POA. 



GRAMINEvE. 



459 



9. Poa debilis. Weak Meadow- grass. 



Panicle loose, few-flowered, somewhat spreading ; the branches mostly in pairs, flexuous, a 

 little rough ; spikelets ovate, obtuse, 3-flowered ; the flowers webbed at the base, smoothish ; 

 lower palea oblong, obtuse, slightly 3-nerved ; leaves and sheaths smooth ; ligule oblong, acute. 



Perennial. Culm 1^-2 feet high, erect, slender, terete, smooth. Leaves 1-2 lines 

 wide, pale green, flat, rough on the margin : sheaths closely embracing the culm. Panicle 

 oblong, somewhat contracted before and after flowering ; the pairs of branches distant cr some- 

 what divided, bearing a few spikelets towards the extremity. Spikelets sometimes only 

 2-flowered, broadly ovate and obtuse in the outline, pale green. Glumes a little unequal, 

 oblong-lanceolate, rather acute, obscurely 3-nerved. Flowers distinctly webbed at the base, 

 but not elsewhere pubescent. Lower palea slightly discolored at the tip ; the keel nearly 

 smooth : upper palea bicarinate, the keels roughish. 



Woods, and rocky banks of rivers ; northern and western counties. Fl. May. Fr. June. 

 This is the undescribed grass alluded to in my preliminary report of 1840. It seems to be 

 a well-characterized species, but is allied both to P. nemoralis and P. pungens. 



** Eragrostis, Beauv. Spikelets paniculate, 5 - many-flowered (rarely 3 - i-flmvered) ; the flowers free. Lower -palea 

 membranaceous, 3-nerved; the upper with ciliate heels, persistent. 



10. Poa Eragrostis, Linn. Strong- scented Meadow-grass. 



Panicle spreading, pyramidal, the lower branches and primary divisions hairy in the axils ; 

 spikelets ovate-oblong and linear-lanceolate, 8 - 20-flowered ; the flowers obtuse, with strong 

 lateral nerves; glumes nearly equal; culms oblique; sheaths smooth. — Finn. sp. I. p. 

 68; Pursh, fl. 1. p. 80 ; Ell. sk. 1. p. 161 ; Torr. fl. 1. p. 115 ; Bigel. fl. Bost. p. 35 ; 

 Beck, hot. p. 412 ; Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 79. Briza Eragrostis, Finn. sp. 1. p. 103 ; Michx. 

 fl. 1. p. 72; Pursh, fl. 1. p. 82; Muhl. gram. p. 154; Ell. sk. 1. p. 161. t. 10. /. 1. 

 Eragrostis major, Host. " gram. 4. t. 24." Megastachya Eragrostis, Beauv. Agrost. p. 74 ; 

 Kunth, enum. 1. p. 333. 



Annual. Culm 12 - 18 inches long, geniculate and branching at the base. Leaves 2 

 lines wide, smooth underneath, roughish above, flat : sheaths loose, hairy at the throat : ligule 

 short and bearded. Panicle pyramidal , the branches solitary or in pairs. Spikelets varying 

 from ovate to nearly linear, mostly of a leaden color, sometimes 20-flowered or more. 

 Ulumes nearly equal, rough on the keel. Lower palea ovate, 3-nerved ; the upper one shorter. 



Sandy fields, cultivated grounds, road-sides, etc. : frequent. Fl. August - September. 

 A naturalized grass, now common in many parts of the United States. When fresh, it emits 

 a peculiar and rather disagreeable odor. 



58* 



