MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



539 



2. Leersia oryzoides (L.) Swartz. Rice cutgrass. (Fig. 1134.) 

 Culms slender, weak, often decumbent at base, 1 to 1.5 m tall, with 

 slender creeping rhizomes; sheaths and blades strongly retro rsely 

 scabrous, the blades mostly 8 to 10 

 mm wade ; panicles terminal and axil- 

 lary, 10 to 20 cm long, the flexuous 

 branches finally spreading, the spike- 

 lets more loosely imbricate than in 

 L. lenticularis; spikelets elliptic, 5 mm 

 long, 1.5 to 2 mm wide, sparsely 

 hispidulous, the keels bristly ciliate; 



axillary panicles 



reduced, partly 



included in the 



sheaths, the 



spikelets cleis- 



togamous. % 



— Marshes, river 



banks, and wet 



places, often 



around ponds and 



to eastern 











r\ 



b 



rv- 



^ 



•■"•'•"''." —^ 





. ( 





T\ 



• ~\ • J 







■ • : « 









\ • s 



(' ; • 



• 







Figure 1135.— Distribution of 

 Leersia oryzoides. 



Figure 1136.— Leersia virginica, X 1. 

 (French, Iowa.) 



forming a zone 



lakes, Quebec and Maine 



Washington south to northern Florida, 



Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and south- 

 eastern California (fig. 1135); Europe. 



The late cleistogamous phase has been described as L. oryzoides forma 



inclusa (Wiesb.) Dorfl. 



3. Leersia virginica Willd. Whitegrass. (Fig. 1136.) Culms 



slender, weak, branching, 50 to 120 cm 

 tall, with clusters of very scaly rhizomes 

 much stouter than the culm base; 

 blades relatively short, 6 to 12 mm wide ; 

 panicle open, 10 to 20 cm long, the 

 capillary branches rather distant, stiffly 

 spreading, naked below, those of the 

 branches smaller, 

 sometimes in- 

 cluded in the 

 sheath; spikelets 

 oblong, closely 

 appressed to the 

 branchlets, about 



3 mm Inner nnd Figure 1137.— Distribution of 



mm iu ng a 11 a Leersia lirginjca 



1 m m w i a e, 



sparsely hispidulous, the keels short- 

 hispid. % — Low woods and moist 

 places, Quebec to South Dakota, south 

 to Florida and Texas (fig. 1137). 



4. Leersia hexandra Swartz. (Fig. 

 1138.) Culms slender, weak, usually 

 long-decumbent from a creeping and 

 rooting base, with slender rhizomes and extensively creeping leafy 

 stolons; the flowering culms upright; blades rather stiff, 2 to 5 mm 

 wide; panicle narrow, 5 to 10 cm long, the branches ascending or 



Figure 1138. — Leersia hexandra, X 1. 

 (Wurzlow, La.) 



