MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



491 



numerous, ascending, approximate, often dark colored, usually more 

 or less peduncled, mostly 3 to 8 cm long; spike- 

 lets about 12 mm long; glumes acute, hispid- 

 scabrous on the keel, the first much shorter 

 than the floret, the second longer than the 

 floret, sometimes rather long-acuminate; lemma 

 not toothed at apex; palea a little longer 

 than the lemma. % (S. polystachya Beau v.) 

 — Salt or brackish marshes along the coast, Mas- 

 sachusetts to Florida and Texas (fig. 1041). 

 3. Spartina leiantha Benth. (Fig. 1042.) 



Figure 1039.— Distribution of 



Spartina pectinata. 



Culms 30 to 120 cm 

 tall, stout, as much as 1 cm 

 thick at base, somewhat 

 spongy, usually rooting from 

 the lower nodes; blades 8 to 

 12 mm wide at the flat base, 

 gradually narrowed to a long 

 involute tip, smooth through- 

 out; inflorescence dense, 

 spikelike, about 15 cm long; 

 spikes numerous, approxi- 

 mate, closely appressed, 3 to 

 5 cm long; spikelets very flat, 

 9 to 12 mm long, occasionally 

 longer; glumes firm, glabrous 

 or mspid-ciliate on keel, acute, 

 the first narrow, half to two- 

 thirds as long as second, 

 smooth, the second sparingly 

 hispidulous and striate- 

 nerved ; lemma hispidulous 

 on sides, mostly smooth on 

 keel, shorter than the second 

 glume ; palea thin, longer than 

 the lemma. 01 (S. Joliosa 

 Trin.) — Salt marshes along 

 the coast from San Francisco 

 Bay, Calif., to Baja Cali- 

 fornia. 



4. Spartina alterniflor a 

 Lois. Smooth cordgrass. 

 (Fig. 1043.) Smooth through- 

 out or the margins of the 

 blades minutely scabrous, 



0.5 to 2.5 m tall; the culms soft and spongy or 



succulent at base, often 1 cm or more thick; 



blades flat, tapering to a long involute tip, 0.5 



to 1.5 cm wide; spikes appressed, 5 to 15 cm 



long; spikelets somewhat remote, barely 



overlapping or sometimes more imbricate, 



mostly 10 to 11 mm long; glumes gla- 

 brous or hispid on the keel, the first acute, 



narrow, shorter than the lemma, the second obtusish, a little 



Figure 1040.— Spartina cynosuroides. Panicle, X 1; 

 spikelet, X 5. (Boettcher 444, Va.) 



Figure 1041.— Distribution of 

 Spartina cynosuroides. 



