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



Figure 1608.— Distribution of 

 Erianthus strictus. 



Figure 1609.— Erianthus contortus, X l A. 

 (Amer. Gr. Nat. Herb. 234, S.C.) 



long, scabrous, nearly naked to sparsely short-hairy at base; awn 

 straight, about 15 mm 

 long; rachis joint and 

 pedicel scabrous. % — 

 Marshes and wet 

 places, Coastal Plain, 

 North Carolina to 

 Florida and Texas, 

 north to Tennessee 

 and southern Missouri 

 (fig. 1608). 



2. Erianthus con- 

 tortus Ell. Bent-awn 



PLUMEGRASS. (Fig. 



1609.) Culms 1 to 2 

 m tall, glabrous or 

 sometimes sparsely ap- 

 pressed-pilose below 

 the panicle; nodes gla- 

 brous or pubescent 

 with erect deciduous 

 hairs ; sheaths sparsely 

 pilose at summit or 

 glabrous; blades 1 to 

 1.5 cm wide, scabrous; 

 panicle 15 to 30 cm 

 long, narrow, the 

 branches ascending 

 but not closely ap- 

 pressed; spikelets 6 to 

 8 mm long, brownish, 

 basal hairs about as 

 long as the spikelet, 

 awn about 2 cm long, 

 spirally coiled at base ; 

 rachis joints and 



pedicels villous. % — Moist sandy pinelands or 



open ground, Coastal Plain, Maryland to Florida 



and Texas, north to Tennessee and Oklahoma 



(fig. 1610). 

 3. Erianthus alopecuroides (L.) Ell. Silver 



plumegrass. (Fig. 1611.) Culms robust, 1.5 to 



3 m tall, appressed-villous below the panicle, and 



usually on the nodes ; sheaths pilose at the summit ; 



blades 1.2 to 2 cm wide, scabrous, pilose on upper 



surface toward the base; 



panicle 20 to 30 cm long, 



silvery to tawny or purplish ; 



spikelets 5 to 6 mm long, 



pale, sparsely villous, shorter 



than the copious basal hairs ; 



awn 1 to 1.5 cm long, flat, 



loosely twisted ; rachis joint 



and pedicel long- villous. 

 % (E. divaricatus Hitchc.) — Damp woods, open ground, and borders 



Figure 1607.— Eri- 

 anthus strictus, 

 X l A. (Curtiss 

 6936, Fla.) 



Figure 1610.— Distribution of 

 Erianthus contortus. 



Figure 1611. — Erianthus 

 alopecuroides, XA- 

 (Chase 4213, Fla.) 



Figure 1612.— Distribution of 

 Erianthus alopecuroides. 



