GEASS FAMILY. 



375 



its roots tend to consolidate ; but it is not among the most esteemed 

 grasses, — either for pasture or hay. It should be borne in mind, by 

 dealers in seeds, that this is not the " Herd-grass " of New Tork and 

 New England, — which is Phleum prateuse, or Timothy. The whole 

 genus (Agrostis,) is known in England by the name of " Bent Grass," 

 and one of the species {A. Alba, L., var. stolonifera), was quite cele- 

 brated some years ago under the name of " Fiorin Grass," as being su- 

 perior to all others for yielding great crops of hay ; but like many 

 other plants whose value has been exaggerated, it has nearly ceased to 

 attract notice. 



7. MUHLENBEEG'IA, Schreher. Deop-seed Gkass. 



[In honor of Reu. Henry Muhlenberg, D. D. ; an early and eminent American Botanist.] 



Spikelets mostly in contracted panicles. Glumes acute or bristle-pointed, 

 persistent ; the lower rather smaller, sometimes very minute. Florets 

 very short stgilked, or sessile in the glumes ; palece usually hairy at base, 

 herbaceous, deciduous with the enclosed grain, often equal ; the lower 

 one 3-nerved, mucronate or awned at the apex. Stamens 3. Perenvials 

 with branching rigid culms from scaly creeping roct-slalks ; leaves short 

 and narrow. 



1. M. diffu'sa, Schreher. Culms slender, diffusely branching ; leaves 

 short, spreading ; panicles terminal and lateral, contracted and slender ; 

 glumes very minute, the lower obsolete ; lower palea with an awn once 

 or twice its length. 



Spreading Muhlenbergia. Drop-seed Grass. Nimble Will. 



Culm C-12 and 18 inches long, decumbent, geniculate, compressed, very slender and 

 rather wiry, glabrous, much branched — the branches assurgeut. Leaves 1 - 2 or 3 inches 

 in length, divaricate, lance-linear, acute roughish ; sheaths rather open, striate, pubescent 

 at throat ; Zi^wZ^ very short, finally lacerate or ciliate. Panicles 3-6 or 8 inches long, 

 very slender, often purplish — the branches alternate, rather distant, appressed, scabrous; 

 spikelets all pedicellate, racemose. Glum&f persistent, very minute — the lower one a mere 

 rudiment, the upper one trunciate, laciniate-dentate. Palece unequal, — the lower one 

 longer, almost triangular, with 3 prominent, scabrous nerves, and terminating in a slender 

 scabrous awn, which is generally a little longer than the palea itself. Caryopsis huear- 

 oblong, acute, brown. 



Pastures, yards and borders of dry open woodlands. Fl. August -September. Fr. 

 September - October. 



Obs. This slender grass often appears in considerable quantity in 

 the latter part of summer, in fields which have been kept up some years 

 for pasture. Cattle feed on it ; but it is not so valuable as several of 

 the other grasses herein mentioned. It is said to be known in Kentucky 

 by the name of " Nimble Will." In Pennsylvania it has scarcely been 

 noticed by the farmers sufficiently to acquire a common name. 



2. M. Mexica'na, Trin. Culms ascending, much branched ; panicles 

 terminal and lateral, contracted ; glumes acuminate, nearly as long as 

 the palcae ; palese nearly equal, pilose at base, very acute, but not awned. 



