272 
OHIO BIOLOGICAL SURVEY 
Subfamily, Poacatae. 
Tribe, Festuceae. Fescue-grass Tribe. 
Grasses with laterally compressed, 2-several-floioered spikelets 
jointed above the empty glumes and arranged in panicles; empty glumes 
usually shorter than the dowering glumes; palets not owned or the awn 
terminal and straight, rarely born just below the apex. 
1. Bromus L. Chess, Brome-grass. 
Annual or perennial grasses with terminal panicles. Spikelets 
rather large, few-many-flowered; empty glumes unequal, 1-5-nerved, 
acute; flowering glumes longer than the empty glumes; lemmas 
rounded on the back or sometimes compressed-keeled, 5-9-nerved, 
usually 2-toothed at the apex, generally awned; palet 2-keeled; stig¬ 
mas sessile, plumose, inserted below a hairy cushion-like appendage 
at the top of the ovulary; grain adherent to the palet. 
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Outer or lower empty glume 3-nerved, the inner or upper one 5-9-nerved. 2 
Outer empty glume 1-nerved, the inner one 3-nerved. 8 
Lemma distinctly awned. 3 
Lemma awnless or only awn-pointed, nearly as broad as long; annuals. 
B. brizaeformis. 
Lemma pubescent on the back, with well developed hairs. 4 
Lemma glabrous or minutely roughened on the back; annuals. 5 
Hairs of the lemma long and silky; perennials. B. kalmii. 
Hairs of the lemma short; annuals. B. hordeaceus 
Leaf sheaths glabrous or only slightly pubescent; lemmas with strongly in- 
rolled margins, the nerves not prominent. B. secalinus. 
Leaf sheaths pubescent, often velvety; lemmas not with inrolled margins, the 
nerves prominent. 6 
Panicle contracted, usually not over 3 in. long, its branches erect or ascend¬ 
ing, ^2-1/4 in. long. B. hordeaceus leptostachys. 
Panicle loose and spreading, usually 6-12 in. long, its lower branches usually 
2-6 in. long. 7 
Sheaths pubescent; panicle 8 in. or less long; spikelets broadly lanceolate, 
usually 1 or 2 on the longer branchlets. B. racemosus. 
Sheaths densely velvety-pubescent with reflexed hairs; panicle 8-12 in. long; 
spikelets lanceolate, several on the longer branchlets. B. arvensis. 
Awn shorter than the body of the lemma, or wanting; rather tall perennials. 9 
Awn longer than the body of the lemma; low annuals with drooping pan¬ 
icles. 12 
Lemma awnless or merely awn-pointed. 
Lemma awned. 10 
Leaf sheaths glabrous or softly pubescent. 11 ■ 
Leaf sheaths strongly retrorse-hirsute. 
Lemma pubescent on the margins only. 
Lemma evenly pubescent all over the back. 
Awn less than ^ in. long; body of the lemma strigose; not over ^4 in. long. 
B. tectorum. 
Awn about 1 in. long or more; body of the lamma sparsely hispidulous, Yi 
in. long or more. B. sterilis. 
B. inermis. 
B. asper. 
B. ciliatus. 
B. purgans. 
