used for food by the figure 355-m^/* 

 Cocopa Indians. ! cx '' ua - P:u y cl <\ x 



r l; lemma and palea, 



Rhizomes extensively creeping; blades firm, flat at base, taper- X ' ( NreaUey ' Tex) 



ing into a long flexuous involute point; empty lemmas about 4; coastal dunes. 



1. V. PANICULATA. 



Figure 353. -Distichlis dentata. Panicle, 

 X 1; floret, X 5. (Dupl. type.) 



