THE AGRICULTURAL GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. lOT 



Bromus erectus. (Erect Brome grass.) 



This is a European species, which has become sparingly naturalized 

 in some places. It is a perennial grass, growing about 2J feet high,, 

 the culms erect, firm, and smooth. The leaves are narrowdy linear, 

 mostly radical, or at the base of the stem. The panicle is somewhat 

 oblong in outline, 5 or 6 iuches long, the branches mostly in fives, 1 to 

 2 inches long, slender, erect, not much subdivided, and each terminated 

 with the pretty large spikelet of seven to nine flowers. The spikelets 

 are about 1 inch long. The empty glumes are lanceolate, thinnish, 

 acute, rather shorter than the flowering glumes, which are about five liries 

 long, linear-lanceolate, slightly rough, aud pointed with an awn of half 

 to three-quarters its own length. 



This species is not so coarse as many of the brome grasses, aud will 

 be more useful for hay. It is of the same genus as chess or cheat, but 

 is very different from and should not be confounded with broom grass,, 

 which is an Audropogon and much less valuable. (Plate 113.) 



We have several other native species of this genus, and there are 

 several species growing in California, Oregon, and the mountain region 

 of the Pacific slope. The most important of these is the Bromus grandi- 

 florus, which is in mauy respects like the Bromus unioloides^ but of a 

 larger growth and with larger spikelets. Bromus mollis, Bromus race- 

 mosus, Bromus sterilis, and some other European species are occasion- 

 ally found introduced. 



LoLiUM PERENNE. (Rye grass and Italian Eye grass.) 



A perennial grass, introduced from Europe. The culms are 2 to 3- 

 feet high, very leafy, and terminating in a loose, spike-like panicle, 6 

 inches or more in length. The spikelets are arranged alternately on 

 the axis, placed edgewise; that is, with one edge of the flat spikelet 

 applied to the main stem at short distances, so that there may be twenty 

 or more in the panicle. The spikelets are one-half to three-fourths of an 

 inch long ; generally seven to eleven flowered. The inner empty glume 

 is generally wanting, so that, except on the terminal spikelet, only one 

 glume is apparent, which is half or more than half the length of the 

 spikelet, narrowly lanceolate, and acute. The general appearance of 

 the panicle is like that of couch grass (Tritimim repeiis). The flowering 

 glumes are thickish, obscurely nerved, rather hispid, acutely pointed,, 

 or in the variety Italicum, with a longish awn. The proper palets are 

 similar to the flowering glumes and of nearly equal length. 



An intelligent writer, whom we have frequently quoted, says respect- 

 ing this grass : 



It occupies the same place in Great Britain that timothy does with us, and is there 

 esteemed on the whole higher than any other species of grass, and is called rj-e grass 

 or ray grass. Of all the varieties of LoUum perenne which are known that called 

 liaUcum is by far the most valuable. Its spikelets are conspicuously bearded, the- 

 flowers being all terminated by long, slender awns, which character distiugnishes it 

 very easily from LoUum perenne. Its name (Italian rye grass) is derived from the fact 



