The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee (part 5 of 6)

2. C. cándidum, Muhl. (SMALL WHITE LADY'S SLIPPER.) Slightly pubescent, 1-flowered; leaves lance-oblong, acute; petals and sepals greenish, purple-spotted; sepals ovate-lanceolate; lip (not 1´ long) white, striped with purple inside, flattish laterally, convex above; sterile stamen lanceolate.--Bogs, N. Y. and Penn. to Minn., Mo., and Ky.; rare. May, June.

3. C. parviflòrum, Salisb. (SMALLER YELLOW L.) Stem 1--2° high leaves oval, pointed; sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate; lip flattish from above, bright yellow (1´ long or less); sterile stamen triangular.--Bogs and low woods, Newf. to Ga., west to Minn. and E. Kan. May, June.--Flowers fragrant; sepals and petals more brown-purple than in the next, into which it seems to pass.

4. C. pubéscens, Willd. (LARGER YELLOW L.) Stem 2° high, pubescent, as are the broadly oval acute leaves; sepals elongated-lanceolate; lip flattened laterally, very convex and gibbous above, 1½--2´ long, pale yellow.--Bogs and low woods; same range as the last.

[+][+] Sepals and petals plane, rounded, white, not longer than the lip.

5. C. spectábile, Swartz. (SHOWY L.) Downy, 2° high; leaves ovate, pointed; sepals round-ovate or orbicular, rather longer than the oblong petals; lip much inflated, white, pink-purple in front (1½´ long); sterile stamen heart-ovate.--Peat-bogs, Maine and W. New Eng. to Minn. and Mo., and south in the mountains to N. C. July.--The most beautiful of the genus.

[*][*] Scape naked, 2-leaved at base, 1-flowered; sepals and petals greenish, shorter than the drooping lip, which has a closed fissure down its whole length in front.

6. C. acaùle, Ait. (STEMLESS L.) Downy; leaves oblong; scape 8--12´ high, with a green bract at top; sepals oblong-lanceolate, pointed, nearly as long as the linear petals; lip obovoid or oblong, rose-purple (rarely white), nearly 2´ long, veiny; sterile stamen rhomboid.--Dry or moist woods; Newf. to N. C., west to N. Ind., Mich., and Minn. May, June.

ORDER 111. BROMELIÀCEÆ. (PINE-APPLE FAMILY.)

Herbs (or scarcely woody plants, nearly all tropical), the greater part epiphytes, with persistent dry or fleshy and channelled crowded leaves, sheathing at the base, usually covered with scurf; 6-androus; the 6-cleft perianth adherent to the ovary in the PINE-APPLE, etc., or free from it in

1. TILLÁNDSIA, L. LONG MOSS.

Perianth plainly double, 6-parted; the 3 outer divisions (sepals) membranaceous; the 3 inner (petals) colored; all connivent below into a tube, spreading above, lanceolate. Stamens 6, hypogynous! or the alternate ones cohering with the base of the petals; anthers introrse. Ovary free; style thread-shaped; stigmas 3. Capsule cartilaginous, 3-celled, loculicidally 3-valved; the valves splitting into an inner and an outer layer. Seeds several or many in each cell, anatropous, club-shaped, pointed, raised on a long hairy-tufted stalk, like a coma. Embryo small, at the base of copious albumen.--Scurfy-leaved epiphytes. (Named for Prof. Tillands of Abo.)

1. T. usneoìdes, L. (COMMON LONG MOSS or BLACK MOSS.) Stems thread-shaped, branching, pendulous; leaves thread-shaped; peduncle short, 1-flowered; flower yellow.--East Shore, Va., south to Fla., and westward; growing on the branches of trees, forming long hanging tufts.

ORDER 112. HÆMODORÀCEÆ. (BLOODWORT FAMILY.)

Herbs, with fibrous roots, usually equitant leaves, and perfect 3--6-androus regular flowers, which are woolly or scurfy outside; the tube of the 6-lobed perianth coherent with the whole surface, or with merely the lower part, of the 3-celled ovary.--Anthers introrse. Style single, sometimes 3-partible; the 3 stigmas alternate with the cells of the ovary. Capsule crowned or enclosed by the persistent perianth, 3-celled, loculicidal, 3--many-seeded. Embryo small, in hard or fleshy albumen. A small family; chiefly of the southern hemisphere.

[*] Ovary wholly adherent to the calyx-tube; style filiform; seeds peltate, amphitropous.

1. Lachnanthes. Stamens 3, exserted; anthers versatile. Leaves equitant.

[*][*] Ovary free except at the base; style 3-partible; seeds anatropous.

2. Lophiola. Stamens 6, on the base of the woolly 6-cleft perianth. Leaves equitant.

3. Aletris. Stamens 6, in the throat of the warty-roughened and tubular 6-toothed perianth. Leaves flat, spreading.

1. LACHNÁNTHES, L. RED-ROOT.

Perianth woolly outside, 6-parted down to the adherent ovary. Stamens 3, opposite the 3 larger or inner divisions; filaments long, exserted; anthers linear, fixed by the middle. Style thread-like, exserted, declined. Capsule globular. Seeds few on each fleshy placenta, flat and rounded, fixed by the middle.--Herb, with a red fibrous perennial root, equitant sword-shaped leaves, clustered at the base and scattered on the stem, which is hairy at the top and terminated by a dense compound cyme of dingy yellow and loosely woolly flowers (whence the name, from λάχνη, wool, and ἄνθος, blossom).

1. L. tinctòria, Ell.--Sandy swamps, near the coast, S. E. Mass., R. I., and N. J. to Fla. July--Sept.

2. LOPHÌOLA, Ker.

Perianth densely woolly, deeply 6-cleft; the divisions nearly equal, spreading, longer than the 6 stamens, which are inserted at their base. Anthers fixed by the base. Capsule ovate, free from the perianth except at the base, pointed with the awl-shaped style, which finally splits into 3 divisions, one terminating each valve. Seeds numerous, oblong, ribbed, anatropous.--A slender perennial herb, with creeping rootstocks and fibrous roots, linear and nearly smooth equitant leaves; the stem leafless and whitened with soft matted wool toward the summit, as also the crowded or panicled cyme. Perianth dingy yellow inside; the lobes naked only toward the tip, each clothed with a woolly tuft near the base (whence the name, from λοφεῖον, a small crest).

1. L. aùrea, Ker.--Boggy pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. June--Aug.

3. ÁLETRIS, L. COLIC-ROOT. STAR-GRASS.

Perianth cylindrical, not woolly, but wrinkled and roughened outside by thickly-set points which look like scurfy mealiness, the tube cohering below with the base only of the ovary, 6-cleft at the summit. Stamens 6, inserted at the base of the lobes; filaments and anthers short, included. Style awl-shaped, 3-cleft at the apex; stigmas minutely 2-lobed. Capsule ovate, enclosed in the roughened perianth; the dehiscence, seeds, etc., nearly as in Lophiola.--Perennial and smooth stemless herbs, very bitter, with fibrous roots, and a spreading cluster of thin and flat lanceolate leaves; the small flowers in a wand-like spiked raceme, terminating a naked slender scape (2--3° high). Bracts awl-shaped, minute. (Ἀλετρίς, a female slave who grinds corn; the name applied to these plants in allusion to the apparent mealiness dusted over the blossoms.)

1. A. farinòsa, L. Flowers oblong-tubular, white; lobes lanceolate-oblong.--Grassy or sandy woods, Mass. to Fla., Ill., and Minn. July, Aug.

2. A. aùrea, Walt. Flowers bell-shaped, yellow (fewer and shorter); lobes short-ovate.--Barrens, N. J. to Fla. July.

ORDER 113. IRIDÀCEÆ. (IRIS FAMILY.)

Herbs, with equitant 2-ranked leaves, and regular or irregular perfect flowers; the divisions of the 6-cleft petal-like perianth convolute in the bud in 2 sets, the tube coherent with the 3-celled ovary, and 3 distinct or monadelphous stamens, alternate with the inner divisions of the perianth, with extrorse anthers.--Flowers from a spathe of 2 or more leaves or bracts, usually showy. Style single, usually 3-cleft; stigmas 3, opposite the cells of the ovary, or 6 by the parting of the style-branches. Capsule 3-celled, loculicidal, many-seeded. Seeds anatropous; embryo straight in fleshy albumen. Rootstocks, tubers, or corms mostly acrid.

[*] Branches of the style (or stigmas) opposite the anthers.

1. Iris. Outer divisions of the perianth recurved, the inner erect; stigmas petal-like.

[*][*] Branches of the style alternate with the anthers. Perianth regular.

2. Nemastylis. Stem from a coated bulb. Filaments united. Style-branches 2-cleft.

3. Belamcanda. Stems from a creeping rhizome. Filaments distinct. Stigmas dilated.

4. Sisyrinchium. Root fibrous. Filaments united. Stigmas thread-like.

1. ÌRIS, Tourn. FLOWER-DE-LUCE.

Perianth 6-cleft; the tube more or less prolonged beyond the ovary; the 3 outer divisions spreading or reflexed, the 3 inner smaller, erect. Stamens distinct; the oblong or linear anthers sheltered under the overarching petal-like stigmas (or rather branches of the style, bearing the true stigma in the form of a thin lip or plate under the apex); most of the style connate with the tube of the perianth. Capsule 3--6-angled, coriaceous. Seeds depressed-flattened, usually in 2 rows in each cell.--Perennials, with sword-shaped or grassy leaves, and large showy flowers; ours with creeping and more or less tuberous rootstocks. (Ἶρις, the rainbow, anciently applied to this genus on account of its bright and varied colors.)

[*] Stems leafy and rather tall (1--3° high), from thickened rootstocks, often branching; tube of the perianth shorter than the divisions, which are beardless and crestless, the erect inner ones (petals) much smaller than the outer.

[+] Flowers violet-blue, variegated with green, yellow or white, and purple-veined.

1. I. versícolor, L. (LARGER BLUE FLAG.) Stem stout, angled on one side; leaves sword-shaped (¾´ wide); ovary obtusely triangular with the sides flat; flowers (2½--3´ long) short-peduncled, the funnel-form tube shorter than the ovary; capsule oblong, turgid, with rounded angles.--Wet places, Newf. to Fla., west to Minn. and Ark. May, June.

2. I. prismática, Pursh. (SLENDER BLUE FLAG.) Stem very slender, terete; leaves narrowly linear (2--3´´ wide); flowers slender-peduncled (1½--2´ long), the tube extremely short; ovary 3-angled, each side 2-grooved; capsule sharply triangular. (I. Virginica, Man.; not L.)--Marshes near the coast, Maine to N. C. June.

I. CAROLINIÀNA, Watson, resembling n. 1, but with longer laxer and greener leaves, and the very large seeds in one row in each cell, probably occurs in S. Va.

(Addendum) 2^a. I. hexágona, Walt. Stems flexuous, often low and slender (1--3° high), leafy; leaves much exceeding the stem, 6--12´´ broad; flowers solitary and sessile in the axils, large, deep blue, variegated with yellow, purple, and white; tube ½´ long; segments about 3´ long, the inner narrow; capsule oblong-cylindric, 6-angled, 2´ long--Prairies, Ky. (Short) to W. Mo. (Bush), and on the coast from S. Car. southward.

[+][+] Flowers copper-colored or dull reddish-brown; petals widely spreading.

3. I. fúlva, Ker. Stem and leaves as n. 1; tube of the perianth cylindrical, as long as the 6-angled ovary; style-branches narrow. (I. cuprea, Pursh.)--Swamps, S. Ill. and Mo. to La. and Ga. May.

[*][*] Stems low (3--6´ high), from tufted and creeping slender (or here and there tuberous-thickened) rootstocks, 1--3-flowered; tube of the perianth long and slender; the violet-blue divisions nearly equal.

4. I. vérna, L. (DWARF IRIS.) Leaves linear, grass-like, rather glaucous; the thread-like tube of the perianth about the length of the divisions, which are oblong-obovate and on slender claws, the outer ones slightly hairy down the orange-yellow base, crestless; capsule obtusely triangular.--Wooded hillsides, Lancaster Co., Penn., to S. C., west to Ky. and Ala. April.--Flowers sometimes white with yellowish centre.

5. I. cristàta, Ait. (CRESTED DWARF IRIS.) Leaves lanceolate (3--5´ long when grown); those of the spathe ovate-lanceolate, shorter than the thread-like tube of the perianth, which is 2´ long and much longer than the light blue obovate short-clawed divisions, the outer ones crested but beardless; capsule sharply triangular.--In the mountains from Md. to N. C.; Trumbull Co., Ohio (Ingraham); knobs of S. Ind. May.--Flowers fragrant.

6. I. lacústris, Nutt. (LAKE DWARF IRIS.) Tube of the perianth rather shorter than the divisions (yellowish, ½--¾´ long), dilated upward, not exceeding the spathe; otherwise as in the last, and too near it.--Gravelly shores of Lakes Huron and Michigan. May.

I. PSEUDÁCORUS, L., the YELLOW IRIS of European marshes, with very long linear leaves and bright yellow beardless flowers, is reported as having become established in Mass. and N. Y.

2. NEMÁSTYLIS, Nutt.

Perianth spreading, the segments similar and nearly equal. Filaments more or less united into a tube. Style short, its slender 2-parted branches alternate with the anthers and exserted between them; stigmas minute, terminal. Capsule oblong or ovate, truncate, dehiscent at the summit. Seeds globose or angled.--Stems terete, from coated bulbs, with few plicate leaves, and few fugacious flowers from 2-bracted spathes. (Name from νῆμα, a thread, and στυλίς, style, for the slender style-branches.)

1. N. geminiflòra, Nutt. Stem 1--2° high; spathes 2-flowered; perianth pale blue-purple, 1--2´ broad, the divisions oblong-obovate; capsule obovate, ½´ long.--E. Kan. to Tex.

3. BELAMCÁNDA, Adans. BLACKBERRY-LILY.

Perianth 6-parted almost to the ovary; the divisions widely and equally spreading, all nearly alike, oblong with a narrowed base, naked. Stamens monadelphous only at base; anthers oblong. Style club-shaped, 3-cleft, the narrow divisions tipped with a small dilated stigma. Capsule pear-shaped; the valves at length falling away, leaving the central column covered with the globose black and fleshy-coated seeds, imitating a blackberry (whence the popular name).--Perennial, with rootstocks, foliage, etc., of an Iris; the branching stems (3--4° high) loosely many-flowered; the orange-yellow perianth mottled above with crimson-purple spots. (An East Indian name of the species.)

B. CHINÉNSIS, Adans. (Pardanthus Chinensis, Ker.)--Sparingly escaped from gardens, Md. to S. Ind. and Mo. (Adv. from China, etc.)

4. SISYRÍNCHIUM, L. BLUE-EYED GRASS.

Perianth 6-parted; the divisions alike, spreading. Stamens monadelphous to the top. Stigmas thread-like. Capsule globular, 3-angled. Seeds globular.--Low slender perennials, with fibrous roots, grassy or lanceolate leaves, mostly branching 2-edged or winged stems, and fugacious umbelled-clustered small flowers from a 2-leaved spathe. (A meaningless name, of Greek origin.)

1. S. angustifòlium, Mill. Scape (4--12´ high) winged or wingless, simple, the spathe solitary and terminal, its outer bract more or less elongated; flowers delicate blue, changing to purplish (rarely white), the divisions of the perianth more or less notched, bristle-pointed and ciliate; mature seeds globose, large (½´´ broad), faintly pitted or nearly smooth. (S. Bermudiana, var. mucronatum, Gray, excl. descr.)--Moist meadows, etc., among grass; common everywhere. June--Aug. (Addendum)--Sisyrinchium angustifolium. What appears to be a form of this species with pale yellow flowers is found near Independence, Mo. (Bush).

2. S. ánceps, Cav. Scape (6--18´ high) usually branching and bearing 2 or more peduncled spathes; seeds more ovate, much smaller, deeply pitted. (S. Bermudiana, var. anceps, Gray, excl. descr.)--Similar localities; common.

ORDER 114. AMARYLLIDÀCEÆ. (AMARYLLIS FAMILY.)

Chiefly bulbous and scape-bearing herbs, not scurfy or woolly, with linear flat root-leaves, and regular (or nearly so) and perfect 6-androus flowers, the tube of the corolline 6-parted perianth coherent with the 3-celled ovary; the lobes imbricated in the bud.--Anthers introrse. Style single. Capsule 3-celled, several--many-seeded. Seeds anatropous or nearly so, with a straight embryo in the axis of fleshy albumen.--An order represented in our gardens by the Narcissus, Daffodil, Snowdrop, etc., but with very few indigenous representatives in this country. Bulbs acrid. Differs from Liliaceæ chiefly in the inferior ovary.

[*] Capsule 3-valved, loculicidal; anthers versatile; perianth funnel-shaped; glabrous.

1. Zephyranthes. Flower naked in the throat; the tube short or none. Bulbs coated.

2. Hymenocallis. Flower with a slender tube and narrow recurved lobes; a cup-shaped crown connecting the stamens. Bulbs coated.

3. Agave. Flower equally 6-cleft, persistent, no crown. Fleshy-leaved, not bulbous.

[*][*] Capsule indehiscent; anthers sagittate; villous.

4. Hypoxis. Perianth 6-parted nearly down to the ovary, persistent. Bulb solid.

1. ZEPHYRÁNTHES, Herb.

Perianth funnel-form, from a tubular base; the 6 divisions petal-like and similar, spreading above; the 6 stamens inserted in its naked throat; anthers versatile. Pod membranaceous, 3-lobed.--Leaves and low scape from a coated bulb. Flowers solitary from a scarious simple bract. (From ζέφυρος, a wind and ἄνθος, flower.)

1. Z. Atamásco, Herb. (ATAMASCO LILY.) Leaves bright green and shining, very narrow, channelled, the margins acute; scape 6--12´ high; peduncle short; spathe 2-cleft at the apex; perianth white and pink, 3´ long; stamens and style declined.--Penn. to Va. and Fla. June. (Addendum) (Amaryllis Atamasco, L.).

2. HYMENOCÁLLIS, Salisb.

Perianth with a long and slender tube, and an equal 6-parted limb; lobes long and narrow, recurved; the throat bearing a tubular or cup-shaped corolla-like delicate crown, which connects the bases of the 6 exserted stamens. Anthers linear, versatile. Capsule thin, 2--3-lobed; seeds usually 2 in each cell, basal, fleshy, often like bulblets.--Scapes and leaves from a coated bulb. Flowers white, fragrant, large and showy, sessile in an umbel-like head or cluster, subtended by 2 or more scarious bracts. (Name composed of ὑμήν, a membrane, and κάλλος, beauty.)

1. H. occidentàlis, Kunth. Leaves strap-shaped, glaucous, 1--1½° long, 9--18´´ broad; scape 3--6-flowered; bracts narrow, 2´ long; perianth-tube about 2½--4´ long, the linear segments scarcely shorter; the crown 12--15´´ long, tubular below, broadly funnel-form above, the margin deltoid and entire, or 2-toothed and erose, between the white filaments, which are twice longer; anthers yellow; style green.--Marshy banks of streams, S. Ill. to N. Ga. and Ala.--Apparently distinct from H. lacera, Salisb. (Pancratium rotatum, Ker.), of the southern coast.

3. AGÀVE, L. AMERICAN ALOE.

Perianth tubular-funnel-form, persistent, 6-parted; the divisions nearly equal, narrow. Stamens 6; anthers linear, versatile. Capsule coriaceous, many-seeded. Seeds flattened.--Leaves thick and fleshy, often with cartilaginous or spiny teeth, clustered at the base of the many-flowered scape, from a thick fibrous-rooted crown. (Name from ἀγαυή, noble,--not inappropriate as applied to A. AMERICANA, the CENTURY-PLANT.)

1. A. Virgínica, L. (FALSE ALOE.) Herbaceous; leaves entire or denticulate; scape 3--6° high; flowers scattered in a loose wand-like spike, greenish-yellow, fragrant, the perianth 9--12´´ long, its narrow tube twice longer than the erect lobes.--Dry or rocky banks, Md. and Va. to Fla., west to S. Ind., Mo., and Tex.

4. HYPÓXIS, L. STAR-GRASS.

Perianth persistent, 6-parted, spreading; the 3 outer divisions a little herbaceous outside. Stamens 6; anthers sagittate, erect. Capsule crowned with the withered or closed perianth, not opening by valves. Seeds globular, with a crustaceous coat, ascending, imperfectly anatropous, the rhaphe not adherent quite down to the micropyle, the persistent seed-stalk thus forming a sort of lateral beak. Radicle inferior!--Stemless small herbs, with grassy and hairy linear leaves and slender few-flowered scapes, from a solid bulb. (An old name for a plant having sourish leaves, from ὕποξυς, sub-acid.)

1. H. erécta, L. Leaves linear, grass-like, longer than the umbellately 1--4-flowered scape; divisions of the perianth hairy and greenish outside, yellow within.--Meadows and open woods, N. Eng. to Fla., west to Minn., E. Kan., and Tex.

ORDER 115. DIOSCOREÀCEÆ. (YAM FAMILY.)

Plants with twining stems from large tuberous roots or knotted rootstocks, and ribbed and netted-veined petioled leaves, small diœcious 6-androus and regular flowers, with the 6-cleft calyx-like perianth adherent in the fertile plant to the 3-celled ovary. Styles 3, distinct.--Ovules 1 or 2 in each cell, anatropous. Fruit usually a membranaceous 3-angled or winged capsule. Seeds with a minute embryo in hard albumen.

1. DIOSCORÈA, Plumier. YAM.

Flowers very small, in axillary panicles or racemes. Stamens 6, at the base of the divisions of the 6-parted perianth. Capsule 3-celled, 3-winged, loculicidally 3-valved by splitting through the winged angles. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cell, flat, with a membranaceous wing. (Dedicated to the Greek naturalist, Dioscorides.)

1. D. villòsa, L. (WILD YAM-ROOT.) Herbaceous. Stems slender, from knotty and matted rootstocks, twining over bushes; leaves mostly alternate, sometimes nearly opposite or in fours, more or less downy beneath, heart-shaped, conspicuously pointed, 9--11-ribbed; flowers pale greenish-yellow, the sterile in drooping panicles, the fertile in drooping simple racemes; capsules 8--10´´ long.--Thickets, S. New Eng. to Fla., west to Minn., Kan., and Tex.

ORDER 116. LILIÀCEÆ. (LILY FAMILY.)

Herbs, or rarely woody plants, with regular and symmetrical almost always 6-androus flowers; the perianth not glumaceous, free from the chiefly 3-celled ovary; the stamens one before each of its divisions or lobes (i.e. 6, in one instance 4), with 2-celled anthers; fruit a few--many-seeded pod or berry; the small embryo enclosed in copious albumen. Seeds anatropous or amphitropous (orthotropous in Smilax). Flowers not from a spathe, except in Allium; the outer and inner ranks of the perianth colored alike (or nearly so) and generally similar, except in Trillium.

SUBORDER I. Smilaceæ. Shrubby or rarely herbaceous, the petiole of the 3--9-nerved netted-veined leaves often tendril-bearing. Flowers (in ours) diœcious, in axillary umbels, small, with regular 6-parted deciduous perianth. Anthers apparently 1-celled. Stigmas 3, sessile. Fruit a 3-celled berry, with 1--2 pendulous orthotropous seeds in each cell. Embryo minute in horny albumen.

1. Smilax. Characters as above.

SUBORDER II. Liliaceæ proper. Never climbing by tendrils. Very rarely diœcious. Seeds anatropous or amphitropous.

SERIES A. Floral bracts scarious. Stamens perigynous on the usually withering-persistent nerved perianth; anthers introrse. Style undivided, mostly persistent. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or a berry. Leaves transversely veined.

[*] Scape from a coated bulb; fruit capsular; leaves linear.

[+] Flowers umbellate; segments 1-nerved; pedicels not jointed.

2. Allium. Perianth 6-parted. Capsule deeply lobed, often crested; cells 1--2-seeded. Very alliaceous.

3. Nothoscordum. Perianth 6-parted. Seeds several in each cell. Not alliaceous.

4. Androstephium. Perianth tubular-funnel form. Filaments in the throat, united into a crown.

[+][+] Flowers racemose, 6-parted, the segments 3--several-nerved.

5. Camassia. Flowers light blue, long racemose. Filaments filiform.

6. Ornithogalum. Flowers greenish white, sub-corymbose. Filaments dilated.

[+][+][+] Flowers densely racemose; perianth urn-shaped, 6-toothed.

7. Muscari. Flowers deep blue, small. Stamens included.

[*][*] Stem or scape not from a bulb, several-flowered; capsule many-seeded.

8. Hemerocallis. Scape from a fleshy-fibrous root. Flowers few, large, yellow, tubular-funnel-form; limb 6-parted. Stamens and long style declined. Seeds globose.

9. Yucca. Stem woody, leafy. Flowers white, campanulate, 6-parted. Stigmas sessile. Seeds flat.

[*][*][*] Leafy stems (scape in n. 10) from running rootstocks; fruit a berry; leaves cordate to lanceolate (except n. 12); flowers white; pedicels jointed.

[+] Perianth gamophyllous, 6-lobed.

10. Convallaria. Leaves sheathing the scape. Flowers racemose; perianth bell-shaped.

11. Polygonatum. Stem leafy. Flowers axillary; perianth cylindrical.

[+][+] Perianth-segments distinct, small, spreading, persistent.

12. Asparagus. Stems branching, the apparent leaves thread-like. Flowers axillary.

13. Smilacina. Stem simple, leafy. Flowers 6-parted, racemose or paniculate.

14. Maianthemum. Stem low, 2-leaved. Flowers 4-merous, racemose.

SERIES B. Floral bracts none or foliaceous. Stamens hypogynous or at the base of the distinct segments of the deciduous perianth (persistent in n. 23); anthers extrorse or dehiscent laterally. Style undivided, deciduous (stigmas sessile and persistent in n. 23). Fruit a loculicidal capsule or a berry. Veinlets anastomosing (transverse in n. 15, 17--19).

[*] Fruit a berry; stem or scape from a creeping rootstock; leaves broad, alternate or radical; flowers narrowly campanulate.

15. Streptopus. Stem leafy. Flowers axillary, on bent pedicels. Anthers sagittate, acute; filaments deltoid or subulate.

16. Disporum. Stem leafy. Flowers few, in terminal umbels. Anthers oblong, obtuse; filaments slender. Veinlets anastomosing.

17. Clintonia. Flowers umbellate on a scape, few or many.

[*][*] Fruit a capsule.

[+] Stems leafy, from a short or creeping rootstock; flowers few, solitary, pendulous; capsule few-seeded.

18. Uvularia. Stem terete. Leaves perfoliate. Flowers terminal. Capsule truncate, 3-lobed.

19. Oakesia. Stem angled. Leaves sessile. Flowers opposite the leaves. Capsule acutely 3-winged.

[+][+] Stem or scape from a bulb or corm; capsule many-seeded.

20. Erythronium. Scape from a solid bulb, with a pair of leaves. Flower solitary. Seeds angled, obovoid.

21. Lilium. Stem leafy from a scaly bulb. Seeds horizontal, flattened.

[*][*][*] Fruit a berry; stem from a tuber-like rootstock, bearing 1 or 2 whorls of leaves; flowers terminal; stigmas sessile.

22. Medeola. Leaves in 2 whorls. Flowers umbellate. Perianth-segments similar, colored, deciduous.

23. Trillium. Leaves (3) in a terminal whorl. Flower solitary; outer sepals leaf-like, persistent.

SERIES C. Floral bracts green or greenish (rarely scarious), or none. Stamens at the base of the distinct 1--several-nerved persistent perianth-segments; anthers small, versatile. Styles or sessile stigmas distinct. Capsule mostly septicidal. Seeds with a loose testa or appendaged. Leaves with transverse veinlets (except in n. 24 and 25).

[*] Stems leafy or bracteate, from a thick tuberous rootstock; flowers racemose; anthers 2-celled; stigmas linear.

24. Helonias. Leaves radical, oblanceolate. Flowers perfect. Capsule broadly obovate, many-seeded.

25. Chamælirium. Stem very leafy. Flowers diœcious. Capsule oblong, many-seeded.

26. Xerophyllum. Stem very leafy; leaves very narrow. Flowers perfect. Capsule few-seeded.

[*][*] Stems distichously equitant-leafy, from a creeping rootstock; flowers on bracteolate pedicels, racemose; anthers 2-celled; stigmas small, terminal; seeds often appendaged.

27. Tofieldia. Bractlets 3, verticillate. Styles short. Seeds horizontal.

28. Narthecium. Bractlet linear. Stigma slightly lobed. Seeds ascending.

[*][*][*] Anthers heart- or kidney-shaped, confluently 1-celled and peltate after opening; stigmas terminal; capsule 3-beaked by the persistent styles; seeds angled or flattened and margined.

[+] Stems tall, leafy, from a thick rootstock, pubescent above; flowers polygamous, racemose-paniculate; seeds flat, winged.

29. Melanthium. Sepals free from the ovary, their long claws bearing the filaments.

30. Veratrum. Sepals without claws, slightly adnate to the ovary. Leaves strongly nerved and plicate.

[+][+] Root mostly bulbous; glabrous; flowers racemose or panicled; seeds narrow, angled; leaves linear.

31. Stenanthium. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, without glands.

32. Zygadenus. Sepals oblong to ovate, glandular toward the base.

33. Amianthium. Flowers in a dense raceme. Sepals ovate-oblong, glandless, free from the ovary. Cells of the capsule widely divergent, 1--2-seeded.

1. SMÌLAX, Tourn. GREENBRIER. CAT-BRIER.

Flowers diœcious in umbels or axillary peduncles, small, greenish or yellowish, regular, the perianth-segments distinct, deciduous. Filaments linear, inserted on the very base, the introrse anthers linear or oblong, fixed by the base, apparently 1-celled. Ovary of fertile flowers 3-celled (1-celled, with single stigma, in n. 11); stigmas thick and spreading, almost sessile; ovules 1 or 2 in each cell, pendulous, orthtropous; fruit a small berry.--Shrubby or rarely herbaceous, usually climbing or supported by a pair of tendrils on the petiole of the ribbed and netted-veined simple leaves. (The ancient Greek name, of obscure meaning.)

§ 1. Stems herbaceous, not prickly; flowers carrion-scented; ovules 2 in each cell; leaves membranous, mucronate-tipped; berries bluish-black with a bloom.

1. S. herbàcea, L. (CARRION-FLOWER.) Stem climbing, 3--15° high; leaves ovate or rounded, mostly heart-shaped or truncate at base, abruptly acute to short-acuminate, 7--9-nerved, smooth; petioles ½--1´ long; peduncles elongated (3--4´ long, or sometimes even 6--8´ and much longer than the leaves), 20--40-flowered; seeds 6.--Moist meadows and river-banks; common, from the Atlantic to Minn., Mo., and Tex. June. Very variable.--Var. PUBERULÉNTA, Gray, has the leaves more or less soft-downy beneath.

2. S. tamnifòlia, Michx. Stem upright or climbing; leaves mostly 5-nerved, smooth, broadly ovate to lanceolate, truncate or cordate at base, abruptly acute to acuminate, some of them hastate with broad rounded lobes; peduncles longer than the petioles; berry smaller, 2--3-seeded.--Pine-barrens, N. J. to S. C.

3. S. ecirrhàta, Watson. Erect, ½--3° high, without tendrils (or only the uppermost petioles tendril-bearing), glabrous; lower leaves reduced to narrow scale-like bracts, the rest thin, 5--7-nerved, broadly ovate-elliptical to roundish, acute, mostly cordate at base, 2--5´ long, sometimes verticillate, sparsely pubescent beneath; peduncles about equalling the petioles (1--2½´ long), on the lower part of the stem; umbels 10--20-flowered; berry 3-seeded.--Md. to S. C., west to Mich. and Mo. May, June.

§ 2. Stems woody, often prickly; ovules solitary; glabrous throughout.

[*] Leaves ovate or roundish, etc., most of them rounded or heart-shaped at base, and 5--9-nerved, the three middle nerves or ribs stronger and more conspicuous.

[+] Peduncles shorter or scarcely longer than the petioles (2--6´´), flattened; leaves thickish, green both sides.

4. S. Wálteri, Pursh. Stem low, somewhat angled, prickly near the base or unarmed; leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate or oblong, somewhat heart-shaped or rounded at base (3--4´ long); berries coral-red.--Pine barrens, N. J. to Fla.

5. S. rotundifòlia, L. (COMMON GREENBRIER. HORSE-BRIER.) Stem armed with scattered prickles, as well as the terete branches; branchlets more or less 4-angular; leaves ovate or round-ovate, often broader than long, slightly heart-shaped, abruptly short-pointed (2--3´ long); berries blue-black, with a bloom.--Moist thickets, N. Eng. to Ga., west to Minn. and Tex. Very variable, passing into var. QUADRANGULÀRIS, Gray, which has branches, and especially branchlets, 4-angular, and is more common west.

[+][+] Peduncle longer than but seldom twice the length of the short petiole, flattened; leaves tardily deciduous or partly persistent; berries black, with a bloom.

6. S. glaùca, Walt. Terete branches and somewhat 4-angular branchlets armed with scattered stout prickles, or naked; leaves ovate, rarely subcordate, glaucous beneath and sometimes also above, as well as the branchlets when young (about 2´ long), abruptly mucronate, the edges smooth and naked.--Dry thickets, E. Mass. to Fla., west to S. Ind., Mo., and Tex.

7. S. bòna-nox, L. Branches and the angular (often square) branchlets sparsely armed with short rigid prickles; leaves varying from round-heart-shaped and slightly contracted above the dilated base to fiddle-shaped and halberd-shaped or 3-lobed, green and shining both sides, cuspidate-pointed, the margins often somewhat bristly-ciliate or spinulose. (S. tamnoides, Man.; probably not L.)--Thickets; Nantucket, Mass. (L. L. Dame); N. J. to Fla., west to Ill., Mo., and Tex.

[+][+][+] Peduncle 2--4 times the length of the petiole; leaves ample (3--5´ long), thin or thinnish, green both sides; berries black; stem terete and branchlets nearly so.

8. S. híspida, Muhl. Rootstock cylindrical, elongated; stem (climbing high) below densely beset with long and weak blackish bristly prickles, the flowering branchlets mostly naked; leaves ovate and the larger heart-shaped, pointed, slightly rough-margined, membranaceous and deciduous; peduncles 1½--2´ long; sepals lanceolate, almost 3´´ long.--Moist thickets, Conn. to Va., west to Minn. and Tex. June.

9. S. Pseùdo-Chìna, L. Rootstock tuberous; stems and branches unarmed, or with very few weak prickles; leaves ovate-heart-shaped, or on the branchlets ovate-oblong, cuspidate-pointed, often rough-ciliate, becoming firm in texture; peduncles flat (2--3´ long).--Dry or sandy soil, N. J. to Fla., west to S. Ind. and Mo. July.

[*][*] Leaves varying from oblong-lanceolate to linear, narrowed at base into a short petiole, 3--5-nerved, shining above, paler or glaucous beneath, many without tendrils; peduncles short, seldom exceeding the petioles, terete; the umbels sometimes panicled; branches terete, unarmed.

10. S. lanceolàta, L. Leaves thinnish, rather deciduous, ovate-lanceolate or lance-oblong; stigmas 3; berries dull red.--Rich woods and margins of swamps, Va. to Fla., west to Ark. and Tex. June.

11. S. laurifòlia, L. Leaves thick and coriaceous, evergreen, varying from oblong-lanceolate to linear (2½--5´ long); stigmas solitary and ovary 1-celled; berries black when ripe, 1-seeded, maturing in the second year.--Pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla., west to Ark. and La. July, Aug.

2. ÁLLIUM, L. ONION. GARLIC.

Perianth of 6 entirely colored sepals, which are distinct, or united at the very base, 1-nerved, often becoming dry and scarious and more or less persistent; the 6 filaments awl-shaped or dilated at base. Style persistent, but jointed upon the very short axis of the ovary, thread-like; stigma simple. Capsule lobed, loculicidal, 3-valved, with 1--2 ovoid-kidney-shaped amphitropous or campylotropous black seeds in each cell.--Strong-scented and pungent stemless herbs; the leaves and scape from a coated bulb; flowers in a simple umbel, some of them frequently changed to bulblets; spathe scarious, 1--2-valved. (The ancient Latin name of the Garlic.)

§ 1. Bulbs cespitose, narrowly oblong and crowning a rhizome; coats membranous.

[*] Leaves (2 or 3) elliptic-lanceolate; ovules solitary in each cell.

1. A. tricóccum, Ait. (WILD LEEK.) Scape naked (4--12´ high from clustered pointed bulbs, 2´ long), bearing an erect many-flowered umbel; leaves 5--9´ long, 1--2´ wide; sepals oblong (greenish white), equalling the nearly distinct filaments; capsule strongly 3-lobed.--Rich woods, W. N. Eng. to Minn. and Iowa, south in the mountains to N. C. Leaves appearing in early spring and dying before the flowers are developed.

[*][*] Leaves linear; ovules a pair in each cell.

2. A. Schœnóprasum, L. (CHIVES.) Scape naked or leafy at base (6--12´ high), bearing a globular capitate umbel of many rose-purple flowers; sepals lanceolate, pointed, longer than the simple downwardly dilated filaments; leaves awl-shaped, hollow; capsule not crested.--From N. Brunswick and the Great Lakes to the Pacific. (Eu., Asia.)

3. A. cérnuum, Roth. (WILD ONION.) Scape naked, angular (½--2° high), nodding at the apex, bearing a loose or drooping few--many-flowered umbel; leaves linear, flattened, sharply keeled (1° long); sepals oblong-ovate, acute (rose-color), shorter than the slender filaments and style; capsule 6-crested.--In the Alleghanies to S. C., west to Minn., Mo., Tex., and westward.

§ 2. Bulbs mostly solitary, not rhizomatous; coats often fibrous; leaves narrowly linear, flat or channelled (terete in A. vineale).

4. A. stellàtum, Nutt. Scape terete (6--18´ high), slender, bearing an erect umbel; bulb-coats membranous; sepals broad, acute; stamens and style exserted; capsule prominently 6-crested.--Rocky slopes, Minn. to W. Ill. and Mo., and westward.

5. A. reticulàtum, Fraser. Scape 3--8´ high; bulbs densely and coarsely fibrous-coated; spathe 2-valved; umbel rarely bulbiferous; sepals ovate- to narrowly lanceolate, thin and lax in fruit, a third longer than the stamens; capsule crested.--Sask. to Iowa and N. Mex.

6. A. Nuttállii, Watson. Scape 4--6° high, from a very fibrous-coated bulb; spathe usually 3-valved; sepals usually broader, rather rigid in fruit; capsule not crested.--Central Kan. to Tex., and westward.

7. A. Canadénse, Kalm. (WILD GARLIC.) Scape 1° high or more; bulb-coats somewhat fibrous; umbel densely bulbiferous or few-flowered; sepals narrowly lanceolate, obtusish, equalling or exceeding the stamens; capsule not crested.--Moist meadows, N. Eng. to Minn., south to the Gulf. May, June.

A. VINEÀLE, L. (FIELD GARLIC.) Scape slender, clothed with the sheathing bases of the leaves below the middle (1--3° high); leaves terete and hollow, slender, channelled above; umbel often densely bulbiferous; filaments much dilated, the alternate ones cuspidate on each side of the anther.--Moist meadows and fields; a vile weed eastward. June. (Nat. from Eu.)

3. NOTHÓSCORDUM, Kunth.

Flowers greenish or yellowish white. Capsule oblong-obovate, somewhat lobed, obtuse, with the style obscurely jointed on the summit; cells several-ovuled and -seeded. Filaments filiform, distinct, adnate at base. Bulb tunicated, not alliaceous. Otherwise as in Allium. (Name from νόθος, false, and σκόρδιον, garlic.)

1. N. striàtum, Kunth. Scape 1° high or less; bulb small, often bulbiferous at base; leaves narrowly linear; flowers few, on slender pedicels, the segments narrowly oblong, 4--6´´ long; ovules 4--7 in each cell. (Allium striatum, Jacq.)--Prairies and open woods, Va. to Ind., Neb., and southward.

4. ANDROSTÉPHIUM, Torr.

Perianth funnel-form, the cylindrical tube equalling the somewhat spreading limb or shorter; segments 1-nerved. Stamens 6, in one row upon the throat; the filaments united to form an erect tubular crown, with bifid lobes alternate with the oblong versatile anthers. Capsule sessile, subglobose-triquetrous, beaked by the stout persistent style; seeds large, few to several in each cell.--Scape and linear leaves from a membranous- or fibrous-coated corm; pale lilac flowers umbellate; pedicels not jointed; involucral bracts several. (Name from ἀνήρ, for stamen, and στέφος, crown, referring to the stamineal crown.)

1. A. violàceum, Torr. Scape 2--6´ high; flowers 8--12´´ long or more, usually exceeding the stout pedicels, the tube nearly as long as the limb; crown scarcely shorter than the limb.--Kan. to Tex.

5. CAMÁSSIA, Lindl.

Perianth of 6 colored (blue or purple) spreading sepals, 3--7-nerved, slightly irregular, mostly deciduous; the 6 filiform filaments at their base. Style thread-like, the base persistent. Capsule oblong or obovate, 3-angled, loculicidal, 3-valved, with several black roundish seeds in each cell.--Scape and linear leaves from a coated bulb; the flowers in a simple raceme, mostly bracted, on jointed pedicels. (From the native Indian name quamash or camass.)

1. C. Fràseri, Torr. (EASTERN CAMASS. WILD HYACINTH.) Scape 1° high or more; leaves keeled; raceme elongated; bracts longer than the pedicels; sepals pale blue, 3-nerved, 4--7´´ long; capsule acutely triangular-globose. (Scilla Fraseri, Gray.)--Rich ground, W. Penn. to Minn. and E. Kan., and in the mountains to Ga.

6. ORNITHÓGALUM, Tourn. STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM.

Perianth of 6 colored (white) spreading 3--7-nerved sepals. Filaments 6, flattened-awl-shaped. Style 3-sided; stigma 3-angled. Capsule membranous, roundish-angular, with few dark and roundish seeds in each cell, loculicidal.--Scape and linear channelled leaves from a coated bulb. Flowers corymbed, bracted; pedicels not jointed. (An ancient whimsical name from ὄρνις, a bird, and γάλα, milk.)

O. UMBELLÀTUM, L. Scape 4--9´ high; flowers 5--8, on long and spreading pedicels; sepals green in the middle on the outside.--Escaped from gardens. (Nat. from Eu.)

O. NÙTANS, L. Scape 1° high or more; flowers 5 or 6, large (1´ long), nodding on very short pedicels; filaments very broad.--Rarely escaped from gardens; Penn. (Adv. from Eu.)

7. MUSCÀRI, Tourn. GRAPE-HYACINTH.

Perianth globular or ovoid, minutely 6-toothed (blue). Stamens 6, included; anthers short, introrse. Style short. Capsule loculicidal, with 2 black angular seeds in each cell.--Leaves and scape (in early spring) from a coated bulb; the small flowers in a dense raceme, sometimes musk-scented (whence the name).

M. BOTRYOÌDES, Mill. Leaves linear, 3--4´´ broad; flowers globular (1--1½´´ long), deep blue, appearing like minute grapes.--Escaped from gardens into copses and fence-rows. (Adv. from Eu.)

M. RACEMÒSUM, Mill. Leaves 1--1½´´ broad; flowers oblong-urceolate, 2--2½´´ long, deep blue, fragrant.--Rare escape, Md. and Penn. (Adv. from Eu.)

8. HEMEROCÁLLIS, L. DAY-LILY.

Perianth funnel-form, lily-like; the short tube enclosing the ovary, the spreading limb 6-parted; the 6 stamens inserted on its throat. Anthers as in Lilium, but introrse. Filaments and style long and thread-like, declined and ascending; stigma simple. Capsule (at first rather fleshy) 3-angled, loculicidally 3-valved, with several black spherical seeds in each cell.--Showy perennials, with fleshy-fibrous roots; the long and linear keeled leaves 2-ranked at the base of the tall scapes, which bear at the summit several bracted and large yellow flowers; these collapse and decay after expanding for a single day (whence the name, from ἡμέρα, a day, and κάλλος, beauty.)

H. FÚLVA, L. (COMMON DAY-LILY.) Inner divisions (petals) of the tawny orange perianth wavy and obtuse.--Roadsides, escaped from gardens (Adv. from Eu.)

9. YÚCCA, L. BEAR-GRASS. SPANISH BAYONET.

Perianth of 6 petal-like (white or greenish) oval or oblong and acute flat sepals, withering-persistent, the 3 inner broader, longer than the 6 stamens. Stigmas 3, sessile. Capsule oblong, somewhat 6-sided, 3-celled, or imperfectly 6-celled by a partition from the back, fleshy, at length loculicidally 3-valved from the apex. Seeds very many in each cell, flattened.--Stems woody, either very short or rising into thick and columnar palm-like trunks, bearing persistent rigid linear or sword-shaped leaves, and an often ample compound panicle or branched raceme of showy flowers. (The native Haytian name for the root of the Cassava-plant.)

1. Y. angustifòlia, Pursh. Caudex none or very short; leaves straight very stiff and pungent, ½--2° long by 1--6´´ wide, filiferous on the margin; raceme mostly simple, nearly sessile (1--4° long); flowers 1½--2½´ wide; stigmas green, shorter than the ovary; capsule 6-sided (3´ long); seeds 5--6´´ broad.--Dak. to Iowa, Kan., and N. Mex. May, June.

2. Y. filamentòsa, L. (ADAM'S NEEDLE.) Caudex 1° high or less, from a running rootstock; leaves numerous, coriaceous, more or less tapering to a short point, rough on the back, 1½--2° long by 1--3´ wide, filiferous on the margin; panicle pyramidal, densely flowered, on a stout bracteate scape, 4--9° high; flowers large; stigmas pale, elongated; capsule 1½´ long; seeds 3´´ broad.--Near the coast, Md. to Fla. and La. July. Very variable.

10. CONVALLÀRIA, L. LILY OF THE VALLEY.

Perianth bell-shaped (white), 6-lobed, deciduous; the lobes recurved. Stamens 6, included, inserted on the base of the perianth; anthers introrse. Ovary 3-celled, tapering into a stout style; stigma triangular. Ovules 4--6 in each cell. Berry few-seeded (red).--A low perennial herb, glabrous, stemless, with slender running rootstocks, sending up from a scaly-sheathing bud 2 oblong leaves, with their long sheathing petioles enrolled one within the other so as to appear like a stalk, and an angled scape bearing a one-sided raceme of pretty and sweet-scented nodding flowers. (Altered from Lilium convallium, the popular name.)

1. C. majàlis, L.--High mountains of Va. to S. C. Apparently identical with the European LILY OF THE VALLEY of the gardens.

11. POLYGONÀTUM, Tourn. SOLOMON'S SEAL.

Perianth cylindrical-oblong, 6-lobed at the summit; the 6 stamens inserted on or above the middle of the tube, included; anthers introrse. Ovary 3-celled. with 2--6 ovules in each cell; style slender, deciduous by a joint; stigma obtuse or capitate, obscurely 3-lobed. Berry globular, black or blue; the cells 1--2-seeded.--Perennial herbs, with simple erect or curving stems, from creeping thick and knotted rootstocks, naked below, above bearing nearly sessile or half-clasping nerved leaves, and axillary nodding greenish flowers; pedicels jointed near the flower. (The ancient name, composed of πολύς, many, and γόνυ, knee, alluding to the numerous joints of the rootstock and stem.)--Ours are alternate-leaved species, the stem terete or scarcely angled when fresh.

1. P. biflòrum, Ell. (SMALLER SOLOMON'S SEAL.) Glabrous, except the ovate-oblong or lance-oblong nearly sessile leaves, which are commonly minutely pubescent as well as pale or glaucous underneath; stem slender (1--3° high); peduncles 1--3- but mostly 2-flowered; perianth 4--6´´ long; filaments papillose-roughened, inserted toward the summit of the perianth.--Wooded hillsides, N. Brunswick to Fla., west to Minn., E. Kan., and Tex.

2. P. gigantèum, Dietrich. (GREAT S.) Glabrous throughout; stem stout and mostly tall (2--7° high), terete; leaves ovate, partly clasping (3--8´ long), or the upper oblong and nearly sessile, many-nerved; peduncles several-(2--8-) flowered, jointed below the flower; flowers 5--9´´ long; filaments smooth and naked, or nearly so, inserted on the middle of the tube.--Meadows and river-banks, N. Eng. to Va., west to the Rocky Mts. June.

12. ASPÁRAGUS, Tourn. ASPARAGUS.

Perianth 6-parted, spreading above; the 6 stamens on its base; anthers introrse. Style short; stigma 3-lobed. Berry spherical, 3-celled; the cells 2-seeded.--Perennials, with much-branched stems from thick and matted rootstocks, and small greenish-yellow axillary flowers on jointed pedicels. The narrow, commonly thread-like, so-called leaves are really branchlets, acting as leaves, clustered in the axils of little scales which are the true leaves. (The ancient Greek name.)

A. OFFICINÀLIS, L. (GARDEN ASPARAGUS.) Herbaceous, tall, bushy-branched; leaves thread-like.--A frequent escape from gardens. June. (Adv. from Eu.)

13. SMILACÌNA, Desf. FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL.

Perianth 6-parted, spreading, withering-persistent (white). Stamens 6, inserted at the base of the divisions; filaments slender, anthers short, introrse. Ovary 3-celled, with 2 ovules in each cell; style short and thick, stigma obscurely 3-lobed. Berry globular, 1--2-seeded.--Perennial herbs, with simple stems from creeping or thickish rootstocks, alternate nerved mostly sessile leaves, and white, sometimes fragrant flowers in a terminal and simple or compound raceme. (Name a diminutive of Smilax, to which, however, these plants bear little resemblance.)

[*] Flowers on very short pedicels in a terminal racemose panicle; stamens exceeding the small (1´´ long) segments; ovules collateral; rootstock stout, fleshy.

1. S. racemòsa, Desf. (FALSE SPIKENARD.) Minutely downy (1--3° high); leaves numerous, oblong or oval-lanceolate, taper-pointed, ciliate, abruptly somewhat petioled; berries pale red, speckled with purple, aromatic.--Moist copses, N. Brunswick to S. C., west to Minn., E. Kan. and Ark.

[*][*] Flowers larger (2--3´´ long), on solitary pedicels in a simple few-flowered raceme; stamens included; ovules not collateral; rootstock rather slender.

2. S. stellàta, Desf. Plant (1° high or less) nearly glabrous, or the 7--12 oblong-lanceolate leaves minutely downy beneath when young, slightly clasping; raceme sessile or nearly so; berries blackish.--Moist banks, Lab. to N. J., west to E. Kan., Minn., and westward. (Eu.)

3. S. trifòlia, Desf. Glabrous, dwarf (2--6´ high); leaves 3 (sometimes 2 or 4), oblong, tapering to a sheathing base; raceme peduncled; berries red.--Cold bogs, Lab. to N. Eng., west to Mich. and Min. (Sib.)

14. MAIÁNTHEMUM, Wigg.

Perianth 4-parted, with as many stamens. Ovary 2-celled; stigma 2-lobed. Otherwise as in Smilacina.--Flowers solitary or fascicled, in a simple raceme upon a low 2--3-leaved stem. Leaves ovate- to lanceolate-cordate. (Name from Maius, May, and ἄνθεμον, a flower.)

1. M. Canadénse, Desf. Pubescent or glabrous (3--5´ high); leaves lanceolate to ovate, cordate at base with a very narrow sinus, sessile or very shortly petioled; perianth-segments 1´´ long. (Smilacina bifolia, var. Canadensis, Gray.)--Moist woods, Lab. to N. C., west to Minn. and Iowa. May.

15. STRÉPTOPUS, Michx. TWISTED-STALK.

Perianth recurved-spreading from a bell-shaped base, deciduous; the 6 distinct sepals lanceolate, acute, the 3 inner keeled. Anthers arrow-shaped, extrorse, fixed near the base to the short flattened filaments, tapering above to a slender entire or 2-cleft point. Ovary with many ovules in each cell; style and sometimes the stigmas one. Berry red, roundish-ovoid, many-seeded.--Herbs, with rather stout stems from a creeping rootstock, forking and divergent branches, ovate and taper-pointed rounded-clasping membranaceous leaves, and small (extra-) axillary flowers, either solitary or in pairs, on slender thread-like peduncles, which are abruptly bent or contorted near the middle (whence the name, from στρεπτός, twisted, and ποῦς, foot or stalk).

1. S. amplexifòlius, DC. Stem 2--3° high, glabrous; leaves very smooth, glaucous underneath, strongly clasping; flower greenish-white (4--6´´ long) on a long abruptly bent peduncle; anthers tapering to a slender entire point; stigma entire, truncate.--Cold moist woods, N. Eng. to N. Minn., south to Ohio, Penn., and in the mountains to N. C. June. (Eu.)

2. S. ròseus, Michx. Lower leaves green both sides, finely ciliate, and the branches sparingly beset with short bristly hairs; flower rose-purple (3--4´´ long), more than half the length of the slightly bent peduncle; anthers 2-horned; stigma 3-cleft.--Cold damp woods, N. Eng. to N. Minn., and south in the mountains to Ga. May.

16. DÍSPORUM, Salisb.

Perianth narrowly bell-shaped, the 6 sepals lanceolate or linear, deciduous. Filaments thread-like, much longer than the linear-oblong blunt anthers, which are fixed by a point above the base and extrorse. Ovary with 2 ovules (in our species) suspended from the summit of each cell; style one; stigmas short, recurved-spreading, or sometimes united into one! Berry ovoid or oblong, pointed, 3--6-seeded, red.--Downy low herbs, with creeping rootstocks, erect stems sparingly branched above, with closely sessile ovate thin and transversely veined leaves, and greenish-yellow drooping flowers, on slender terminal peduncles, solitary or few in an umbel. (Name from δίς, double, and σπορά, seed, in allusion to the 2 ovules in each cell.)

1. D. lanuginòsum, Benth. & Hook. Leaves ovate-oblong, taper-pointed, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at base, closely sessile, downy beneath; flowers solitary, [or] in pairs; sepals linear-lanceolate, taper-pointed (½´ long), soon spreading, twice the length of the stamens, greenish; style smooth; stigmas 3. (Prosartes lanuginosa, Don.)--Rich woods, western N. Y. to Va. and Ga., west to Ky. and Tenn. May.

17. CLINTÒNIA, Raf.

Perianth of 6 separate sepals, bell-shaped, lily-like, deciduous; the 6 stamens inserted at their base. Filaments long and thread-like; anthers linear or oblong, extrorsely fixed by a point above the base, the cells opening down the margins. Ovary ovoid-oblong, 2--3-celled; style long; stigmas 2 or 3, or in ours united into one. Berry few--many-seeded.--Short-stemmed perennials, with slender creeping rootstocks, bearing a naked peduncle sheathed at the base by the stalks of 2--4 large oblong or oval ciliate leaves; flowers rather large, umbelled, rarely single. (Dedicated to De Witt Clinton.)

1. C. boreàlis, Raf. Scape and leaves 5--8´ long; umbel 3--6-flowered; perianth greenish-yellow, somewhat downy outside (3--4´´ long); berry ovoid, blue; ovules 20 or more.--Cold moist woods, Lab. to N. C., west to Minn.

2. C. umbellàta, Torr. Flowers half the size of the last, white, speckled with green or purplish dots; umbel many-flowered; berry globular, black; ovules 2 in each cell.--Rich woods, in the Alleghanies from N. Y. to Ga.

18. UVULÀRIA, L. BELLWORT.

Perianth narrowly bell-shaped, lily-like, deciduous; the 6 distinct sepals spatulate-lanceolate, acuminate, obtusely gibbous at base, with a deep honey-bearing groove within bordered on each side by a callus-like ridge. Stamens much shorter, barely adherent to their base; anthers linear, much longer than the filaments, adnate and extrorse, but the long narrow cells opening laterally. Style deeply 3-cleft; the divisions stigmatic along the inner side. Capsule truncate, coriaceous, 3-lobed, loculicidal at the summit. Seeds few in each cell, obovoid, with a thin white aril.--Stems rather low, terete, from a short rootstock with fleshy roots, naked or scaly at base, forking above, bearing oblong perfoliate flat and membranaceous leaves with smooth margins, and yellowish drooping flowers, in spring, solitary on terminal peduncles. (Name "from the flowers hanging like the uvula, or palate.")

1. U. perfoliàta, L. Glaucous throughout, ½--1½° high, with 1--3 leaves below the fork; leaves glabrous, oblong- to ovate-lanceolate, acute; perianth-segments granular-pubescent within (8--16´´ long); stamens shorter than the styles; tip of the connective acuminate; cells of the capsule with 2 dorsal ridges and 2-beaked at the apex.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Dak., and southward.

2. U. grandiflòra, Smith. Yellowish-green, not glaucous; stem naked or with a single leaf below the fork; leaves whitish-pubescent beneath, usually somewhat acuminate; perianth-segments smooth within or nearly so (12--18´´ long); stamens exceeding the styles, obtusely tipped; capsule obtusely lobed. (U. flava, Smith.)--Rich woods, Canada to Ga., west to Minn. and Mo.

19. OAKÈSIA, Watson.

Flowers resembling those of Uvularia, but the segments obtuse or acutish, carinately gibbous and without ridges within. Capsule membranous, elliptical, acutish at each end or shortly stipitate, triquetrous and acutely winged, very tardily dehiscent. Seeds globose, with a very tumid spongy rhaphe.--Stem acutely angled, from a slender creeping rootstock, with sessile clasping leaves scabrous on the margin, and 1 or 2 flowers terminal on slender peduncles but soon appearing opposite to the leaves by the growth of the branches. (Dedicated to William Oakes.)

1. O. sessilifòlia, Watson. Leaves lance-oblong, acute at each end, pale, glaucous beneath, sessile or partly clasping; sepals 7--12´´ long; anthers obtuse; capsule short-stipitate, 6--10´´ long. (Uvularia sessilifolia, L.)--Low woods, N. Brunswick to Fla., west to Minn., Neb. and Ark.

2. O. pubérula, Watson. Slightly puberulent; leaves bright green both sides and shining, oval, mostly rounded at base, with rougher edges; styles separate to near the base, not exceeding the acute anthers; capsule not stipitate, 10--12´´ long. (Uvularia puberula, Michx.)--Mountains, Va. to S. C.

20. ERYTHRÒNIUM, L. DOG'S-TOOTH VIOLET.

Perianth lily-like, of 6 distinct lanceolate sepals, recurved or spreading above, deciduous, the 3 inner usually with a callous tooth on each side of the erect base, and a groove in the middle. Filaments 6´, awl-shaped; anthers oblong-linear, continuing erect. Style elongated. Capsule obovate, contracted at base, 3-valved, loculicidal. Seeds rather numerous, ovoid, with a loose membranaceous tip.--Nearly stemless herbs, with two smooth and shining flat leaves tapering into petioles and sheathing the base of the commonly one-flowered scape, rising from a deep solid-scaly bulb. Flowers rather large, nodding, in spring. (The Greek name for the purple-flowered European species, from ἐρυθρός, red.)

1. E. Americànum, Ker. (YELLOW ADDER'S-TONGUE.) Scape 6--9´ high; leaves elliptical-lanceolate, pale green, mottled with purplish and whitish and commonly minutely dotted; perianth light yellow, often spotted near the base (10--20´´ long); style club-shaped; stigmas united.--Rich ground, N. Brunswick to Fla., west to Minn. and Ark.

2. E. álbidum, Nutt. (WHITE DOG'S-TOOTH VIOLET.) Leaves elliptical-lanceolate, less or not at all spotted; perianth pinkish-white; inner divisions toothless; style more slender except at the apex, bearing 3 short spreading stigmas.--Rich ground, N. Y. to N. J., west to Minn. and Kan.

3. E. propúllans, Gray. Offshoot arising from the stem, near the middle; leaves smaller and more acuminate; flowers bright rose-color, yellowish at base (6´´ long); style slender; stigmas united.--In rich soil, Minn. and Ont.

21. LÍLIUM, L. LILY.

Perianth funnel-form or bell-shaped, colored, of 6 distinct sepals, spreading or recurved above, with a honey-bearing furrow at the base, deciduous; the 6 stamens somewhat adhering to their bases. Anthers linear, extrorsely attached near the middle to the tapering apex of the long filament, which is at first included, at length versatile; the cells dehiscent by a lateral or slightly introrse line. Style elongated, somewhat club-shaped; stigma 3-lobed. Capsule oblong, containing numerous flat and horizontal (depressed) soft-coated seeds densely packed in 2 rows in each cell. Bulbs scaly, producing simple stems, with numerous alternate-scattered or whorled narrow sessile leaves, and from one to several large and showy flowers; in summer. (The classical Latin name, from the Greek λείριον.)

[*] Flowers erect, the sepals narrowed below into claws; bulbs not rhizomatous.

1. L. Philadélphicum, L. (WILD ORANGE-RED LILY. WOOD LILY.) Stem 2--3° high; leaves linear-lanceolate, whorled or scattered; flowers (2--4´ long) 1--3, open-bell-shaped, reddish-orange spotted with purplish inside; the lanceolate sepals not recurved at the summit; bulb of thick fleshy jointed scales.--Dry or sandy ground, N. Eng. to N. C., west to Minn. and Mo.

2. L. Catesbæ̀i, Walt. (SOUTHERN RED LILY.) Leaves linear-lanceolate, scattered; flower solitary, open-bell-shaped, the long-clawed sepals wavy on the margin and recurved at the summit, scarlet, spotted with dark purple and yellow inside; bulb-scales thin, narrow and leaf-bearing.--Pine-barrens, N. C. to Fla., west to Ky. and Mo.

[*][*] Flowers nodding, the sepals sessile; bulbs rhizomatous.

3. L. supérbum, L. (TURK'S-CAP LILY.) Stem 3--7° high; lower leaves whorled, lanceolate, pointed, 3-nerved, smooth; flowers (3´ long) often many (3--20 or 40) in a pyramidal raceme; sepals strongly revolute, bright orange, with numerous dark purple spots inside.--Rich low grounds, N. Brunswick to Ga., west to Minn. and Mo.

4. L. Canadénse, L. (WILD YELLOW LILY.) Stem 2--5° high; leaves remotely whorled, lanceolate, strongly 3-nerved, the margins and nerves rough; flowers few (2--3´ long), long-peduncled, oblong-bell-shaped, the sepals recurved-spreading above, yellow or orange, usually spotted with brown.--Moist meadows and bogs, N. Brunswick to Ga., west to Minn. and Mo.

5. L. Gràyi, Watson. Stems 2--3° high; leaves in whorls of 4--8, lanceolate, acute or slightly acuminate, smooth; flowers 1 or 2, nearly horizontal, the sepals (1½--2½´ long) but little spreading above the rather broad base, rather abruptly acute, deep reddish orange, thickly spotted within.--Peaks of Otter, Va., and southward in the mountains to N. C.

L. TIGRÌNUM, Ker. (TIGER LILY.) Tall, pubescent above; leaves scattered, narrowly lanceolate, dark green, 5--7-nerved, the upper axils bulbiferous; flowers large, resembling those of L. superbum.--An escape from gardens. (Adv. from E. Asia.)

22. MEDÈOLA, Gronov. INDIAN CUCUMBER-ROOT.

Perianth recurved, the 3 sepals and 3 petals oblong and alike (pale greenish-yellow), deciduous. Stamens 6; anthers shorter than the slender filaments, oblong, extrorsely attached above the base, but the line of dehiscence of the closely contiguous parallel cells lateral or slightly introrse. Stigmas, or styles, stigmatic down the upper side, recurved-diverging from the globose ovary, long and thread-form, deciduous. Berry globose (dark purple), 3-celled, few-seeded.--A perennial herb, with a simple slender stem (1--3° high, clothed with flocculent and deciduous wool), rising from a horizontal and tuberous white rootstock (which has the taste of cucumber), bearing near the middle a whorl of 5--9 obovate-lanceolate and pointed, sessile, lightly parallel-ribbed and netted-veiny, thin leaves; also another of 3 (rarely 4 or 5) much smaller ovate ones at the top, subtending a sessile umbel of small recurved flowers. (Named after the sorceress Medea, for its supposed great medicinal virtues.)

1. M. Virginiàna, L.--Rich damp woods, N. Eng. to Minn., Ind., and southward. June.

23. TRÍLLIUM, L. WAKE ROBIN. BIRTHROOT.

Sepals 3, lanceolate, spreading, herbaceous, persistent. Petals 3, larger, withering in age. Stamens 6; anthers linear, on short filaments, adnate, usually introrse; the cells opening down the margins. Stigmas sessile, awl-shaped or slender, spreading or recurved above, persistent, stigmatic down the inner side. Ovary 3--6-angled. Berry ovate, usually 6-angled or -winged, 3-celled (purple or red). Seeds ovate, horizontal, several in each cell.--Low perennial herbs, with a stout and simple stem rising from a short and præmorse tuber-like rootstock, naked, bearing at the summit a whorl of 3 ample, commonly broadly ovate, more or less ribbed but netted-veined leaves, and a terminal large flower; in spring. (Name from triplum, triple; all the parts being in threes.)--Monstrosities are not rare with the calyx and sometimes petals changed to leaves, or the parts of the flower increased in number.

[*] Ovary and fruit 6-angled and more or less winged.

[+] Flower sessile; the very broad connective produced beyond the anther-cells.

1. T. séssile, L. Leaves sessile, ovate or rhomboidal, acute, often blotched or spotted; sepals spreading; sessile petals erect-spreading, narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, dark and dull purple, varying to greenish, fruit globose, 6´´ long.--Moist woods, Penn. to Fla., west to Minn. and Ark.

2. T. recurvàtum, Beck. Leaves contracted at the base into a petiole, ovate, oblong, or obovate; sepals reflexed; petals pointed, the base narrowed into a claw, oblong-lanceolate to -ovate, dark purple; fruit ovate, strongly winged above, 9´´ long.--Rich woods, Ohio and Ind. to Minn. and Ark.

[+][+] Flower pedicelled; connective narrow, not produced; leaves subsessile.

[++] Pedicel longer than the flower; filament shorter than the anther.

3. T. eréctum, L. Leaves very broadly rhombic (2½--6´ wide), shortly acuminate; pedicel (1--3´ long) usually more or less inclined or declinate; petals ovate to lanceolate (9--18´´ long), brown-purple or often white or greenish or pinkish; stamens equalling or exceeding the stout distinct spreading or recurved stigmas; fruit ovate, 1´ long, reddish.--Rich woods, N. Scotia to N. C., west to Minn. and Mo. Flowers ill-scented.

4. T. grandiflòrum, Salisb. Leaves less broadly rhombic-ovate (1½--4´ wide); pedicel erect or ascending; petals oblanceolate, often broadly so (1½--2½´ long), white turning rose-color or marked with green; stamens with stout filaments (persistently green about the fruit) and anthers, exceeding the very slender erect or suberect and somewhat coherent stigmas; fruit globose, ½--1´ long.--Rich woods, Vt. to N. C., west to Minn. and Mo.

[++][++] Pedicel short, recurved or strongly declinate; filaments slender, about equalling the anther.

5. T. cérnuum, L. Leaves very broadly rhombic-ovate (2--4´ broad); petals white or pink, ovate- to oblong-lanceolate (6--12´´ long), wavy, recurved-spreading; stamens with short anthers, shorter than the stout recurved distinct stigmas; fruit ovate.--Moist woods, N. Eng. to Minn., south to Ga. and Mo.

[*][*] Ovary and fruit 3-lobed or angled, not winged; filaments slender, about equalling the anthers; pedicel erect or inclined; leaves petiolate.

6. T. nivàle, Riddell. (DWARF WHITE T.) Small (2--4´ high); leaves oval or ovate, obtuse (1--2´ long); petals oblong, obtuse (6--15´´ long), white, scarcely wavy, spreading from an erect base, equalling the peduncle; styles long and slender; fruit depressed globose, with 3 rounded lobes, 3--4´´ long.--Rich woods, W. Penn. and Ky. to Minn. and Iowa.

7. T. erythrocárpum, Michx. (PAINTED T.) Leaves ovate, taper-pointed; petals ovate or oval-lanceolate, pointed, wavy, widely spreading, white painted with purple stripes at the base, shorter than the peduncle; fruit broad-ovate, obtuse, 7--9´´ long.--Cold damp woods and bogs, N. Brunswick to Ga., west to Wisc. and Mo.

24. HELÒNIAS, L.

Flowers perfect. Perianth of 6 spatulate-oblong purple sepals, persistent, several-nerved, glandless, turning green, shorter than the thread-like filaments. Anthers 2-celled, roundish-oval, blue, extrorse. Styles revolute, stigmatic down the inner side, deciduous. Capsule obcordately 3-lobed, loculicidally 3-valved; the valves divergently 2-lobed. Seeds many in each cell, linear, with a tapering appendage at both ends.--A smooth perennial, with many oblong-spatulate or oblanceolate evergreen flat leaves, from a tuberous rootstock, producing in early spring a stout hollow sparsely bracteate scape (1--2° high), sheathed with broad bracts at the base, and terminated by a simple and short dense raceme. Bracts obsolete; pedicels shorter than the flowers. (Name probably from ἕλος, a swamp, the place of growth.)

1. H. bullàta, L.--Wet places, Penn. and N. J. to Va.; rare and local.

25. CHAMÆLÍRIUM, Willd. DEVIL'S-BIT.

Flowers diœcious. Perianth of 6 spatulate-linear (white) spreading 1-nerved sepals, withering-persistent. Filaments and (white) anthers, as in Helonias; fertile flowers with rudimentary stamens. Styles linear-club-shaped, stigmatic along the inner side. Capsule ovoid-oblong, not lobed, of a thin texture, loculicidally 3-valved from the apex, many-seeded. Seeds linear-oblong, winged at each end.--Smooth herb, with a wand-like stem from a (bitter) thick and abrupt tuberous rootstock, terminated by a long wand-like spiked raceme (4--12´ long) of small bractless flowers; fertile plant more leafy than the staminate. Leaves flat, lanceolate, the lowest spatulate, tapering into a petiole. (Name formed of χαμαί on the ground, and λείριον, lily, the genus having been founded on a dwarf undeveloped specimen.)

1. C. Caroliniànum, Willd. (BLAZING-STAR.) Stem 1--4° high. (C. luteum, Gray.)--Low grounds, N. Eng. to Ga., west to Neb. and Ark. June.

26. XEROPHÝLLUM, Michx.

Flowers perfect. Perianth widely spreading; sepals petal-like (white), oval, distinct, without glands or claws, 5--7-nerved, at length withering, about the length of the awl-shaped filaments. Anthers 2-celled, short, extrorse. Styles thread-like, stigmatic down the inner side, persistent. Capsule globular, 3-lobed, obtuse (small), loculicidal; the valves bearing the partitions. Seeds 2 in each cell, collateral, 3-angled, not margined.--Herb with the stem simple, 1--4° high, from a thick tuberous rootstock, bearing a simple dense bracteate raceme of showy flowers, and thickly beset with needle-shaped leaves, the upper reduced to bristle-like bracts; those from the root very many in a dense tuft, reclined, a foot long or more, 1´´ wide below, rough on the margin, remarkably dry and rigid. (Name from ξηρός, arid, and φύλλον, leaf.)

1. X. setifòlium, Michx. Stem 1--4° high. (X. asphodeloides, Nutt.)--Pine-barrens, N. J. to Ga. June.

27. TOFIÈLDIA, Hudson. FALSE ASPHODEL.

Flowers perfect, usually with a little 3-bracted involucre underneath. Perianth more or less spreading, persistent; the sepals (white or greenish) concave, oblong or obovate, without claws, 3-nerved. Filaments awl-shaped; anthers short, innate or somewhat introrse, 2-celled. Styles awl-shaped; stigmas terminal. Capsule 3-angular, 3-partible or septicidal; cells many-seeded. Seeds oblong, horizontal.--Slender perennials, mostly tufted, with short or creeping rhizomes, and simple stems leafy only at the base, bearing small flowers in a close raceme or spike. Leaves 2-ranked, equitant, linear, grass-like. (Named for Mr. Tofield, an English botanist of the last century.)

[*] Glabrous; pedicels solitary, in a short raceme or head; seeds not appendaged.

1. T. palústris, Hudson. Scape leafless or nearly so (2--6´ high), slender, bearing a globular or oblong head or short raceme of whitish flowers; leaves tufted, ½--1½´ long.--L. Superior, and northward. (Eu.)

[*][*] Stem and inflorescence pubescent; pedicels fascicled in threes; seeds caudate.

2. T. glutinòsa, Willd. Stem (6--16´ high) and pedicels very glutinous with dark glands; leaves broadly linear, short; perianth not becoming rigid; capsule thin; seeds with a contorted tail at each end.--Moist grounds, Maine to Minn., and northward; also south in the Alleghanies. June.

3. T. pùbens, Ait. Stem (1--3° high) and pedicels roughened with minute glands; leaves longer and narrower; perianth rigid about the firm capsule; seeds with a short white appendage at each end.--Pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. and Ala. July.

28. NARTHÈCIUM, Moehring. BOG-ASPHODEL.

Sepals 6, linear-lanceolate, yellowish, persistent. Filaments 6, woolly; anthers linear, introrse. Capsule cylindrical-oblong, attenuate upward and bearing the slightly lobed sessile stigma, loculicidal, many-seeded. Seeds ascending, appendaged at each end with a long bristle-form tail.--Rootstock creeping, bearing linear equitant leaves, and a simple stem or scape, terminated by a simple dense bracteate raceme; pedicels bearing a linear bractlet. (Name an anagram of Anthericum, from ἀνθέρικος, supposed to have been the Asphodel.)

1. N. Americànum, Ker. Stem 1° high or more; leaves 1´´ wide, 7--9-nerved; raceme dense (1--2´ long); perianth-segments narrowly linear (2--2½´´ long), scarcely exceeding the stamens. (N. ossifragum, var. Americanum, Gray.)--Sandy bogs, pine-barrens of N. J. June, July.

29. MELÁNTHIUM, Linn.

Flowers monœciously polygamous. Perianth of 6 separate and free widely spreading somewhat heart-shaped or oblong and halberd-shaped or oblanceolate sepals, raised on slender claws, cream-colored or greenish, the base marked with 2 approximate or confluent glands, or glandless, turning greenish brown and persistent. Filaments shorter than the sepals, adhering to their claws often to near the summit, persistent. Anthers heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, confluently 1-celled, shield-shaped after opening, extrorse. Styles 3, awl-shaped, diverging, tipped with simple stigmas. Capsule ovoid-conical, 3-lobed, of 3 inflated membranaceous carpels united in the axis, separating when ripe, and splitting down the inner edge, several-seeded. Seeds flat, broadly winged.--Stems tall and leafy, from a thick rootstock, roughish-downy above, as well as the open and ample pyramidal panicle (composed chiefly of simple racemes), the terminal part mostly fertile. Leaves linear to oblanceolate or oval, not plaited. (Name composed of μέλας, black, and ἄνθος, flower, from the darker color which the persistent perianth assumes after blossoming.)

[*] Sepals with a conspicuous double gland at the summit of the claw.

1. M. Virgínicum, L. (BUNCH-FLOWER.) Stem 3--5° high, leafy, rather slender; leaves linear (4--10´´ wide); sepals flat, ovate to oblong or slightly hastate (2½--4´´ long); capsule 6´´ long; seeds 10 in each cell, 2--3´´ long.--Wet meadows, N. Eng. to N. C., west to Minn. and Tex.

2. M. latifòlium, Desrouss. Leaves more oblanceolate, often 2´ broad; sepals undulate (2--3´´ long), the very narrow claw nearly equalling the orbicular or ovate blade; capsule 6--8´´ long; styles more slender; seeds 4--8 in each cell, 3--4´´ long. (M. racemosum, Michx.)--W. Conn. to S. C.

[*][*] Sepals oblanceolate, without glands.

3. M. parviflòrum, Watson. Stem rather slender (2--5° high), sparingly leafy, naked above; leaves oval to oblanceolate (2--4´ wide), on long petioles; sepals 2--3´´ long, oblanceolate or spatulate, those of the sterile flowers on claws; stamens very short; capsule 6´´ long; seeds 4--6 in each cell, 4´´ long. (Veratrum parviflorum, Michx.)--In the Alleghanies, Va. to S. C.

30. VERÀTRUM, Tourn. FALSE HELLEBORE.

Flowers monœciously polygamous. Perianth of 6 spreading and separate obovate-oblong (greenish or brownish) sepals, more or less contracted at the base (but not clawed), nearly free from the ovary, not gland-bearing. Filaments free from the sepals and shorter than they, recurving. Anthers, pistils, fruit, etc., nearly as in Melanthium.--Somewhat pubescent perennials, with simple stems from a thickened base producing coarse fibrous roots (very poisonous), 3-ranked, plaited and strongly veined leaves, and racemed-panicled dull or dingy flowers; in summer. (Name from vere, truly, and ater, black.)

1. V. víride, Ait. (AMERICAN WHITE HELLEBORE. INDIAN POKE.) Stem stout, very leafy to the top (2--7° high); leaves broadly oval, pointed, sheath-clasping; panicle pyramidal, the dense spike-like racemes spreading; perianth yellowish-green, moderately spreading, the segments ciliate-serrulate; ovary glabrous; capsule many-seeded.--Swamps and low grounds, common.

2. V. Woódii, Robbins. Stem slender, sparingly leafy (2--5° high); leaves oblanceolate, only the lowest sheathing; panicle very narrow; perianth greenish-purple, with entire segments; ovary tomentose, soon glabrate; capsule few-seeded.--Woods and hilly barrens, S. Ind. to Mo.

31. STENÁNTHIUM, Gray.

Flowers polygamous. Perianth spreading; the sepals narrowly lanceolate, tapering to a point from the broader base, where they are united and coherent with the base of the ovary, not gland-bearing, persistent, much longer than the short stamens. Anthers, capsules, etc., nearly as in Veratrum. Seeds nearly wingless.--Smooth, with a wand-like leafy stem from a bulbous base, long and grass-like conduplicate-keeled leaves, and numerous small flowers in compound racemes, forming a long terminal panicle; in summer. (Name composed of στενός, narrow, and ἄνθος, flower, from the slender sepals and panicles.)

1. S. angustifòlium, Gray. Stem leafy (3--4° high), very slender; leaves 2--3´´ broad; panicle elongated, nearly simple, very open, with slender flexuous branches; flowers nearly sessile or the fertile on short pedicels; sepals linear-lanceolate (white), 2--3´´ long; capsule strongly reflexed, narrowly oblong-ovate, with spreading beaks.--In the Alleghanies from Va. to S. C.

2. S. robústum, Watson. Resembling the last; stem stout, leafy, erect (3--5° high); leaves 4--10´´ broad; panicle or raceme often 2° long, frequently compound with numerous slender branches; sepals (white or green) 3--4´´ long; capsule erect, ovate, with recurved beaks.--Penn. to S. C., Ohio and Tenn.

32. ZYGADÈNUS, Michx.

Flowers perfect or polygamous. Perianth withering-persistent, spreading; the petal-like oblong or ovate sepals 1--2-glandular near the more or less narrowed but not unguiculate base, which is either free, or united and coherent with the base of the ovary. Stamens free from the sepals and about their length. Anthers, styles, and capsule nearly as in Melanthium. Seeds angled, rarely at all margined.--Very smooth and somewhat glaucous perennials, with simple stems from creeping rootstocks or coated bulbs, linear leaves, and rather large panicled greenish-white flowers; in summer. (Name composed of ζυγός, a yoke, and ἀδήν, a gland, the glands being sometimes in pairs.)

[*] Glands on the perianth conspicuous.

[+] Rootstock creeping; glands 2, orbicular, above the broad claw.

1. Z. glabérrimus, Michx. Stems 1--3° high; leaves grass-like, channelled, conspicuously nerved, elongated, tapering to a point; panicle pyramidal, many-flowered; flowers perfect; sepals nearly free (½´ long), ovate, becoming lance-ovate, with a short claw.--Grassy low grounds, Va. to Fla. and Ala.

[+][+] Root bulbous; glands covering the base of the sepals.

2. Z. élegans, Pursh. Stem 1--3° high; leaves flat, carinate; raceme simple or sparingly branched and few-flowered; bracts ovate-lanceolate; base of the perianth coherent with the base of the ovary, the thin ovate or obovate sepals marked with a large obcordate gland, the inner abruptly contracted to a broad claw. (Z. glaucus, Nutt.)--N. Eng. to N. Ill., Minn., and westward.

3. Z. Nuttàllii, Gray. Like the last; raceme rather densely flowered, with narrow bracts; perianth free; sepals with an ill-defined gland at base, not at all clawed; seeds larger (3´´ long).--Kan. to Tex. and Col.

[*][*] Glands of the perianth obscure; perianth small, rotate; bulb somewhat fibrous.

4. Z. leimanthoìdes, Gray. Stem 1--4° high, slender; leaves narrowly linear; flowers small (4´´ in diameter) and numerous, in a few crowded panicled racemes; only a yellowish spot on the contracted base of the divisions of the free perianth.--Low grounds, pine-barrens of N. J., to Ga.

33. AMIÁNTHIUM, Gray. FLY-POISON.

Flowers perfect. Perianth widely spreading; the distinct and free petal-like (white) sepals oval or obovate, without claws or glands, persistent. Filaments capillary, equalling or exceeding the perianth. Anthers, capsules, etc., nearly as in Melanthium. Styles thread-like. Seeds wingless, oblong or linear, with a loose coat, 1--4 in each cell.--Glabrous, with simple stems from a bulbous base or coated bulb, scape-like, few-leaved, terminated by a simple dense raceme of handsome flowers, turning greenish with age. Leaves linear, keeled, grass-like. (From ἀμίαντος, unspotted, and ἄνθος, flower; a name formed with more regard to euphony than to good construction, alluding to the glandless perianth.)

1. A. muscætóxicum, Gray. (FLY-POISON.) Leaves broadly linear, elongated, obtuse (½--1´ wide); raceme simple; capsule abruptly 3-horned; seeds oblong, with a fleshy red coat.--Open woods, N. J. to Fla., west to Ky. and Ark. June, July.

ORDER 117. PONTEDERIÀCEÆ. (PICKEREL-WEED FAMILY.)

Aquatic herbs, with perfect more or less irregular flowers from a spathe; the petal-like 6-merous perianth free from the 3-celled ovary; the 3 or 6 mostly unequal or dissimilar stamens inserted in its throat.--Perianth with the 6 divisions colored alike, imbricated in 2 rows in the bud, the whole together sometimes revolute-coiled after flowering, then withering away, or the base thickened-persistent and enclosing the fruit. Anthers introrse. Ovules anatropous. Style 1; stigma 3-lobed or 6-toothed. Fruit a perfectly or incompletely 3-celled many-seeded capsule, or a 1-celled 1-seeded utricle. Embryo slender, in floury albumen.

1. Pontederia. Spike many-flowered. Perianth 2-lipped, its fleshy persistent base enclosing the 1-seeded utricle. Stamens 6.

2. Heteranthera. Spathe 1--few-flowered. Perianth salver-shaped. Stamens 3. Capsule many-seeded.

1. PONTEDÈRIA, L. PICKEREL-WEED.

Perianth funnel-form, 2-lipped; the 3 upper divisions united to form the 3-lobed upper lip; the 3 lower spreading, and their claws, which form the lower part of the curving tube, more or less separate or separable to the base; after flowering the tube is revolute-coiled from the apex downward, and its fleshy-thickened persistent base encloses the fruit. Stamens 6; the 3 anterior long-exserted; the 3 posterior (often sterile or imperfect) with very short filaments, unequally inserted lower down; anthers versatile, oval, blue. Ovary 3-celled; two of the cells empty, the other with a single suspended ovule. Utricle 1-celled, filled with the single seed.--Stout herbs, growing in shallow water, with thick creeping rootstocks, producing erect long-petioled mostly heart-shaped leaves, and a 1-leaved stem, bearing a spike of violet-blue ephemeral flowers. Root-leaves with a sheathing stipule within the petiole. (Dedicated to Pontedera, Professor at Padua at the beginning of the last century.)

1. P. cordàta, L. Leaves arrow-heart-shaped, blunt, or sometimes triangular-elongated and tapering and scarcely cordate (var. ANGUSTIFÒLIA, Torr.); spike dense, from a spathe-like bract; upper lobe of perianth marked with a pair of yellow spots (rarely all white); calyx-tube in fruit crested with 6 toothed ridges.--N. Scotia to Fla., west to Minn. and Tex. July--Sept.

2. HETERANTHÈRA, Ruiz & Pav. MUD-PLANTAIN.

Perianth salver-form with a slender tube; the limb somewhat equally 6-parted, ephemeral. Stamens 3, in the throat, usually unequal; anthers erect. Capsule 1-celled or incompletely 3-celled by intrusion of the placentæ, many-seeded.--Creeping, floating or submerged low herbs, in mud or shallow water, with a 1--few-flowered spathe bursting from the sheathing side or base of a petiole. (Name from ἑτέρα, different, and ἀνθηρά, anther.)

[*] Stamens unequal; 2 posterior filaments with ovate yellow anthers; the other longer, with a larger oblong or sagittate greenish anther; capsule incompletely 3-celled; leaves rounded, long-petioled; creeping or floating plants.

1. H. renifórmis, Ruiz & Pav. Leaves round-kidney-shaped to cordate and acute; spathe 3--5-flowered; flowers white or pale blue.--Conn. to N. J., west to Ill. and E. Kan., and southward. (S. Am.)

2. H. limòsa, Vahl. Leaves oblong or lance-oblong, obtuse at both ends; spathe 1-flowered; flowers larger, blue.--Va. to Mo. and La. (S. Am.)

[*][*] Stamens alike, with sagittate anthers; capsule 1-celled, with 3 parietal placentæ; leaves linear, translucent, sessile; submerged grass-like herbs, with only the flowers reaching the surface.

3. H. gramínea, Vahl. The slender branching stems clothed with leaves and bearing a terminal 1-flowered spathe (becoming lateral); flowers small, pale yellow, with a very long thread-like tube. (Schollera graminifolia, Willd.)--N. Eng. to N. C., west to Minn. and E. Kan.

ORDER 118. XYRIDÀCEÆ. (YELLOW-EYED-GRASS FAMILY.)

Rush-like herbs, with equitant leaves sheathing the base of a naked scape, which is terminated by a head of perfect 3-androus flowers, with extrorse anthers, glumaceous calyx, and a regular colored corolla; the 3-valved mostly 1-celled capsule containing several or many orthotropous seeds with a minute embryo at the apex of fleshy albumen.

1. XỲRIS, Gronov. YELLOW-EYED GRASS.

Flowers single in the axils of coriaceous scale-like bracts, which are densely imbricated in a head. Sepals 3; the 2 lateral glume-like, boat-shaped or keeled and persistent; the anterior one larger and membranaceous, enwrapping the corolla in the bud and deciduous with it. Petals 3, with claws, which cohere more or less. Fertile stamens 3, with linear anthers, inserted on the claws of the petals, alternating with 3 sterile filaments, which are cleft and in our species plumose or bearded at the apex. Style 3-cleft. Capsule oblong, free, 1-celled, with 3 parietal more or less projecting placentæ, 3-valved, many-seeded.--Flowers yellow, produced all summer. Ours apparently all perennials. (Ξυρίς, a name of some plant with 2-edged leaves, from ξυρόν, a razor.)

1. X. flexuòsa, Muhl. Scape slender (10--16´ high), barely flattened at the summit, often from a bulbous base, very smooth, much longer than the narrowly linear leaves, both commonly twisted with age; head roundish-ovoid (3--4´´ long); lateral sepals oblong lanceolate, finely ciliate-scarious on the narrow wingless keel, usually with a minute bearded tuft at the apex, shorter than the bract.--Sandy or peaty bogs, Mass. to Fla., west to Minn. and Mo.

Var. pusìlla, Gray. Small and very slender, seldom twisted, 2--9´ high, the base not bulbous; head 2--3´´ long.--White Mts. to Penn., west to L. Superior.

2. X. tórta, Smith. Scape terete, with one sharp edge, slender, 9--20´ high, from a dark bulbous base, and with the linear-filiform rigid leaves becoming spirally twisted; head ovoid, becoming spindle-shaped, or oblong and acute (5--9´´ long); sepals exceeding the bract; lateral sepals winged on the keel and fringed above the middle.--Pine barrens, in dry sand, N. J. to Fla., Tex. and Ark.

3. X. Caroliniàna, Walt. Scape flattish, 1-angled below, 2-edged at the summit, smooth, ½--2° high, the base hardly bulbous; leaves linear-sword-shaped, flat, 2--4´´ broad; head globular-ovoid (5--7´´ long); lateral sepals obscurely lacerate-fringed above on the winged keel, rather shorter than the bract.--Sandy swamps, near the coast, Mass. to Fla.

4. X. fimbriàta, Ell. Scape somewhat angled, 2-edged above, rough (2° high), rather longer than the linear-sword-shaped or strap-shaped leaves, the base not bulbous; head oblong-ovate (6--10´´ long); lateral sepals lanceolate-linear, nearly twice the length of the bract, above the middle conspicuously fringed on the wing-margined keel, and even plumose at the summit.--Pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.

ORDER 119. MAYÀCEÆ. (MAYACA FAMILY.)

Moss-like aquatic plants, densely leafy, with narrowly-linear sessile pellucid leaves, axillary naked peduncles terminated by a solitary perfect 3-androus flower, herbaceous calyx, white corolla, and a 3-valved 1-celled several-seeded capsule.

1. MAYÀCA, Aublet.

The only genus. Perianth persistent, of 3 herbaceous lanceolate sepals, and 3 obovate petals. Stamens alternate with the petals. Ovary with 3 parietal few-ovuled placentæ; style filiform; stigma simple.--Creeping or floating in shallow water; the leaves 1-nerved, entire, notched at the apex; the peduncle solitary, sheathed at base. (An aboriginal name.)

1. M. Michaùxii, Schott & Endl. Peduncles not much exceeding the leaves, nodding in fruit.--Va. to Fla. and Tex.

ORDER 120. COMMELINÀCEÆ. (SPIDERWORT FAMILY.)

Herbs, with fibrous or sometimes thickened roots, jointed and often branching leafy stems, and chiefly perfect and 6-androus, often irregular flowers, with the perianth free from the 2--3-celled ovary, and having a distinct calyx and corolla; viz., 3 persistent commonly herbaceous sepals, and 3 petals, ephemeral, decaying or deciduous. Stamens hypogynous, some of them often sterile; anthers with 2 separated cells. Style 1; stigma undivided. Capsule 2--3-celled, 2--3-valved, loculicidal, 3--several-seeded. Seeds orthotropous. Embryo small, pulley-shaped, partly sunk in a shallow depression at the apex of the albumen. Leaves ovate, lanceolate or linear, parallel-veined, flat, sheathed at base; the uppermost often dissimilar and forming a kind of spathe.--Chiefly tropical.

1. Commelina. Cyme sessile within a cordate or connate bract (spathe). Petals unequal. Perfect stamens 3; filaments naked.

2. Tradescantia. Bracts leaf-like or small and scarious. Petals equal. Perfect stamens 6; filaments bearded.

1. COMMELÌNA, Dill. DAY-FLOWER.

Flowers irregular. Sepals somewhat colored, unequal; the 2 lateral partly united by their contiguous margins. Two lateral petals rounded or kidney-shaped, on long claws, the odd one smaller. Stamens unequal, 3 of them fertile, one of which is bent inward; 3 of them sterile and smaller, with imperfect cross-shaped anthers; filaments naked. Capsule 3-celled, two of the cells 2-seeded, the other 1-seeded or abortive.--Stems branching, often procumbent and rooting at the joints. Leaves contracted at base into sheathing petioles; the floral one heart-shaped and clasping, folded together or hooded, forming a spathe enclosing the flowers, which expand for a single morning and are recurved on their pedicel before and afterwards. Petals blue. Flowering all summer. Ours all with perennial roots, or propagating by striking root from the joints. (Dedicated to the early Dutch botanists. J. and G. Commelin.)

[*] Ventral cells 2-ovuled (usually 2-seeded), the dorsal 1-ovuled.

1. C. nudiflòra, L. Slender and creeping, glabrous; leaves lanceolate, small (1--2´ long); spathe cordate, acute, with margins not united; seeds reticulated. (C. Cayennensis, Richard.)--Alluvial banks, Del. to Fla., west to Ind., Mo. and Tex.

2. C. hirtélla, Vahl. Stout, erect (2--4° high); leaves large, lanceolate, the sheaths brown-bearded; spathes crowded, with margins united; seeds smooth. (C. erecta, Gray, Man., not L.)--River-banks, Penn. to Fla., west to Mo. and Tex.

[*][*] Cells 1-ovuled, 1-seeded; seeds smooth; spathe cucullate; roots sub-tuberous.

3. C. erécta, L. Slender, often low; leaves linear; cells all dehiscent.--Penn. to Fla.

4. C. Virgínica, L. Slender, usually tall; leaves lanceolate to linear; dorsal cell indehiscent, scabrous.--Damp rich woods and banks, southern N. Y. to Fla., west to Mich., Iowa, and Mo.

2. TRADESCÁNTIA, L. SPIDERWORT.

Flowers regular. Sepals herbaceous. Petals all alike, ovate, sessile. Stamens all fertile; filaments bearded. Capsule 2--3-celled, the cells 1--2-seeded.--Perennials. Stems mucilaginous, mostly upright, nearly simple, leafy. Leaves keeled. Flowers ephemeral, in umbelled clusters, axillary and terminal, produced through the summer; floral leaves nearly like the others. (Named for the elder Tradescant, gardener to Charles the First of England.)

[*] Umbels terminal or sometimes lateral, sessile, subtended by 1 or 2 leaf-like bracts; leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate, flowers blue.

1. T. Virgínica, L. (COMMON SPIDERWORT.) Roots fleshy-fibrous, smooth or only slightly villous, more or less glaucous, often tall and slender and with linear leaves, rather rarely with 1 or 2 long lateral peduncles; bracts usually a pair.--Rich ground, N. Y. to Fla., west to Minn., Tex., and the Rocky Mts. Very variable.--Var. VILLÒSA, Watson. Often dwarf, more or less villous throughout as well as pubescent. Mississippi valley and Gulf States.--Var. FLEXUÒSA, Watson. Stout and dark green, with large linear-lanceolate pubescent leaves, the stem usually flexuous, and with several short lateral branches or sessile axillary heads. (T. flexuosa, Raf.)--Ohio to Ky. and Ga. T. pilosa, Lehm., is an intermediate form.

[*][*] Umbel pedunculate, subtended by small subscarious bracts; flowers small, rose-color.

2. T. ròsea, Vent. Small, slender (6--10´ high), smooth, erect from a running rootstock; leaves very narrowly linear, grass-like.--Sandy woods, Md. to Fla., west to Ky. and Mo.

ORDER 121. JUNCÀCEÆ. (RUSH FAMILY.)

Grass-like or rush-like herbs, with small flowers, a regular and hypogynous persistent perianth of 6 similar glumaceous sepals, 6 or rarely 3 stamens with 2-celled anthers, a single short style, 3 filiform hairy stigmas, and an ovary either 3-celled or 1-celled with 3 parietal placentæ, forming a loculicidal 3-valved capsule. Seeds anatropous, with a minute embryo enclosed at the base of the fleshy albumen.--Flowers liliaceous in structure, but sedge-like in aspect and texture.

1. Juncus. Capsule 3-celled (or imperfectly so), many-seeded. Plants never hairy, in moist ground or water.

2. Luzula. Capsule 1-celled, 3-seeded. Plant, often hairy, in dry ground.

1. JÚNCUS, Tourn. RUSH. BOG-RUSH.

Capsule many-seeded, 3-celled, or 1-celled by the placentæ not reaching the axis. Stamens when 3 opposite the 3 outer sepals.--Chiefly perennials, and in wet soil or water, with pithy or hollow and simple (rarely branching) stems, and panicled or clustered small (greenish or brownish) flowers, chiefly in summer. Plant never hairy. (The classical name, from jungo, to join, alluding to the use of the stems for bands.)

§ 1. Stems leafless and scape-like, from matted running rootstocks, sheathed at base; the sheaths sometimes bearing terete knotless leaves like the scape; flowers in sessile apparently lateral panicles, the involucral leaf being similar to and continuing the scape.--JUNCUS proper.

[*] Flowers solitary on the pedicels or ultimate ramifications of the panicle.

[+] Sheaths at base of the stem leafless.

[++] Stamens 3.

1. J. effùsus, L. (COMMON or SOFT RUSH.) Scape soft and pliant (2--4° high); inner sheaths awned; panicle diffusely much branched, many-flowered; flowers small (1¼´´ long), greenish; sepals lanceolate, very acute, as long as the narrow triangular-obovate retuse and pointless greenish-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style very short; seeds small (about ¼´´ long), with short pale points.--Marshy ground, very common. (Eu.)--Var. CONGLOMERÀTUS, Engelm. Scape more distinctly striate; panicle closely crowded; capsule short-pointed. In sphagnous swamps.

[++][++] Stamens 6.

2. J. filifórmis, L. Scape very slender (1--2° high), pliant; panicle few-flowered, almost simple; flowers 1½´´ long; sepals lanceolate, the inner a little shorter and less acute, longer than the broadly ovate obtuse but mucronate greenish capsule; anthers shorter than the filaments; style very short; seed (less than {1/3}´´ long) short-pointed at both ends, indistinctly reticulated.--N. Eng. to Mich., Neb., and northward. (Eu.)

3. J. Smíthii, Engelm. Scape rather slender (2--3° high); panicle few-flowered, nearly simple; flowers brown (1¼´´ long); outer sepals lanceolate, acute, the inner a little shorter, obtusish, shorter than the broadly ovate rather triangular acute deep chestnut-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style short; seeds large ({1/3}´´ long or more), obtuse, short-appendaged at both ends, many-ribbed and reticulated.--Sphagnous swamps, on Broad Mt. and in Lebanon Co., Penn.

4. J. Bálticus, Dethard, var. littoràlis, Engelm. Scape rigid (2--3° high); panicle loose; flowers larger (2´´ long), chestnut-brown with green; sepals ovate-lanceolate, the outer sharp-pointed, the inner obtusish, as long as the elliptical rather triangular obtuse and mucronate deep brown capsule; anthers much longer than the broad filaments; style about the length of the ovary; seeds rather large (½´´ long or more), nearly obtuse, delicately ribbed and cross lined.--Sandy shores, Newf. to Mass., west to Penn., along the Great Lakes, and westward.--Var. MONTÀNUS, Engelm. Sepals nearly equal; anthers 4 times longer than the filament; capsule ovate-pyramidal, angled, beaked; seeds smaller, narrower, apiculate.--Minn., west and northward.

[+][+] Innermost sheaths leaf-bearing; stamens 6.

5. J. setàceus, Rostkovius. Scape slender (1--3° high); panicle loose, rather few-flowered; flowers greenish (2´´ long); sepals lanceolate, sharp-pointed, especially the 3 shining exterior ones, spreading in fruit, as long as the nearly globose beak-pointed greenish or light-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style conspicuous; seeds ({1/3}´´ long) almost globose, ribbed and cross-lined.--Va. to Fla., west to Mo. and La.

[*][*] Flowers in clusters, 6-androus; innermost sheaths at base of stem leaf-bearing.

6. J. Rœmeriànus, Scheele. Scape stout and rigid (2--3° high), its apex as well as the leaves pungent; panicle compound, open and spreading, brown; 3--6 greenish or light-brown flowers (1½´´ long) in a cluster; outer sepals lanceolate, sharp-pointed, longer than the obtusish inner ones, as long as the elliptical rather triangular obtuse mucronate brown capsule; anthers much longer than the broad filaments; styles shorter than the ovary; seeds ({1/3}´´ long) oval, obtuse, very delicately ribbed.--Brackish marshes, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.

7. J. marítimus, L. Resembling the last, but with a rigid contracted green panicle, an ovary attenuated into a style of nearly its own length, a greenish acute capsule which usually exceeds the acute sepals, and seeds with distinct tails and stronger ribs.--Known in this country only from Coney Island, N. Y., where it is apparently indigenous. (Eu.)

§ 2. Stems simple (rarely branched), leafy at base or throughout; leaves flat, or somewhat terete or setaceous and channelled, never knotted; panicle or head terminal.--GRASSY-LEAVED JUNCI.

[*] Flowers in close heads (produced in late summer).

[+] Leaves thread-like, hollow; stamens 6; seeds few, large and caudate; the single head (sometimes 2) 1--4-flowered.

8. J. stýgius, L. Stems slender (6--16´ high) from slender branching rootstocks, 1--3-leaved below, naked above; heads 1 or rarely 2, of 3--4-flowers, about the length of the sheathing scarious awl-pointed bract; flowers pale and reddish (2½--3´´ long); sepals lanceolate, the inner obtusish, ¾ the length of the oblong acuminate capsule, as long as the slender stamens; filaments many times longer than the oblong anthers; recurved stigmas shorter than the style; seeds oblong, with a very loose coat prolonged at both ends (1½´´ long).--Peat-bogs, Newf. to northern N. Y., west to Mich. and N. Minn. (Eu.)

9. J. trífidus, L. Stems densely tufted from matted creeping rootstocks, erect (5--10´ high), sheathed and mostly leafless at base, 2--3-leaved at the summit, the upper thread-like leaves subtending the sessile head; flowers brown (1½--2´´ long); sepals ovate-lanceolate, acute, equalling or rather shorter than the ovate beak-pointed deep brown capsule; anthers much longer than the filaments; seeds few, oblong, angled (1´´ long), short-tailed.--Alpine summits of N. Eng. and N. Y., and far northward; also in N. J. (Eu.)

[+][+] Leaves flat and grass-like; stamens 3; stems flattened, simple, leafy.

10. J. rèpens, Michx. Stems ascending (4--6´ high) from a fibrous annual root, at length creeping or floating; leaves short, linear, those of the stem nearly opposite and fascicled; heads few in a loose leafy panicle, 3--12-flowered; flowers green (3´´ long); sepals rigid, lance-subulate, slender-pointed, the 3 outer as long as the linear triangular obtuse capsule, the inner much longer; stamens as long as the outer sepals; filaments many times longer than the oblong anthers; seeds small ({1/5}´´ long), obovate, slightly pointed, very delicately ribbed and cross-lined.--Miry banks, Md. to Fla. and La.

11. J. marginàtus, Rostk. Stem erect, from a bulbous and stoloniferous base (1--3° high); leaves long-linear; heads 3--8-flowered, panicled; flowers purplish with green (1½´´ long); sepals oblong, the 3 outer acute and slightly awned, the inner longer, mostly obtuse, as long as the almost globular scarcely mucronate capsule; stamens exceeding the outer sepals; purple anthers shorter than the filaments; style very short; seeds (¼--{1/3}´´ long) slender, pointed at both ends and strongly ribbed.--Moist sandy places, S. New Eng. to Fla., west to Mich., Mo., and Tex.--Var. PAUCICAPITÀTUS, Engelm., has few large 8--15-flowered heads; and var. BIFLÒRUS, Engelm., has numerous small 2--3-flowered heads in much-branched panicles.

[*][*] Flowers solitary, panicled; stamens 6.

[+] Stems slender, simple, tufted, leafy below; root perennial (fl. early in summer).

[++] Seeds tail-pointed at both ends.

12. J. Vàseyi, Engelm. Stems rigid (1--2½° high); leaves nearly terete, very slightly channelled on the inner side; panicle longer than the involucral leaf, loose; flowers few, often one-sided, greenish or light brown (2´´ long or more); sepals lanceolate, acute, appressed, shorter than the oblong and retuse green-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style very short; seeds slender (½--{2/3}´´ long), closely ribbed.--N. Maine (Pringle); Mich. to Iowa and westward.

13. J. Greénii, Oakes & Tuckerm. Stems rigid (1--2° high); leaves nearly terete, very deeply channelled (almost involute) on the inner side; panicle usually much shorter than the principal erect involucral leaf, dense, the numerous flowers often one-sided (1¾´´ long); sepals lanceolate, acute, light greenish-brown, appressed, shorter than the ovoid-oblong obtuse greenish-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style very short; seeds ovoid ({1/3}--{2/5}´´ long), ribbed and delicately cross-lined.--Sandy coast of N. Eng., N. Y., and N. J., and on the east shore of Lake Michigan.

[++][++] Seeds merely apiculate at both ends.

14. J. ténuis, Willd. Stem wiry (9--18´ high); leaves flat or channelled; panicle shorter than the involucral leaves, loose, or rarely crowded; flowers green (2´´ long or more); sepals lanceolate, very acute, spreading in fruit, longer than the ovoid retuse scarcely pointed green capsule; anthers nearly equal to the filaments; style very short; seeds small (about ¼´´ long), delicately ribbed and cross-lined.--Fields and roadsides, very common. (Eu.)--Var. SECÚNDUS, Engelm.; flowers smaller, secund along the incurved branches. N. Eng. to Penn. and Del.--Var. CONGÉSTUS, Engelm.; branches contracted into a head and the flowers darker-colored. Minn. and westward.

15. J. dichótomus, Ell. Stems rigid (1½--2° high) from a tumid base; leaves filiform, nearly terete, slightly grooved on the inner side; panicle loose, often with 1-sided forked branches, mostly longer than the involucral leaf; flowers greenish (2´´ long or more); sepals lanceolate, sharp-pointed, spreading in fruit, as long as the globular beaked light mahogany-colored capsule; anthers nearly as long as the filaments; style short; seeds small ({1/5}--¼´´ long), coarsely cross-lined.--Low sandy grounds, N. J. to Fla.

16. J. Gerárdi, Loisel. (BLACK-GRASS.) Stems scarcely flattened, rigid (1--2° high); panicle contracted, usually longer than the bracteal leaf; flowers chestnut-brown with green (1¾´´ long); sepals oval-oblong, obtuse, incurved, as long as the oval obtuse and mucronate capsule; anthers much longer than the short filaments; style as long as the ovary; seeds (nearly {1/3}´´ long) obovate, delicately ribbed and cross-lined.--Salt marshes; common along the coast and in W. New York; rare about the Great Lakes. (Eu.)

[+][+] Stems branched, diffuse, leafy; root annual, fibrous.

17. J. bufònius, L. Stems low and slender (3--9´ high), leafy, often branched from the base; panicle spreading, mostly with one-sided dichotomous branches; flowers remote, greenish (2--3½´´ long); sepals linear-lanceolate, awl-pointed, the 3 outer much exceeding the inner and the oblong obtuse capsule; stamens short; filaments scarcely longer than the anthers, seeds elliptical, obtuse ({1/5}--{1/6}´´ long).--Low grounds, by roadsides; common. (Eu.)

§ 3. Stems leafy; leaves terete or laterally flattened, more or less distinctly knotted by internal transverse partitions; panicle terminal, with flowers chiefly in heads.--KNOTTY-LEAVED JUNCI.

[*] Seeds barely pointed, not caudate.

[+] Flowers solitary or 2 together, panicled; stamens 6.

18. J. pelocárpus, E. Meyer. Stems slender and erect from a slender running rootstock (6--18´ high), bearing few thread-like slightly knotted leaves, branching above into a compound spreading panicle, bearing the flowers in the forks and along one side of the branches; often with the flowers or in place of them are tufts of leaves; flowers small (1--1¼´´ long), greenish with red; sepals oblong, obtuse, the 3 inner ones longer, but shorter than the oblong taper-beaked, 1-celled capsule; anthers much longer than the filaments; style slender; seeds (¼´´ long) obovate, short-pointed.--Sandy, wet or swampy places, Newf. to Fla., west along the Great Lakes to Minn. The proliferous plants are usually sterile and much larger, with larger diffuse panicles.--Var. SÚBTILIS, Engelm. Creeping or floating, with a single pair of flowers at the end of the short stems.--Somerset Co., Maine (C. E. Smith); Canada.

[+][+] Heads numerous, of 3--12-flowers (rarely more); in early summer.

[++] Stamens 6.

19. J. articulàtus, L. Stems ascending or erect (9--15´ high), tufted from a short creeping rootstock, with 1 or 2 slender leaves; panicle short, spreading, the crowded heads 3--8-flowered; flowers brown, rarely pale (1¼--1½´´ long); sepals lance-oblong, acute or mucronate, or the 3 inner obtuse and a little longer, shorter than the ovate-oblong acute or abruptly mucronate-pointed incompletely 3-celled commonly deep chestnut-brown shining capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; ovary attenuate into a short style; seeds (less than {1/3}´´ long) obovate, attenuate below, abruptly pointed above.--Wet grounds, Newf. to Del., west to western N. Y. and Mich. (Eu.)

20. J. alpìnus, Villars, var. insígnis, Fries. Stems erect (9--18´ high) from a creeping rootstock, with 1 or 2 slender leaves; panicle meagre, with erect branches bearing distant greenish or light-brown heads, each of 3--6 flowers (1¼--1½´´ long); sepals oblong, obtuse, the outer mucronate or cuspidate and usually longer than the rounded inner ones, as long as or shorter than the obtuse short-pointed incompletely 3-celled light-brown capsule; anthers as long as the filaments; style short; seeds ({1/3}´´ or more in length) spindle-shaped.--Wet sandy banks, L. Champlain, Cayuga Lake, along the Great Lakes, and far west and northward. (Eu.)

21. J. militàris, Bigel. Stem stout (2--4° high) from a thick creeping rootstock, bearing a solitary stout erect leaf (½--3½° long) below the middle, which overtops the crowded and rather contracted panicle; heads numerous, 5--12- (rarely 25-) flowered; flowers brownish (1½´´ long); sepals lanceolate, the outer awl-pointed, as long as the ovate-oblong triangular taper-beaked 1-celled capsule; anthers longer than the filaments; ovary attenuate into a slender style; seeds (¼--{1/3}´´ long) globose-obovate, obtuse, abruptly pointed.--In bogs and streams, Maine to Md. Sometimes producing, in flowing water, numberless capillary submersed leaves, 2--3° long, from the rootstock.

[++][++] Stamens 3.

22. J. acuminàtus, Michx. Stems tufted, erect, slender (1--2° long), bearing about 2 leaves and a very loose spreading panicle; heads rather few and large, 5--many-flowered, greenish, at length straw-colored or darker; sepals lance-awl-shaped, sharp-pointed, equal (1½--2´´ long), as long as the triangular-prismatic short-pointed 1-celled straw-colored or light brown capsule; anthers a little shorter than the filaments; style almost none; seeds small ({1/5}--{1/4}´´ long), acute at both ends, ribbed-reticulated.--N. Eng. to Ga., Minn. and Tex. May, June. Very variable. Heads often proliferous in autumn.

Var. débilis, Engelm. Stems slender (9--18´ high); heads green, 3--6-flowered, in a loose panicle; flowers smaller (1¼--1½´´ long); capsule longer than the sepals.--Wet sandy soil, N. J. to S. C., west to Ohio, Mo., and Miss. Stem sometimes decumbent and rooting.

Var. robústus, Engelm. Stems stout, tall (2--4° high), bearing numerous 5--8-flowered light-brown heads in a large much-branched panicle; flowers small (1--1{1/5}´´ long); ovoid capsule scarcely longer than the sepals.--Deep swamps, Ill. to Mo. and La.

[+][+][+] Heads few, crowded, of numerous flowers.

[++] Stamens 3; stem rigid from a thick white horizontal rootstock.

23. J. brachycárpus, Engelm. Stem erect (1--2½° high), bearing about 2 leaves and 2--10 densely flowered spherical heads (4--5´´ wide) in a slightly spreading crowded panicle much exceeding the involucral leaf; flowers pale green (2´´ long); sepals lance-linear, awl-pointed, the 3 outer much longer than the inner, and the ovoid pointed 1-celled capsule rather shorter; anthers much shorter than the filaments; style very short; seeds ({1/5}´´ long) abruptly apiculate.--Moist places in open woods and prairies, Ohio and Mich. to Mo., Miss., and Tex.

24. J. scirpoìdes, Lam. Stem erect (1--3° high), rather slender, bearing about 2 terete leaves with wide and open sheaths, and a panicle of few or many densely-flowered pale-green spherical heads, much longer than the involucral leaf, its branches erect and often elongated; heads (3--4´´ wide) 15--40-flowered; flowers 1¼--1½´´ long; sepals rigid, awl-shaped and (especially the outer) bristly pointed, at length pungent, as long as the stamens and nearly equalling the oblong-triangular taper-pointed 1-celled capsule; anthers very small; style elongated or very short, seeds ovoid, abruptly pointed at each end (¼´´ long).--Wet sandy soil, Mass. to N. J. and S. C., west to Ind., Mo., and Tex.

Var. echinàtus, Engelm. Stouter; leaves terete; branches of the compact panicle short; heads larger (5--6´´ wide), 40--80-flowered; flowers 1¾--2´´ long); sepals narrower and more sharply pointed, the outer a little longer than the inner; stamens shorter and anthers longer than in the preceding, and seeds rather smaller and more slender.--Md. to Fla.

Var. polycéphalus, Engelm. Much stouter; leaves laterally flattened (3--6´´ wide); panicle spreading, branched, bearing many distant heads as large as in the last; flowers 2--2½´´ long; the 3 outer sepals the longer; anthers about as long as the filaments; seeds larger ({1/3}´´ long).--S. Va. to Fla., west to Mo. and Tex.

[++][++] Stamens 6.

25. J. nodòsus, L. Stem erect (6--15' or 2° high), slender from a creeping thread-like and tuber-bearing rootstock, mostly with 2 or 3 slender leaves; heads few or several, rarely single, 8--20-flowered (3½--4´´ wide), overtopped by the involucral leaf; flowers brown (1½--2´´ long); sepals lance-linear, awl-pointed (the 3 outer mostly a little shorter), nearly as long as the slender triangular taper-pointed 1-celled capsule; anthers oblong, shorter than the filaments; style very short; seeds (about ¼´´ long) obovate, abruptly mucronate.--Swamps and gravelly banks, N. J. and Penn. to N. Ind. and Iowa, and northward.--July, Aug.--Var. MEGACÉPHALUS, Torr. Stem stout (1--3° high), with thick leaves; heads few and large (6--8´´ wide), 30--80-flowered; flowers pale green (2¼--2¾´´ long); outer sepals longest; anthers linear, shorter than the filaments.--Western N. Y. to Minn. and Mo., and westward.

[*][*] Seeds caudate.

[+] Stamens 3.

26. J. Canadénsis, J. Gay. Tufted stems erect, terete, smooth, bearing 2--3 leaves; heads few- or many-flowered, paniculate; sepals lanceolate, the 3 outer shorter than the inner, not much longer than the stamens, equal to or shorter than the triangular-prismatic almost 1-celled usually short-pointed capsule; style mostly short; seeds more or less distinctly tail pointed, delicately many ribbed.--Common almost everywhere. Aug., Sept. Easily distinguished by its late flowering from the similar n. 22. Very variable.

Var. longicaudàtus, Engelm. Stem stout and rigid (1½--3° high), bearing in a decompound somewhat spreading panicle the numerous 5--50-flowered heads; flowers greenish or light brown (1½--2´´ long); sepals awl-pointed, mostly shorter than the abruptly short-pointed capsule; seeds slender ({2/3}--1´´ long), conspicuously tail-pointed.--Mass. to S. C., west to Minn. and La. The most common form.

Var. subcaudàtus, Engelm. Stem slender, often decumbent (1--2° high), bearing in simpler spreading panicles fewer 8--20-flowered heads; flowers greenish, as large as in the last; sepals awl-shaped, but not so rigid; capsule mostly tapering; seeds large (½--{2/3}´´ long), with short white membranous appendages, not reticulated.--Conn. to Penn. and Ga.

Var. brachycéphalus, Engelm. Stem slender (1½--2½° high), bearing numerous small 3--5-flowered heads in a large spreading panicle; flowers greenish or light brown (1¼--1½´´ long); sepals mostly obtuse, shorter than the brown abruptly short-pointed capsule; style longer than in other forms; seeds smaller (¼--{1/3}´´ long), slender, with rather short appendages.--Penn. and western N. Y., to Wisc. and Ill.

Var. coarctàtus, Engelm. Stem slender, shorter (9--18´ high), bearing fewer deep-brown 3--5-flowered heads in a somewhat erect contracted panicle; flowers as large as in the last; sepals acute, or rarely obtusish, much shorter than the prismatic abruptly pointed deep-brown capsule; seeds as in the last.--N. Eng. to N. J., N. Minn., and westward.

[+][+] Stamens 6.

27. J. ásper, Engelm. Stems tufted, erect (2--3° high), terete, stout, rigid, and with the rigid leaves rough; panicle with rigid slightly spreading branches, bearing scattered few- (2--6-) flowered heads; flowers greenish with brown (2½´´ long); sepals ovate-lanceolate, awl-pointed, rigid and strongly nerved, the outer much shorter than the inner, these a little shorter than the triangular-ovoid beaked incompletely 3-celled brown capsule, ovary tapering into a conspicuous style; seeds large, oblong, with white or often reddish appendages (1¼´´ long).--Sphagnous swamps, N. J. Aug.

2. LÙZULA, DC. WOOD-RUSH.

Capsule 1-celled, 3-seeded, one seed to each parietal placenta.--Perennials, often hairy, usually in dry ground, with flat and soft usually hairy leaves, and spiked-crowded or umbelled flowers. (From Gramen Luzulæ, or Luxulæ, dim. of lux, light,--a name given to one of the species from its shining with dew.)

[*] Pedicels 1-flowered, in a loose compound cyme or umbel.

1. L. vernàlis, DC. Plant 6--9´ high; leaves lance-linear, hairy; umbel mostly simple; sepals pointed, shorter than the obtuse capsule; seeds with a curved appendage, (L. pilosa, Willd.)--Woods and banks, Newf. to the mountains of N. C., west to Minn. (Eu.)

2. L. spadícea, DC., var. melanocárpa, Meyer. Nearly smooth (1--3° high); leaves broadly linear; corymb decompound, loose; pedicels drooping; sepals pointed, straw-color, about the length of the minutely pointed and brown capsule; seeds not appendaged. (L. parviflora, var. melanocarpa, Gray.)--Mountains of Maine, Vt., and northern N. Y., to Mich. and N. Minn. (Eu.)

[*][*] Flowers crowded in spikes or close clusters. (Plants 6--12´ high.)

3. L. campéstris, DC. Leaves flat, linear; spikes 4--12, somewhat umbelled, ovoid, straw-color, some of them long-peduncled, others nearly sessile; sepals bristle-pointed, longer than the obtuse capsules; seeds with a conical appendage at base.--Dry fields and woods, common. May. (Eu.)

4. L. arcuàta, Meyer. Leaves channelled, linear; spikes 3--5, on unequal often recurved peduncles, ovoid, chestnut-brown; bracts ciliate-fringed; sepals taper-pointed, longer than the obtuse capsule; seeds not appendaged.--Alpine summits of the White Mts. and far northward. (Eu.)

5. L. spicàta, Desvaux. Leaves channelled, narrowly linear; flowers in sessile clusters, forming a nodding interrupted spiked panicle, brown; sepals bristle-pointed, scarcely as long as the abruptly short-pointed capsule; seeds merely with a roundish projection at base.--With the last, and more common. (Eu.)

ORDER 122. TYPHÀCEÆ. (CAT-TAIL FAMILY.)

Marsh or aquatic herbs, with nerved and linear sessile leaves, and monœcious flowers on a spadix or in heads, destitute of proper floral envelopes. Ovary 1--2-celled, with as many persistent styles and (usually elongated) 1-sided stigmas; cells 1-ovuled. Fruit nut-like when ripe, 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded. Seed suspended, anatropous; embryo straight in copious albumen. Root perennial.

1. Typha. Flowers in a cylindrical compact terminal spike, spathe-like bract deciduous.

2. Sparganium. Flowers in globular heads with foliaceous bracts.

1. TỲPHA, Tourn. (CAT-TAIL FLAG.)

Flowers in a long and very dense cylindrical spike terminating the stem; the upper part consisting of stamens only, inserted directly on the axis, and intermixed with long hairs; the lower part consisting of stipitate 1-celled ovaries, the stipes bearing club-shaped bristles, which form the copious down of the fruit. Nutlets minute, very long-stalked.--Spathes merely deciduous bracts, or none. Root-stocks creeping. Leaves long, sheathing the base of the simple jointless stems, erect, thickish. Flowering in summer. (Τύφη, the old Greek name.)

1. T. latifòlia, L. (COMMON CAT-TAIL.) Stout and tall (4--6° high), the flat sheathing leaves 3--10´´ broad, exceeding the stem; the staminate and dark brown pistillate parts of the spike (each 3--6´ long or more) usually contiguous, the latter at length 1´ in diameter; pistillate flowers without bractlets; stigma rhombic-lanceolate; pollen-grains in fours.--In marshes, throughout N. Am. (Eu.)

2. T. angustifòlia, L. Leaves narrower (3--6´´ broad), taller, somewhat convex on the back; pistillate and staminate inflorescence usually separated by a short interval, the light brown spike becoming 5--6´´ in diameter; pollen-grains simple; pistillate flowers with a linear stigma and a hair-like bractlet slightly dilated at the summit.--N. Eng. to N. J., west to Mich. and Mo.; less frequent, and mainly near the coast. (Eu.)

2. SPARGÀNIUM, Tourn. BUR-REED.

Flowers collected in separate dense and spherical leafy-bracted heads, which are scattered along the summit of the stem; the upper sterile, consisting merely of stamens, with minute scales irregularly interposed; the lower or fertile larger, consisting of numerous sessile 1--2-celled pistils, each surrounded by 3--6 scales much like a calyx. Fruit wedge-shaped or club-shaped, more or less corky toward the summit, the hard endocarp perforated at the apex.--Rootstocks creeping and stoloniferous; roots fibrous. Stems simple or branching, sheathed below by the base of the linear leaves. Flowering through the summer. (Name from σπάργανον, a fillet, from the ribbon-like leaves.)

[*] Fruit sessile, broad and truncate, often 2-seeded; stigmas often 2, elongated; scales rigid, nearly equalling the fruit; erect, with branched inflorescence.

1. S. eurycárpum, Engelm. Stems stout, erect (2--4° high); leaves mostly flat and merely keeled; pistil attenuate into a short style bearing 1 or 2 elongated stigmas; fruit-heads 2--6 or more, 1´ wide; fruit many-angled (3½--4´´ long) when mature, with a broad and depressed or retuse summit abruptly tipped in the centre.--Borders of ponds, lakes, and rivers, N. Eng. to Va., west to the Pacific.

[*][*] Fruit comparatively narrow, and mostly somewhat stipitate, 1-celled, longer than the scales.

2. S. símplex, Huds. Stems slender, erect (½--2° high); leaves more or less triquetrous (2½--4´´ wide); fertile heads (1--4) of the usually simple inflorescence often above the axils, sessile or peduncled, 6--8´´ wide in fruit; stigma linear, equalling the rather slender style or shorter; nutlets pale, fusiform or narrowly oblong (about 2´´ long), more or less contracted in the middle.--N. Eng. to N. J., west to Mich., Minn., and northward. (Eu.)

Var. andrócladum, Engelm. Stouter (1½--3° high), with usually broader leaves (4--9´´) and branching inflorescence, the head or peduncles axillary or nearly so; fruiting heads (1--7) often larger (6--12´´ broad), the nutlets 2--3´´ long. (S. androcladum, Morong.)--In bogs or shallow water, common; N. Eng. to Fla., west to Minn. and Mo.

Var. angustifòlium, Engelm. Very slender; leaves floating, long and narrow (½--2½´´ wide), flat; inflorescence simple; heads (4--6´´ broad) and nutlets smaller.--Mountain lakes and slow streams, N. Y., N. Eng., and northward; sometimes nearly out of water, dwarf and with shorter erect leaves.

Var. flùitans, Engelm. Floating in deep water, with long slender stems and flat narrow leaves; inflorescence usually short, sparingly branched; style stout with a short oval stigma; fruiting heads 4--6´´ broad; nutlets dark, as large as in the type. (S. androcladum, var. fluctuans, Morong.; not S. fluitans, Fries.)--Ponds, Penn., W. Conn., White Mts., N. Minn., and northward.

3. S. mínimum, Fries. Usually floating, with very slender stems and thin flat narrow leaves; fertile heads 1 or 2, axillary, sessile or peduncled (4--5´´ wide); stigma oval, about as long as the short style, scarcely surpassing the oval or obovate denticulate scales; fruit oblong-obovate (1--2´´ long), pointed, somewhat triangular, the stipe very short or none.--N. Eng. to Penn., N. Ind., Minn., north and westward.--Stems 3--6´ high when growing out of water, much longer when submerged. (Eu.)

ORDER 123. ARÀCEÆ. (ARUM FAMILY.)

Plants with acrid or pungent juice, simple or compound often veiny leaves, and flowers crowded on a spadix, which is usually surrounded by a spathe.--Floral envelopes none, or of 4--6 sepals. Fruit usually a berry. Seeds with fleshy albumen, or none, but filled with the large fleshy embryo. A large family, chiefly tropical. Herbage abounding in slender rhaphides.--The genuine Araceæ have no floral envelopes, and are almost all monœcious or diœcious; but the genera of the second section, with more highly developed flowers, are not to be separated.

[*] Spathe surrounding or subtending the spadix; flowers naked, i.e. without perianth.

1. Arisæma. Flowers monœcious or diœcious, covering only the base of the spadix.

2. Peltandra. Flowers monœcious, covering the spadix; anthers above, ovaries below.

3. Calla. Flowers perfect (at least the lower ones), covering the whole of the short spadix. Spathe open and spreading.

[*][*] Spathe surrounding the spadix in n. 4, none or imperfect in the rest; flowers with a calyx or perianth and perfect, covering the whole spadix.

4. Symplocarpus. Spadix globular, in a fleshy shell-shaped spathe. Stemless.

5. Orontium. Spadix narrow, naked, terminating the terete scape.

6. Acorus. Spadix cylindrical, borne on the side of a leaf-like scape.

1. ARISÆ̀MA, Martius. INDIAN TURNIP. DRAGON ARUM.

Spathe convolute below and mostly arched above. Flowers monœcious or by abortion diœcious, covering only the base of the spadix, which is elongated and naked above. Floral envelopes none. Sterile flowers above the fertile, each of a cluster of almost sessile 2--4-celled anthers, opening by pores or chinks at the top. Fertile flowers consisting each of a 1-celled ovary, tipped with a depressed stigma, and containing 5 or 6 orthotropous ovules erect from the base of the cell; in fruit a 1--few-seeded scarlet berry. Embryo in the axis of albumen.--Low perennial herbs, with a tuberous rootstock or corm, sending up a simple scape sheathed with the petioles of the simple or compound veiny leaves. (Name from ἀρίς, a kind of arum, and αἷμα, blood, from the spotted leaves of some species.)

1. A. triphýllum, Torr. (INDIAN TURNIP.) Leaves mostly 2, divided into 3 elliptical-ovate pointed leaflets; spadix mostly diœcious, club-shaped, obtuse, much shorter than the spathe, which is flattened and incurved-hooded at the ovate-lanceolate, pointed summit.--Rich woods, N. Scotia to Fla., west to Minn. and E. Kan. May.--Corm turnip-shaped, wrinkled, farinaceous, with an intensely acrid juice; spathe with the petioles and sheaths green, or often variegated with dark purple and whitish stripes or spots.

2. A. Dracóntium, Schott. (GREEN DRAGON. DRAGON-ROOT.) Leaf usually solitary, pedately divided into 7--11 oblong-lanceolate pointed leaflets; spadix often androgynous, tapering to a long and slender point beyond the oblong and convolute pointed greenish spathe.--Low grounds, N. Eng. to Fla., west to Minn., E. Kan., and Tex. June.--Corms clustered; petiole 1--2° long, much longer than the peduncle.

2. PELTÁNDRA, Raf. ARROW ARUM.

Spathe elongated, convolute throughout or with a dilated blade above. Flowers monœcious, thickly covering the long and tapering spadix throughout (or only its apex naked). Floral envelopes none. Anthers sessile, naked, covering all the upper part of the spadix, each of 5 or 6 cells imbedded in the margin of a thick and shield-shaped connective, opening by a terminal pore. Ovaries at the base of the spadix, each surrounded by 4--5 staminodia connate into a cup, 1-celled, bearing 1--few amphitropous or nearly orthotropous ovules at the base; stigma almost sessile. Fruit a leathery or fleshy berry, 1--3-seeded. Seed obovate, surrounded by a tenacious jelly, the base empty, the upper part filled with a large and fleshy spherical embryo; no albumen.--Stemless herbs, with arrow-shaped leaves and simple scapes from a thick-fibrous or subtuberous root. Fruit in a globose cluster, enclosed by the persistent fleshy base of the spathe. (Name from πέλτη, a target, and ἀνήρ, for stamen, from the shape of the latter.)

1. P. undulàta, Raf. Root of thick tufted fibres; scape 1--1½° high, about equalling the leaves; basal lobes of the leaves rather long and often acutish; spathe convolute throughout, wavy on the margin, mostly green, 4--7´ long; sterile portion of the spadix several times longer than the pistillate; ovules several; fruit green; seeds 1--3. (P. Virginica, Kunth, and most authors.)--Shallow water, New Eng. to Fla., west to Mich. and Ind. June.

2. P. álba, Raf. Rootstock tuberous, covered with thick-fleshy roots and propagating by offshoots; lobes of the leaves mostly short and broad, obtuse; spathe 3--4´ long, the blade broader, acuminate, somewhat expanded, white; sterile part of the spadix scarcely longer than the pistillate; ovules and seeds solitary; berry scarlet, 5--6´´ long. (P. Virginica, Schott. Xanthosoma sagittifolia, Chapm., not Schott. Caladium glaucum, Ell. Arum Virginicum, L., in part?)--Marshes, S. Va.(?) and N. C. to Fla.

3. CÁLLA, L. WATER ARUM.

Spathe open and spreading, ovate (abruptly pointed, the upper surface white), persistent. Spadix oblong, entirely covered with flowers; the lower perfect and 6-androus; the upper often of stamens only. Floral envelopes none. Filaments slender; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise. Ovary 1-celled, with 5--9 erect anatropous ovules; stigma almost sessile. Berries (red) distinct, few-seeded. Seeds with a conspicuous rhaphe and an embryo nearly the length of the hard albumen.--A low perennial herb, growing in cold bogs, with a long creeping rootstock, bearing heart-shaped long-petioled leaves, and solitary scapes. (An ancient name, of unknown meaning.)

1. C. palústris, L.--Cold bogs, N. Scotia to N. J., west to Mich. and Minn., and northward. June.--Seeds surrounded with jelly. (Eu.)

4. SYMPLOCÁRPUS, Salisb. SKUNK CABBAGE.

Spathe hooded-shell-form, pointed, very thick and fleshy, decaying in fruit. Spadix globular, short-stalked, entirely and densely covered with perfect flowers, their 1-celled or abortively 2-celled ovaries immersed in the fleshy receptacle. Sepals 4, hooded. Stamens 4, opposite the sepals, with at length rather slender filaments; anthers extrorse, 2-celled, opening lengthwise. Style 4-angled and awl-shaped; stigma small. Ovule solitary, suspended, anatropous. Fruit a globular or oval mass, composed of the enlarged and spongy spadix, enclosing the spherical seeds just beneath the surface, which is roughened with the persistent fleshy sepals and pyramidal styles. Seeds filled by the large globular and fleshy corm-like embryo, which bears one or several plumules at the end next the base of the ovary; albumen none.--Perennial herb, with a strong odor like that of the skunk, and also somewhat alliaceous; a very thick rootstock, bearing a multitude of long and coarse fibrous roots, and a cluster of very large and broad entire veiny leaves, preceded in earliest spring by the nearly sessile spathes, which barely rise out of the ground. (Name from συμπλοκή, connection, and καρπός, fruit, in allusion to the coalescence of the ovaries into a compound fruit.)

1. S. fœ̀tidus, Salisb. Leaves ovate, cordate, becoming 1--2° long, short-petioled; spathe spotted and striped with purple and yellowish-green, ovate, incurved; fruit (in autumn) 2--3´ in diam., in decay shedding the bulblet-like seeds, which are 4--6´´ long.--Bogs and moist grounds, N. Scotia to N. C., west to Minn. and Iowa.

5. ORÓNTIUM, L., GOLDEN-CLUB.

Spathe incomplete and distant, merely a leaf-sheath investing the lower part of the slender scape, and bearing a small and imperfect bract-like blade. Flowers crowded all over the narrow spadix, perfect; the lower with 6 concave sepals and 6 stamens; the upper ones with 4. Filaments flattened; anthers 2-celled, opening obliquely lengthwise. Ovary 1-celled, with an anatropous ovule; stigma sessile, entire. Fruit a green utricle. Seed without albumen. Embryo thick and fleshy, "with a large concealed cavity at the summit, the plumule curved in a groove on the outside." (Torr.)--An aquatic perennial, with a deep rootstock, long-petioled and entire oblong and nerved floating leaves, and the spadix terminating the elongated scape; its rather club-shaped emersed apex as thick as the spadix. (Origin of the name obscure.)

1. O. aquáticum, L.--Ponds, Mass. to Fla. May.

6. ÁCORUS, L. SWEET FLAG. CALAMUS.

Spadix cylindrical, lateral, sessile, emerging from the side of a simple 2-edged scape which resembles the leaves, densely covered with perfect flowers. Sepals 6, concave. Stamens 6; filaments linear; anthers kidney-shaped, 1-celled, opening across. Ovary 2--3-celled, with several pendulous orthotropous ovules in each cell; stigma minute. Fruit at length dry, gelatinous inside, 1--few-seeded. Embryo in the axis of albumen.--Pungent aromatic plants, especially the thick creeping rootstocks (calamus of the shops), which send up 2-edged sword-like leaves, and scapes somewhat like them, bearing the spadix on one edge; the upper and more foliaceous prolongation sometimes considered as a kind of open spathe. (Ἄκορας, the ancient name, of no known meaning.)

1. A. Cálamus, L. Scape leaf-like and prolonged far beyond the (yellowish-green) spadix.--Margins of rivulets, swamps, etc., N. Scotia to Fla., west to Minn., Iowa, and E. Kan.

ORDER 124. LEMNÀCEÆ. (DUCKWEED FAMILY.)

Minute stemless plants, floating free on the water, destitute of distinct stem and foliage, being merely a frond, producing one or few monœcious flowers from the edge or upper surface, and commonly hanging roots from underneath; ovules rising from the base of the cell. Fruit a 1--7-seeded utricle. Seed large; the apex or radicular extremity of the seed-coat separable as an operculum or lid (as in Cabomba, etc.). Embryo straight, surrounded by fleshy or sometimes very scanty albumen.--The simplest, and some of them the smallest of flowering plants, propagating by the proliferous growth of a new individual from a cleft in the edge or base of the parent frond, remaining connected for some time or separating, also by autumnal fronds in the form of minute bulblets, which sink to the bottom of the water, but rise and vegetate in spring; the flowers (in summer) and fruit scarce, in some species hardly ever seen. Frond more or less cavernous; the upper surface furnished with stomata.--These plants may be regarded as very simplified Araceæ.

1. Spirodela. Frond 7--11-nerved, with several rootlets.

2. Lemna. Frond 1--5-nerved, with a single rootlet.

3. Wolffia. Frond thick, very minute (¼--{2/3}´ broad), without rootlets.

1. SPIRODÈLA, Schleiden.

Anther-cells bilocellate by a vertical partition and longitudinally dehiscent. Ovules 2. Frond 7--11-nerved or more; rootlets several, with axile vascular tissue. Otherwise as Lemna. (From σπεῖρα, a cord, and δῆλος, evident.)

1. S. polyrrhìza, Schleid. Fronds round-obovate (2--4´´ long), thick, purple and rather convex beneath, dark green above, palmately (mostly 7-) nerved. (Lemna polyrrhiza, L.)--Very common in ponds and pools, throughout N. Am., but very rarely found in flower or fruit. (Eu.)

2. LÉMNA, L. DUCKWEED. DUCK'S-MEAT.

Flowers produced from a cleft in the margin of the frond, usually three together surrounded by a spathe; two of them staminate, consisting of a stamen only; the other pistillate, of a simple pistil; the whole therefore imitating a single diandrous flower. Ster. Fl. Filament slender; anther 2-celled, didymous; the cells dehiscent transversely; pollen-grains large, spherical, muricate. Fert. Fl. Ovary 1-celled; style and truncate or funnel-shaped stigma simple. Ovules and seeds 1--7.--Fronds 1--5-nerved, producing a single rootlet beneath (which is destitute of vascular tissue), proliferous from a cleft in the margin toward the base, and at length stipitate; the tissue abounding with bundles of rhaphides. (An old Greek name of uncertain meaning.)

[*] Ovule solitary, orthotropous or nearly so; frond 1--3-nerved, thin.

[+] Fronds oblong, stalked at base, remaining connected.

1. L. trisúlca, L. Fronds oblong to oblong-lanceolate (6--9´´ long), attenuate at base into a slender stalk, denticulate at the tip, very obscurely 3-nerved, often without rootlets, usually several series of offshoots remaining connected; spathe sac-like; seeds ovate, amphitropous, with small round operculum.--Ponds and springy places, N. Scotia to N. J., west to the Pacific. (Eu.)

[+][+] Fronds oblong to elliptical or round-ovate, sessile, soon separating.

2. L. Valdiviàna, Philippi. Fronds elliptic-oblong, small (about 1´´ long), rather thick, usually somewhat falcate, obscurely 1-nerved; spathe broad-reniform; utricle long-ovate, pointed by the long style; seed orthotropous, oblong, with a prominent acute operculum. (L. Torreyi, Austin.)--Pools, N. J. and southward, westward across the continent. (S. Am.)

3. L. perpusílla, Torr. Fronds obovate or roundish-obovate, oblique (1--1½´´ long), obscurely 3-nerved; utricle ovate; style rather long; seed orthotropous, ovate or oval, obtuse, with scarcely apiculate operculum.--N. Y. and N. J., west to Mich. and Wisc.--Var. TRINÉRVIS, Austin, has larger, distinctly 3-nerved fronds, and an unequally cordate seed.

4. L. mìnor, L. Fronds round- to elliptic-obovate (1--2½´´ in diameter), rather thick, very obscurely 3-nerved; spathe sac-like; utricle short-urn-shaped, tipped with a short style; seed oblong-obovate, amphitropous, with prominent rounded operculum.--Stagnant waters, throughout N. Am. (Eu.)

[*][*] Ovules 2--7, anatropous; fronds very thick and spongy, flat above, very obscurely 5-nerved (1½--3´´ long).

5. L. gíbba, L. Fronds obovate-elliptic to nearly orbicular, almost hemispherical, soon separating; bract sac-like.--Mo. (?) to Ariz. and Calif.

3. WÓLFFIA, Horkel.

Flowers central, bursting through the upper surface of the globular (or in some foreign ones flat) and loosely cellular frond, only 2; one consisting of a single stamen with a 1-celled 2-valved anther; the other of a globular ovary, tipped with a very short style and a depressed stigma. Ovule orthotropous, rather oblique in the cell. Utricle spherical. Albumen thin.--Fronds rootless, proliferous from a cleft or funnel-shaped opening at the base, the offspring soon detached; no rhaphides.--The simplest and smallest of flowering plants, from ¼--{2/3}´´ long (an African and Cuban species much larger), floating as little grains on the water. (Named for John Fred. Wolff, who wrote on Lemna in 1801.)

1. W. Columbiàna, Karsten. Globose or globular, {1/3}--{2/3}´´ long, very loosely cellular, light green all over, not dotted; stomata 1--6; the opening at the base circular and with a thin border.--Floating rather beneath the surface of stagnant waters, Conn. to N. J., west to Minn. and La.

2. W. Brasiliénsis, Weddell. Oblong, smaller and more densely cellular, flattish and deep green with many stomata above, tumid and pale below, brown-dotted all over, anterior edge sharp, opening at base circular.--Growing with the last, but floating on the surface.

ORDER 125. ALISMÀCEÆ. (WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY.)

Marsh herbs, with scape-like stems, sheathing leaves, and perfect or monœcious or diœcious flowers; perianth of 3 herbaceous persistent sepals and as many (often conspicuous) white deciduous petals, which are imbricate or involute in bud; stamens 6 or more, included; ovaries numerous, distinct, 1-celled and mostly 1-ovuled, becoming achenes in fruit (in our genera); seeds erect; campylotropous.--Roots fibrous; leaves radical, petiolate and strongly nerved with transverse veinlets, the earlier sometimes without blade; flowers long-pedicellate, mostly verticillate, in a loose raceme or panicle, with lanceolate scarious bracts slightly connate at base.

1. Alisma. Flowers perfect, usually 6-androus. Carpels flattened, in one whorl.

2. Sagittaria. Flowers mostly unisexual. Stamens rarely few. Carpels flattened, in dense heads, winged.

3. Echinodorus. Flowers perfect. Stamens 6 or more. Carpels capitate, turgid and ribbed, often beaked.

1. ALÍSMA, L. WATER-PLANTAIN.

Flowers perfect. Petals involute in the bud. Stamens definite, mostly 6. Ovaries many in a simple circle on a flattened receptacle, forming flattened coriaceous achenes, which are dilated and 2--3-keeled on the back.--Roots fibrous. Leaves all from the root, several-ribbed, with connected veinlets. Scape with whorled panicled branches. Flowers small, white or pale rose-color. (The Greek name; of uncertain derivation.)

1. A. Plantàgo, L. Perennial by a stout proliferous corm; leaves long-petioled, ovate, oblong, or lanceolate or even linear, acute, mostly rounded or heart shaped at base, 3--9-nerved; panicle loose, compound, many-flowered (1--2° long); carpels obliquely obovate, forming an obtusely triangular whorl in fruit.--Shallow water and ditches, across the continent. Very variable as to foliage, but the leaves usually more broadly cordate-ovate than in Old World forms (var. Americànum, R. & S.); when growing under water thinner and narrowly lanceolate. (Eu., etc.)

2. SAGITTÀRIA, L. ARROW-HEAD.

Flowers monœcious, or often diœcious in n. 1 and 4, and polygamous in n. 7. Petals imbricated in the bud. Stamens indefinite, rarely few. Ovaries many, crowded in a spherical or somewhat triangular depressed head on a globular receptacle, in fruit forming flat membranaceous winged achenes.--Marsh or aquatic, mostly perennial, stoloniferous herbs, with milky juice and fibrous roots; the scapes sheathed at base by the bases of the long cellular petioles, of which the primary ones, and sometimes all, are flattened, nerved, and destitute of any proper blade (i.e. are phyllodia); when present the blade is arrow-shaped or lanceolate, nerved and with cross-veinlets as in Alisma. Flowers produced all summer, whorled in threes, with membranous bracts; the sterile above. (Name from sagitta, an arrow, from the prevalent form of the leaves.)

§ 1. SAGITTARIA proper. Flowers monœcious, with the lower whorls pistillate, or diœcious; stamens few or numerous, covering the receptacle; sepals spreading or reflexed in fruit.

[*] Filaments numerous, narrow, as long as or longer than the linear-oblong anthers; bracts 3, distinct; fruiting heads larger.

1. S. variábilis, Engelm. Scape (¼--4° high) angled, with one or more of the lower whorls fertile; leaves very various, almost always sagittate; bracts mostly pointed; pedicels of the fertile flowers at least half the length of the sterile ones; petals wholly white; filaments glabrous, nearly twice the length of the anthers; achenes obovate (about 1´´ long), winged on both margins, with a long curved or usually horizontal beak ¼--{1/3} its length. (S. sagittæfolia, L., var. variabilis, M. Micheli.)--In water or wet places, very common; exceedingly variable in size and foliage, ordinarily with narrow halberd-shaped or sagittate leaves,--sometimes diœcious, with large, broad and obtuse leaves (var. OBTÙSA), or monœcious, with large, broad and acute leaves (var. LATIFÒLIA), or the narrow leaves with long and linear diverging lobes (var. ANGUSTIFÒLIA), or with some leaves lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, others more or less sagittate (var. DIVERSIFÒLIA), etc. Root propagating by stolons tuberiferous at the extremity.--The European species has the fertile pedicels only {1/3} or ¼ the length of the sterile; claws of the petals purple-tinged; filaments not longer than the anthers; and achenes almost orbicular, very broadly winged and with a short straight beak.

Var. pubéscens, Engelm. Upper part of petiole and scape and especially the orbicular-ovate obtuse bracts and sepals pubescent or woolly; beak of fruit horizontal.--N. J. and Penn. to Ga.

Var. (?) grácilis, Engelm. Lobes of the sagittate leaves very narrowly linear (½--2´´ wide); achene narrowly cuneate-obovate (2´´ long), the beak long, stout, and strongly recurved, the sides usually strongly 1--3-crested. (S. cristata, Engelm.?)--Mass. to western N. Y.; Iowa.

2. S. lancifòlia, L. Scape 2--5° high, with several of the lower whorls fertile; leaves lanceolate or lance-oblong, rarely linear, all with a tapering base, thick or coriaceous (6--18´ long and on a long and stout petiole, never sagittate), the nerves mostly arising from the very thick midrib; bracts ovate, acute or acuminate; pedicels slender, the fertile scarcely shorter than the sterile ones; filaments pubescent; achenes falcate, winged on the back, pointed with an incurved beak.--Swamps, Md. to Ky., Mo., and southward. (W. Ind.)

[*][*] Filaments very short, with enlarged mostly glandular base; anthers ovate or short-oblong; fruiting heads small; bracts more or less connate; leaves very rarely sagittate.

3. S. heterophýlla, Pursh. Scape weak (3´--2° high), at length procumbent; leaves lanceolate or lance-oval, entire, or with one or two narrow basal sagittate appendages; bracts roundish, obtuse; flowers of the lowest whorl fertile and almost sessile; the sterile on long pedicels; filaments glandular-pubescent; achenes narrowly obovate with a long erect beak.--N. Eng to Fla., west to Minn. and Mo. Varies as to foliage, the leaves being broad (var. ELLÍPTICA, Engelm.), or rigid and narrowly lanceolate with stout petioles (var. RÍGIDA, Engelm.), or nearly linear (var. ANGUSTIFÒLIA, Engelm.)

4. S. gramínea, Michx. Scape 3´--2° high; phyllodia flat, mostly broadly linear, acuminate; leaves ovate-lanceolate to linear, on long slender petioles, sometimes reduced to the petiole merely; bracts rather obtuse; whorls of flowers often few, all staminate or the lower fertile; pedicels slender, spreading, nearly equal; filaments 15--20, glandular-pubescent; achene small (½´´ long), narrowly obovate, almost beakless, winged on the back, flat and scarcely costate on the sides.--N. Eng. to Minn., south to the Gulf; very variable.

5. S. tères, Watson. Phyllodia terete, very acutely attenuate upward, 3--12´ long, very rarely bearing a narrow blade; scape ½--1½° high; bracts connate at base; pedicels in 1--3 whorls, all very slender and spreading, 1 or 2 fruiting, ½--1´ long; filaments 12, dilated, pubescent; achene obovate, 1´´ long, with an erect beak, the margins and sides crenately several-crested.--In shallow water, S. New Eng. to N. J. (Hyannis, Mass., Deane; Wading River, L. I., Miller; barrens of N. J., Torrey.) Phyllodia usually very strongly nodose. (Addendum)--Sagittaria teres has been collected also at Brewster, Mass. (Farlow).

6. S. nàtans, Michx., var. loràta, Chapm. Usually dwarf; leaves linear, strap-shaped, obtuse or acutish, 1--6´ long, equalling or shorter than the scape, very rarely with a narrow blade; pedicels in 1--3 whorls, only 1 or 2 fruiting, stouter and recurved; bracts connate or spathe-like; filaments 6--8, glabrous; achene obovate, short-beaked, 1´´ long, the margins and sides crenately crested. (S. pusilla, Pursh.)--In mud or shallow water, near the coast; N. Y. to Fla.

Var. (?) gracíllima, Watson. Scape and the almost or wholly bladeless leaves very slender and greatly elongated (2--4° long, 1´´ wide); pedicels all elongated, in usually distant whorls, the lower pistillate, slender and spreading; fruit unknown. (S. natans, Engelm. in Torr. Bull. ix. 4.)--In deep water of streams in E. Mass. (Hitchings, Boott, C. E. Faxon, etc.) Wholly submerged, only 1 or 2 flowers appearing at a time, floating on the surface. The fruit, maturing under water, has not yet been collected.

§ 2. LOPHIOCÁRPUS. Fertile flowers perfect; stamens 9--15, at the base of the receptacle; sepals erect and embracing the fruit.

7. S. calycìna, Engelm. Scape weak (3--9´ high), at length mostly procumbent; usually only the lowest whorl fertile, with pedicels as long as those of the sterile flowers, recurved in fruit; bracts orbicular, obtuse or rarely pointed; filaments slightly rough, as long as the anthers; achenes obovate with a short horizontal style; leaves broadly halberd-shaped, obtuse or acutish, with wide spreading lobes, often wider than long, or lanceolate or sometimes reduced to linear phyllodia.--Maine to Del., west to Wisc., Mo., and Tex. Quite variable, several forms being enumerated, as var. SPONGIÒSA, with spongy texture and bladeless submerged leaves, eastward; and westward, var. FLÙITANS, with lance-linear floating leaves.

3. ECHINÓDORUS, Richard.

Flowers perfect. Petals imbricated in the bud. Stamens 6--21 or more. Ovaries several or many, imbricated in a head, forming thick and ribbed achenes in fruit, often beaked with a projecting persistent style.--Mostly annuals, with the habit of Sagittaria, the naked stems sparingly branched or simple, and the flowers on rather short pedicels, in whorls of 3--6 or more. Fl. summer and autumn. (Name from ἐχινώδης, prickly, or from ἐχῖνος, and δορός a leathern bottle, applied to the ovary, which is in most species armed with the persistent style, so as to form a sort of prickly head of fruit.)

1. E. párvulus, Engelm. Scapes 1--3´ high; shoots often creeping and proliferous; leaves lanceolate or spatulate, acute (½--1½´ long, including the petiole); umbel single, 2--8-flowered; pedicels reflexed in fruit; flower 3´´ broad; stamens 9; styles much shorter than the ovary; achenes beakless, obtusely few-ribbed.--In mud, Mass. to Mich. and E. Minn., south to Fla. and Tex. (S. Am.)

2. E. rostràtus, Engelm. Scape erect, 3´--2° high, longer than the leaves; leaves broadly ovate, cordate or truncate at base, obtuse (the blade 1--3´ long); umbel proliferous, in a branched panicle; flower 5´´ broad; stamens 12; styles longer than the ovary; achenes beaked, acutely many-ribbed.--Swamps and ditches, Ill. to Fla., Mo., and Tex.--A low form (var. LANCEOLÀTUS, Engelm.) has the leaves lanceolate with an acute base. Ill., Mo.

3. E. radìcans, Engelm. Stems or scape prostrate, creeping (2--4° long), proliferous, bearing many whorls of flowers; leaves somewhat truncately broadly heart-shaped, obtuse (2--8´ broad), long-petioled; flowers 6--9´´ broad; stamens about 21; styles shorter than the ovary; achenes short-beaked, the keeled back denticulate.--Swamps, Ill. to N. C. and Fla., west to Mo. and Tex.

ORDER 126. NAIADÀCEÆ. (PONDWEED FAMILY.)

Marsh or mostly immersed aquatic herbs, with stems jointed and leafy or (in Triglochin) naked and scape-like, leaves sheathing at base or stipulate, and flowers perfect or unisexual, often spathaceous, with perianth of 4 or 6 herbaceous distinct valvate segments, or membranous and tubular or cup-shaped, or none. Stamens 1, 2, 4 or 6, with extrorse anthers. Ovaries 1--6, distinct or more or less coherent, 1-celled, usually 1-ovuled, in fruit follicular or capsular or an indehiscent berry or utricle.

SUBORDER I. Juncagineæ. Marsh plants, with terete bladeless leaves; flowers perfect, spicate or racemose, with herbaceous 6- (rarely 3-) lobed perianth; carpels 3 or 6, more or less united, separating at maturity. Seeds anatropous; embryo straight.

1. Triglochin. Ovaries 3--6, united until maturity. Leaves radical. Flowers bractless, in a spike-like raceme terminating a jointless scape.

2. Scheuchzeria. Ovaries 3, nearly distinct, at length divergent. Flowers bracteate in a loose raceme upon a leafy stem.

SUBORDER II. Naiadeæ. Immersed aquatics, with flat leaves; ovaries solitary or distinct, 1-ovuled.

[+] Flowers perfect, spiked or clustered; anthers 4 or 2, sessile; leaves alternate.

3. Potamogeton. Spike peduncled. Sepals 4, herbaceous. Anthers 4. Ovaries 4, sessile.

4. Ruppia. Flowers on an enclosed spadix, at length long-exserted, without perianth. Anther-cells 4, distinct. Ovaries 4, becoming stipitate.

[+][+] Flowers monœcious or diœcious, axillary, naked, monandrous; leaves opposite (alternate in n. 6).

5. Zannichellia. Monœcious. Pistils (2--5) from a cup-shaped involucre or sheath.

6. Zostera. Pistils and stamens alternate in 2 vertical rows on the inner side of a leaf-like enclosed spadix. Stigmas 2, linear. Stem creeping.

7. Naias. Diœcious; pistil solitary, naked. Stamen enclosed in a membranous spathe. Stems floating, with opposite or ternate leaves.

1. TRIGLÒCHIN, L. ARROW-GRASS.

Sepals and petals nearly alike (greenish), ovate, concave, deciduous. Stamens 3--6; anthers oval, on very short filaments. Pistils united into a 3--6-celled compound ovary; stigmas sessile; ovules solitary. Capsule splitting when ripe into 3--6 carpels, which separate from a persistent central axis.--Perennials, with rush-like, fleshy leaves, below sheathing the base of the wand-like naked and jointless scape. Flowers small, in a spiked raceme, bractless. (Name composed of τρεῖς, three, and γλωχίν, point, from the three points of the ripe fruit in n. 1 when dehiscent.)

[*] Fruit of 3 carpels.

1. T. palústris, L. Scape (6--18´ high) and leaves slender; sepals and stamens 6; fruit linear-club-shaped; carpels when ripe separating from below upward, leaving a triangular axis, awl-pointed at base.--Marshes, western N. Y. to Ill., Minn., and westward. Aug. (Eu., Asia, etc.)

2. T. striàta, Ruiz & Pav. Scape (6--12´ high) and leaves slender; flowers very small; sepals and stamens 3; fruit globose-triangular, or when dry 3-lobed. (T. triandra, Michx.)--Sea-shore, Md. to Fla. (S. Am., etc.)

[*][*] Fruit of 6 carpels (rarely 5).

3. T. marítima, L. Scape (1--3° high) and leaves thickish, fleshy; fruit ovate or oblong, acutish; carpels rounded at base and slightly grooved on the back, the edges acute.--Salt-marshes along the coast, Lab. to N. J., and in saline places in the interior across the continent. (Eu., Asia, etc.)

2. SCHEUCHZÈRIA, L.

Sepals and petals oblong, spreading, nearly alike (greenish-yellow), but the latter narrower, persistent. Stamens 6; anthers linear. Ovaries 3, globular, slightly united at base, 2--3 ovuled, bearing flat sessile stigmas, in fruit forming 3 diverging and inflated 1--2 seeded pods, opening along the inside.--A low bog-herb, with a creeping jointed rootstock, tapering into the ascending simple stem, which is zigzag, partly sheathed by the bases of the grass-like conduplicate leaves, and terminated by a loose raceme of a few flowers, with sheathing bracts; leaves tubular at the apex. (Named for John and John Jacob Scheuchzer, distinguished Swiss botanists early in the 18th century.)

1. S. palústris, L.--Peat-bogs, N. Brunswick to N. J., westward across the continent. June. (Eu., Asia.)

3. POTAMOGÈTON, Tourn. PONDWEED.

Flowers perfect. Sepals 4, rounded, valvate in the bud. Stamens 4, opposite the sepals; anthers nearly sessile, 2-celled. Ovaries 4 (rarely only one), with an ascending campylotropous ovule; stigma sessile or on a short style. Fruit drupe-like when fresh, more or less compressed; endocarp (nutlet) crustaceous. Embryo hooked, annular, or cochleate, the radicular end pointing downward.--Herbs of fresh, or one in brackish, ponds and streams, with jointed mostly rooting stems, and 2-ranked leaves, which are usually alternate or imperfectly opposite; the submersed ones pellucid, the floating ones often dilated and of a firmer texture. Stipules membranous, more or less united and sheathing. Spikes sheathed by the stipules in the bud, mostly raised on a peduncle to the surface of the water. (An ancient name, composed of ποταμός, a river, and γείτων, a neighbor, from the place of growth.)--By fruit, the full-grown fresh or macerated fruit is intended; by nutlet, that with the fleshy outer portion or epicarp removed. All except n. 19 flower in summer; the month mentioned indicates the time of ripening of the fruit.

§ 1. Leaves of two sorts; floating ones more or less coriaceous, with a dilated petioled blade, different in form from the thinner submersed ones.

[*] Submersed leaves reduced to narrowly grass-like or filiform sessile phyllodia.

[+] Stems rather stout; stipules free; spikes all emersed, cylindrical and densely fruited; fruits fleshy and turgid, obliquely obovate.

1. P. nàtans, L. Stem simple or sparingly branched; floating leaves all long-petioled, elliptical or ovate, somewhat cordate at base, obtuse but with a blunt point, 21--29-nerved; upper submersed leaves lanceolate, early perishing, the lower (later in the season) very slender (3--7´ long, barely 1´´ wide); upper stipules very long, acute; peduncle about the thickness of the stem; spikes 1--2´ long; sides of the turgid nutlet with a small deep impression in the middle; embryo coiled into an incomplete elliptical ring.--Ponds and ditches, N. Scotia to Va., westward across the continent. In deeper or flowing water the plant becomes more slender and often wholly submersed (var. PROLÍXUS, Koch).--Aug., Sept. (Eu., Asia.)

2. P. Oakesiànus, Robbins. Stem more slender, much branched; floating leaves smaller (1--1½´ long), ovate- or oblong-elliptical, obtuse, fewer-(17--23-) nerved; lowest submersed ones almost capillary (only ¼--½´´ wide), continuing through the flowering season; spikes shorter (¾--1´ long), on peduncles much thicker than the stem; fruit smaller and more acute; sides of the turgid nutlet not at all impressed; curvature of the embryo nearly circular, its apex directed to a point above its base.--Ponds, and especially pools and stagnant ditches, Mass. to N. J.; also Anticosti. Aug.

3. P. Pennsylvánicus, Cham. Stems compressed, often simple from the creeping rootstocks; floating leaves chiefly opposite (1--3½´ long), 11--17-nerved, oblong, tapering into a short petiole, the lower gradually narrowing and passing into the submersed ones, which are very numerous and approximate, 2-ranked, linear (2--5´ long, and 1--2½´´ wide), 5--7-nerved, the lateral nerves slender and nearly marginal, the space within the inner nerves coarsely cellular-reticulated; stipules very obtuse; spikes numerous, about the length of the thickened peduncle; fruit round-obovate, flattish, 3-keeled when dry; nutlet distinctly impressed on the sides; curvature of the embryo transversely oval. (P. Claytonii, Tuckerm.)--Still or flowing water, N. Brunswick to S. C., west to N. Ind. and Minn. July, Aug.

[+][+] Like the preceding section, but all the parts small, slender and delicate, only the fertile plants producing floating leaves; spikes very small and few-flowered; propagated by autumn buds.

4. P. Vasèyi, Robbins. Very delicate; stem almost capillary; floating leaves obovate (3--5´´ long) and about the length of their filiform petioles, with 5 nerves deeply impressed beneath, cross-veins distinct; submersed leaves filiform-linear, very attenuate (1--2´ long, {1/8}--¼´´ wide) and acute; stipules not adnate, scarious, long, acute; spikes all emersed, few, interrupted-oblong, 3--5-flowered, on a thickish peduncle; fruit oblique, round-obovate ({2/3}´´ long), compressed, slightly sharp-margined, tipped with a distinct recurved style, the sides impressed and face acute; upper portion of the embryo circularly incurved, its apex transverse to the fruit.--Canada and N. Eng.; also Ill. The fruiting form, with floating leaves, rare; the submerged form apparently much more abundant.

5. P. lateràlis, Morong. Stem filiform, branching; floating leaves elliptical (4--6´´ long by 2´´ wide), with 5--7 nerves deeply impressed beneath, tapering at base into a somewhat dilated petiole shorter than the blade; submersed leaves linear, acute (1--3´ long by ¼--½´´ wide), 1--3-nerved, the mid-nerve with fine veins or cellular reticulations on each side, bi-glandular at base; stipules short; peduncles with a very peculiar lateral appearance, widely spreading at maturity, sometimes even recurved, often thicker than the stem; spikes often interrupted (2--4-flowered); fruit obliquely obovate (hardly 1´´ long), the back much curved, with two fine grooves upon it; embryo oval in its curve, the apex nearly touching the base.--Mass. and Mich.; rare. Undeveloped specimens resemble P. pusillus.

[+][+][+] Stems slender or filiform, much branched; floating leaves sometimes wanting; stipules adnate to the base of the leaf; spikes of two kinds, one emersed, cylindrical and many-flowered, on a club-shaped peduncle, the other submersed, globular and few-flowered; fruit flat, cochleate, with thin or scarcely any flesh and a thin nutlet; embryo spiral.

6. P. Spiríllus, Tuckerm. Floating leaves oval to lance-oblong and lanceolate (the largest 10´´ long, 4´´ wide), usually obtuse, about equalling the rather dilated petioles, with 5--many nerves beneath deeply impressed; upper submersed leaves either with or without a lance-oblong or broad-linear proper blade; the numerous lower ones narrow-linear, tapering toward the obtuse apex (¾--1½´ long, ¼--{2/3}´´ wide); stipules early lacerate; submersed flowers usually solitary on very short erect peduncles; fruit with the back either winged and with 4--5 distinct teeth or wingless and entire; embryo coiled 1¾ turns.--Rivers, and even far up small streams, N. Eng. to Va., west to Mich. and Mo. June--Aug.--Stem less slender than in the next.

7. P. hýbridus, Michx. Floating leaves oval to lance-oblong (the largest 10´´ long, 6´´ wide), often acute, longer than the filiform petioles, with about 5--7 nerves beneath deeply impressed; submersed leaves very numerous, almost setaceous (1--3´ long, very rarely ½´´ wide); stipules obtuse; emersed spikes 4--7´´ long; submersed spikes 1--4-flowered, their peduncles (of their own length) frequently recurved; fruit minute, about 8-toothed on the margin; embryo coiled 1½ turns.--Shallow stagnant waters, N. Brunswick to Fla., west to Mich., Mo., and N. Mex. June--Aug.

[*][*] Submersed leaves lanceolate, rarely oval or linear, membranaceous; spikes dense, many-flowered, on stout peduncles.

8. P. ruféscens, Schrad. Stem simple; floating leaves (often wanting) 2--5´ long, rather thin, wedge-oblanceolate, narrowed into a short petiole, 11--17-nerved; submersed leaves almost sessile, lanceolate and lance-oblong, smooth on the margin, fewer-nerved; stipules broad, hyaline, obtuse, upper ones acuminate; spike 1--2´ long, often somewhat compound; fruit obovate, lenticular, pitted when immature, with an acute margin and pointed with the rather long style; embryo incompletely annular.--In streams or ponds, N. Brunswick to N. J., west to Minn. and Tex. Aug., Sept. (Eu.)

9. P. flùitans, Roth. Stem often branching below; floating leaves thinnish, lance-oblong or long-elliptical, often acute, long-petioled, 17--23-nerved; submersed leaves very long (3--12´, by 2--12´´ wide), lanceolate and lance-linear, 7--15-nerved, coarsely reticulated; peduncles somewhat thickened upward; fruit obliquely obovate, obscurely 3-keeled when fresh, and distinctly so when dry, the middle one winged above and sometimes with 3--5 shallow indentations; the rounded slightly curved face surmounted by the short style; nutlet with the sides scarcely impressed; upper part of the embryo circularly in-curved. (P. lonchites, Tuckerm.)--In streams or rarely in ponds, N. Brunswick to N. J., west to Minn. and Iowa. Aug., Sept. (Eu.)

10. P. púlcher, Tuckerm. Stem simple, black-spotted; leaves of three kinds; floating ones becoming very large (4½ by 3½´), roundish-ovate and cordate or ovate-oblong, 25--37-nerved, all alternate; upper submersed ones (3--5) usually lanceolate, acute at base and very long-acuminate, 10--15-nerved, very thin, cellular each side of the midrib, undulate, short-petioled; lowest (2--4 near the base of the stem) thicker, plane, oval or oblong with a rounded base, or spatulate-oblong, on longer petioles; stipules rather short and obtuse; peduncles thicker than the stem; fruit with a rounded back and angular face, pointed, distinctly 3-keeled when fresh, sharply so when dry; nutlet with two deep dorsal furrows, and a sinus below the angle in front; sides flat; embryo circularly much incurved above.--Ponds, Vt. to Ga. and Mo. July, Aug.

11. P. amplifòlius, Tuckerm. Stems simple, of very variable length; floating leaves (sometimes wanting) large, oblong or lance-ovate, sometimes slightly cordate at base, abruptly acutish, 30--50-nerved, on rather long petioles; submersed leaves often very large (reaching 7´ by 2´), lanceolate or oval, acute at each end, usually much recurved, undulate, mostly on short petioles; stipules very long and tapering to a point, soon becoming loose; peduncles thickened upward, in deep water much elongated; fruit very large (over 2´´ long), rather obliquely obovate, 3-keeled, with a broad stout beak; nutlet slightly impressed on the sides; upper part of the embryo curved into a ring.--Ponds and rivers, N. Eng. to N. J., west to Minn. and Kan. Aug., Sept.

12. P. Illinoénsis, Morong. Stem stout, branching towards the summit; floating leaves opposite, oval or ovate (2--5´ long by 1½--2´ broad), 19--25-nerved, rounded or subcordate at base, with a short blunt point at apex, on short petioles, submersed leaves rather few, oblong-elliptical, acute at each end, usually ample (largest 8´ by 1½´); stipules coarse, obtuse, strongly bicarinate (2´ long); peduncles often clustered at the summit (2--4´ long), thickening upward; fruit roundish-obovate (1¾--2´´ long), 3-keeled on the back, middle keel prominent; nutlet flattened and slightly impressed on the sides, obtuse or pointed at base; apex of embryo directed transversely inward.--Streams and ditches, western N. Y. to Ill., Iowa, and Minn. Very near the last.

13. P. heterophýllus, Schreb. Stem slender, very branching below; floating leaves mostly thin, variable, but with a short blunt point, 9--15-nerved, usually 1--2´ long and 6--9´´ wide; submersed ones usually lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate or cuspidate, narrowed toward the base, about 7-nerved on the stem and 3-nerved on the branches; upper ones petioled, lower sessile; stipules obtuse, loose; peduncles somewhat thickened upward; fruit small, roundish, compressed, scarcely keeled; embryo annular above. (P. gramineus, Fries.)--Still or flowing water, common. Varies exceedingly in its submersed leaves, peduncles, etc.; the var. GRAMINIFÒLIUS (Fries), growing in rapid streams, with stems much elongated and less branched, and the flaccid submersed leaves 2--7´ long by 2--10´´ wide.

Var. (?) myriophýllus, Robbins. Sending up from running rootstocks many short repeatedly dichotomous and densely leafy stems; fertile stems very slender; floating leaves small, delicate, lance-oblong, on long filiform petioles; submersed stem-leaves larger, early perishing; those of the branches (deep-green) linear-oblanceolate, very small (¾--1´ long), acute, sometimes minutely serrulate; spike slender, loosely-flowered, much shorter than the thickened peduncle.--Apponaug Pond, R. I., without fruit.

13^a. P. Zízii, Mert. & Koch. Resembling P. lucens, but smaller, much branched at base; upper leaves coriaceous or subcoriaceous, long-petioled and sometimes emersed, the others subsessile, all usually numerous, undulate and shining; peduncle elongated. (P. lucens, var. minor, Nolte. Also P. gramineus, var. (?) spathulæformis, Robbins; P. spathæformis, Tuckerm.; "P. varians, Morong.")--N. Eng to Fla., and westward. Connecting with the next section. (Eu.)

§ 2. Leaves all submersed and similar, mostly sessile, membranaceous and dilated, lanceolate, oblong, or oval; stipules obtuse, becoming loose.

14. P. lùcens, L. Stem thick, branching, sometimes very large; leaves more or less petioled, oval or lanceolate, mucronate, often rough serrulate, frequently shining; peduncles often elongated; fruit roundish and compressed, with obtuse margins, slightly keeled; embryo circularly incurved above.--Ponds, N. Eng. to Fla., west to the Pacific. Aug., Sept. (Eu.)

Var. (?) Connecticuténsis, Robbins. Stem flexuous; leaves all submersed, nearly sessile, lanceolate, acuminate, crisped, not shining nor serrulate; fruit larger, distinctly keeled; nutlet thick and hard.--Lake Saltonstall, East Haven, Conn.

15. P. prælóngus, Wulf. Stem very long, branching, flexuous; leaves lance-oblong or lanceolate (sometimes 7´ long), half-clasping, obtuse with a boat-shaped cavity at the extremity, thence splitting on pressure; stipules scarious, very obtuse; spikes rather loose-flowered; peduncles very long (sometimes reaching 20´); fruit obliquely obovate, compressed, sharply keeled when dry; style terminating the nearly straight face; curve of the embryo oval and longitudinal.--Ponds and large rivers, N. Scotia to Mass., west to Minn. and Iowa. Sept., Oct.--Stem white; foliage bright green. (Eu.)

16. P. perfoliàtus, L. Stem branching; leaves orbicular, ovate or lanceolate from a cordate-clasping base, usually obtuse and often minutely serrulate; peduncles short, cylindrical; fruit irregularly obovate, obtusely margined; embryo incurved in an oval.--Ponds and slow streams, common. N. Scotia to Fla., west to Minn. and Iowa. Sept., Oct. (Eu.)

Var. lanceolàtus, Robbins. Larger; leaves long-lanceolate from a cordate clasping base and acuminate, wavy, 3--4½´ long; peduncles thickened upward.--Same range as the species, and extending west to the Pacific.

17. P. críspus, L. Stem compressed; leaves linear-oblong, half-clasping, obtuse, serrulate, crisped-wavy, 3-nerved; fruit long-beaked; upper portion of the embryo incurved in a large circle.--Flowing and stagnant waters, Mass. to N. J. and Va., west to western N. Y. June, July. (Eu.)

18. P. Mýsticus, Morong. Stem very slender and irregularly branching, nearly filiform (1--3° high); leaves oblong-linear (½--1½´ long by 2--3´´ wide), 5--7-nerved, finely undulate and entire, obtuse or bluntly pointed, abruptly narrowing at base, sessile or partly clasping; spikes few, capitate (4--6-flowered). on erect peduncles (1--2´ long); fruit (immature) obovate, small (hardly ¾´´ long), obscurely 3-keeled on the back, a little beaked by the slender recurved style.--Mystic Pond, Medford, Mass.

§ 3. Leaves all submersed and similar, mostly membranaceous and sessile, linear or setaceous.

[*] Stipules free from the sheathing base of the leaf.

19. P. zosteræfòlius, Schum. Stem branching, wing-fattened; leaves linear and grass-like (commonly 4´ by 1½´´), abruptly pointed, with many fine and 3 larger nerves; stipules (seen young) oblong, very obtuse; spikes cylindrical, 12--15-flowered, not half as long as the peduncle; fruit obliquely obovate, somewhat keeled and with slight teeth on the back, the sides not impressed, the face arching and terminated by the short style; summit of the large embryo lying transverse to the fruit. (P. compressus, Fries; not L.?)--Still and slow-flowing waters, N. Eng. to N. J., Iowa, and Minn. Aug., Sept. (Eu.)

20. P. Híllii, Morong. Stem slender, widely branching, flattish; leaves linear, acute (1--2½´ long by ½--1¼´´ wide), 3-nerved, the lateral nerves delicate and near the margin; stipules whitish, striate, obtuse (3--5´´ long); spikes capitate (3--6-fruited), on short spreading or recurved peduncles; fruit as in the last.--Mich. and western N. Y.

21. P. obtusifòlius, Mertens & Koch. Stem flattened, very branching; leaves linear, tapering toward the base, obtuse and mucronate or very acute, 3- (rarely 5-) nerved; stipules elongated, very obtuse; spike ovate, continuous, 5--8-flowered, about the length of the peduncle; fruit oval, apiculate with the style, not keeled when fresh, upper portion of embryo coiled inward and lying transverse to the fruit.--Slow streams and ponds, Canada and N. Eng. to western N. Y. and Mich. Sept., Oct. (Eu.)

22. P. pauciflòrus, Pursh. Stem filiform, flattish and very branching; leaves narrowly linear (1--2´ long and seldom ½´´ wide), acute, obscurely 3-nerved; stipules obtuse; spikes capitate, 1--4- (usually 2-) flowered, on short club-shaped peduncles; fruit roundish-lenticular; the back more or less crested; upper portion of the embryo incurved in a circle.--Still or stagnant waters, N. Brunswick to Ga., Iowa, Minn., and westward.

Var. Niagarénsis, Gray. Stem often longer (1--3°); leaves larger (1½--3½´ long by 1´´ wide or less), 3--5-nerved at base, very acute and mucronate, narrowed to the subpetiolate base. (P. Niagarensis, Tuckerm.)--Running water, Great Lakes to S. C.; also in Cal.

23. P. pusíllus, L. Stem slender, flattish or nearly cylindrical, often very branching; leaves narrow- or setaceous-linear, acuminate, acute or subacute, 1--3-nerved, furnished with translucent glands on each side at the base; stipules at first obtuse; spikes interrupted or capitate, 2--8-flowered, on rather long peduncles; fruit obliquely elliptical, scarcely keeled; apex of embryo incurved and directed obliquely downward.--Pools and ditches, N. Scotia to N. J., west to Minn. and Mo., and westward.--Leaves sometimes almost setaceous (var. tenuissimus, Koch).

Var. polyphýllus, Morong. Dwarf form (3--5´ high), divaricately branching from the base, very leafy throughout; leaves very obtuse, not cuspidate, 3-nerved; non-flowering but abundantly provided with propagating buds which are formed on the thickened and hardened ends of the branches and closely invested by imbricated leaves.--In a shallow pool, S. Natick, Mass.

24. P. mucronàtus, Schrad. Resembling P. pusillus, but stem less branching; leaves broader (almost 1´´ wide), often 5-nerved; spikes interrupted. (P. pusillus, var. major, Fries.)--N. Brunswick to western N. Y., Mich., and Minn. July. (Eu.)

25. P. gemmíparus, Robbins. Stem filiform, branching, terete, varying greatly in height; leaves hair-like, sometimes not as broad as the stem, often with no apparent midrib, tapering to the finest point (1--3´ long), bi-glandular at base; stipules ½--1´ long; spikes few (3--6-flowered), interrupted, on long filiform peduncles; propagating buds very numerous; fruit like that of P. pusillus, very rare. (P. pusillus, var.? gemmiparus, Robbins.)--Slow-moving streams and still water, Mass. Aug., Sept.

26. P. Tuckermàni, Robbins. Very slender and delicate from a creeping rootstock, of a fine light green; stem filiform with several short and repeatedly dichotomous leaf-bearing branches; leaves thin and flat, but setaceous and tapering to near the fineness of a hair (1--4´ long and {1/3}´´ extreme width), obscurely 1--3-nerved, with a few coarse reticulations; stipules rather persistent below, {1/3}´ long, obtuse; peduncle solitary, very long, rather thickened upward; spike 4--8-flowered, in fruit continuous, oblong; fruit thick-lenticular, obscurely 3-keeled; nutlet slightly impressed on the sides; shell thick and hard; embryo nearly annular.--Cold ponds, White Mountains of N. H., N. Y., and N. J.

[*][*] Stipules united with the sheathing base of the leaf.

27. P. pectinàtus, L. Stem filiform, repeatedly dichotomous; leaves very narrowly linear, attenuate to the apex, 1-nerved with a few transverse veins; spikes interrupted, on long filiform peduncles; fruit obliquely broad-obovate, compressed, bluntly keeled; shell of nutlet very thick; embryo spirally incurved.--N. Brunswick to Fla., westward across the continent. Aug.--Oct. (Eu.)

28. P. marìnus, L. Resembling narrow-leaved forms of the last species, low and very leafy; peduncles much elongated; fruit much smaller (1´´ long) and thinner, round-obovate, not keeled upon the rounded back, tipped with the broad sessile stigma; embryo annular.--Western N. Y., Ill., Mich., and southward. Probably the range of this species is much more extensive than indicated, as it has been confounded with P. pectinatus.

29. P. Robbínsii, Oakes. Stem ascending from a creeping base, rigid, very branching, invested by the bases of the leaves and stipules; leaves crowded in two ranks, recurved-spreading, narrow-lanceolate or linear (3--5´ long and 2--3´´ wide), acuminate, ciliate-serrulate with translucent teeth, many-nerved; stipules obtuse when young, their nerves soon becoming bristles; spikes numerous, loosely few-flowered, on short peduncles; fruit oblong-obovate (2´´ long), keeled with a broadish wing, acutely beaked; embryo stout, ovally annular.--In ponds and slow streams, N. Brunswick to N. J., the N. shore of L. Superior, and far westward.

4. RÚPPIA, L. DITCH-GRASS.

Flowers perfect, 2 or more approximated on a slender spadix, which is at first enclosed in the sheathing spathe-like base of a leaf, entirely destitute of floral envelopes, consisting of 2 sessile stamens, each with 2 large and separate anther-cells, and 4 small sessile ovaries, with solitary campylotropous suspended ovules; stigma sessile, depressed. Fruit small obliquely ovate pointed drupes, each raised on a slender stalk which appears after flowering; the spadix itself also then raised on an elongated thread-form peduncle. Embryo ovoid, with a short and pointed plumule from the upper end, by the side of the short cotyledon.--Marine herbs, growing under water, with long and thread-like forking stems, and slender almost capillary alternate leaves, sheathing at the base. Flowers rising to the surface at the time of expansion. (Dedicated to H. B. Ruppius, a German botanical author of the early part of the 18th century.)

1. R. marítima, L. Leaves linear-capillary; nut ovate, obliquely erect, 1½´´ long; fruiting peduncles capillary (3--6´ long); stipes 1--12´´ long.--Shallow bays, along the entire coast; also occasionally in saline places in the interior. (Eu., Asia, etc.)

5. ZANNICHÉLLIA, Micheli. HORNED PONDWEED.

Flowers monœcious, sessile, naked, usually both kinds from the same axil; the sterile consisting of a single stamen, with a slender filament bearing a 2--4-celled anther; the fertile of 2--5 (usually 4) sessile pistils in the same cup-shaped involucre, forming obliquely oblong nutlets in fruit, beaked with a short style, which is tipped by an obliquely disk-shaped or somewhat 2-lobed stigma. Seed orthotropous, suspended, straight. Cotyledon taper, bent and coiled.--Slender branching herbs, growing under water, with mostly opposite long and linear thread-form entire leaves, and sheathing membranous stipules. (Named in honor of Zannichelli, a Venetian botanist.)

1. Z. palústris, L. Style at least half as long as the fruit, which is flattish, somewhat incurved, even, or occasionally more or less toothed on the back (not wing-margined in our plant), nearly sessile; or, in var. PEDUNCULÀTA, both the cluster and the separate fruits evidently peduncled.--Ponds and slow streams, throughout N. America, but not common. July. (Eu., Asia.)

6. ZOSTÈRA, L. GRASS-WRACK. EEL-GRASS.

Flowers monœcious; the two kinds naked and sessile and alternately arranged in two rows on the midrib of one side of a linear leaf-like spadix, which is hidden in a long and sheath-like base of a leaf (spathe); the sterile flowers consisting of single ovate or oval 1-celled sessile anthers, as large as the ovaries, and containing a tuft of threads in place of ordinary pollen; the fertile of single ovate-oblong ovaries attached near their apex, tapering upward into an awl-shaped style, and containing a pendulous orthotropous ovule; stigmas 2, long and bristle-form, deciduous. Utricle bursting irregularly, enclosing an oblong longitudinally ribbed seed (or nutlet). Embryo short and thick (proper cotyledon almost obsolete), with an open chink or cleft its whole length, from which protrudes a doubly curved slender plumule.--Grass-like marine herbs, growing wholly under water, from a jointed creeping stem or rootstock, sheathed by the bases of the very long and linear, obtuse, entire, grass-like, ribbon-shaped leaves (whence the name, from ζωστήρ, a band).

1. Z. marìna, L. Leaves obscurely 3--5-nerved.--Common in shoal water of bays along the coast, from Newf. to Fla. (Eu.)

7. NÀIAS, L. NAIAD.

Flowers diœcious or monœcious, axillary, solitary and sessile; the sterile consisting of a single stamen enclosed in a little membranous spathe; anther at first nearly sessile, the filament at length elongated. Fertile flowers consisting of a single ovary tapering into a short style; stigmas 2--4, awl-shaped; ovule erect, anatropous. Fruit a little seed-like nutlet, enclosed in a loose and separable membranous epicarp. Embryo straight, the radicular end downward.--Slender branching herbs, growing under water, with opposite and linear leaves, somewhat crowded into whorls, spinulose-toothed, sessile and dilated at base. Flowers very small, solitary, but often clustered with the branch-leaves in the axils; in summer. (Ναιάς, a water-nymph.)

1. N. marìna, L. Stem rather stout and often armed with broad prickles; leaves broadly linear (3--18´´ long), coarsely and sharply toothed, the dilated base entire; fruit 2--2½´´ long; seed very finely lineate, oblong, slightly compressed. (N. major, All.)--Marshes and salt-springs of western N. Y. and Mich. Teeth of one or more brownish cells upon a many-celled base. (Eu.)

Var. grácilis, Morong. Internodes long (1--3´) and nearly naked, with only a few teeth above; leaves very narrow, the dilated base also toothed; fruit smaller.--Canoga marshes, western N. Y.; also in Fla.

Var. recurvàta, Dudley. Stems short, inclined to be dichotomously branched, recurved-spreading; leaves usually recurved, the teeth prominent, the dilated base with a projecting tooth each side.--Cayuga marshes, N. Y.

2. N. fléxilis, Rostk. & Schmidt. Stems usually very slender; leaves very narrowly linear (½--1´ long), very minutely serrulate; fruit 1½´´ long, narrowly oblong; seeds lance-oval, smooth and shining.--Ponds and slow streams, N. Scotia to S. C., Iowa and Minn. Teeth on the margins of the leaves 1-celled. (Eu.)--Var. ROBÚSTA, Morong. Stem stout, few-leaved, sparsely branching, elongated; leaves flat, abruptly acute.--E. Mass., Mich., and Tex.

3. N. Índica, Cham., var. gracíllima, A. Br. Branches alternate; leaves very narrowly linear, nearly capillary, straight, serrate, the rounded lobes of the sheathing base spinulose-ciliate; fruit linear, impressed-dotted between the numerous ribs.--Mass. to Penn., west to Ind. and Mo. Teeth of 3 cells each.

ORDER 127. ERIOCAÙLEÆ. (PIPEWORT FAMILY.)

Aquatic or marsh herbs, stemless or short-stemmed, with a tuft of fibrous roots, a cluster of linear and often loosely cellular grass-like leaves, and naked scapes sheathed at the base, bearing dense heads of monœcious or rarely diœcious small 2--3-merous flowers, each in the axil of a scarious bract; the perianth double or rarely simple, chaffy; anthers introrse; the fruit a 2--3-celled 2--3-seeded capsule; seeds pendulous, orthotropous; embryo at the apex of mealy albumen.--Chiefly tropical plants, a few in northern temperate regions.

1. Eriocaulon. Perianth double, the inner (corolla) tubular-funnel-form in the staminate flowers; stamens twice as many as its lobes (4). Anthers 2-celled.

2. Pæpalanthus. Perianth as in the last; stamens only as many as the corolla-lobes (3). Anthers 2-celled.

3. Lachnocaulon. Perianth simple, of 3 sepals. Stamens 3, monadelphous below. Anthers 1-celled.

1. ERIOCAÙLON, L. PIPEWORT.

Flowers monœcious and androgynous, i.e. both kinds in the same head, either intermixed, or the central ones sterile and the exterior fertile, rarely diœcious. Ster. Fl. Calyx of 2 or 3 keeled or boat-shaped sepals, usually spatulate or dilated upward. Corolla tubular, 2--3-lobed, each of the lobes bearing a black gland or spot. Stamens twice as many, one inserted at the base of each lobe and one in each sinus; anthers 2-celled. Pistils rudimentary. Fert. Fl. Calyx as in the sterile flowers, often remote from the rest of the flower (therefore perhaps to be viewed as a pair of bractlets). Corolla of 2 or 3 separate narrow petals. Stamens none. Ovary often stalked, 2--3-lobed, 2--3-celled; style 1; stigmas 2 or 3, slender. Capsule membranaceous, loculicidal.--Leaves mostly smooth, loosely cellular and pellucid, flat or concave above. Scapes or peduncles terminated by a single head, involucrate by some outer empty bracts. Flowers, also the tips of the bracts, etc., usually white-bearded or woolly. (Name compounded of ἔριον, wool, and καυλός, a stalk, from the wool at the base of the scape.)--Our species are all stemless, wholly glabrous excepting at the base and the flowers, with a depressed head and dimerous flowers.

1. E. decangulàre, L. Leaves obtuse, varying from linear-lanceolate to linear-awl-shaped, rather rigid; scapes 10--12-ribbed (1--3° high); head hemispherical, becoming globular (2--7´´ wide); scales of the involucre acutish, straw-color or light brown; chaff (bracts among the flowers) pointed.--Pine-barren swamps, N. J. to Fla. July--Sept.

2. E. gnaphalòdes, Michx. Leaves spreading (2--5´ long), grassy-awl-shaped, rigid, or when submersed thin and pellucid, tapering gradually to a sharp point, mostly shorter than the sheath of the 10-ribbed scape; scales of the involucre very obtuse, turning lead-color; chaff obtuse.--Pine-barren swamps, N. J. to Fla.

3. E. septangulàre, Withering. Leaves short (1--3´ long), awl-shaped, pellucid, soft and very cellular; scape 4--7-striate, slender, 2--6´ high, or when submersed becoming 1--6° long, according to the depth of the water; chaff acutish; head 2--3´´ broad; the bracts, chaff, etc., lead-color, except the white coarse beard.--In ponds or along their borders, Newf. to N. J., west to Ind., Mich., and Minn. July, Aug. (Eu.)

2. PÆPALÁNTHUS, Martius.

Stamens as many as the (often involute) lobes of the funnel-form corolla of the sterile flowers, and opposite them, commonly 3, and the flower ternary throughout. Otherwise nearly as in Eriocaulon. (Name from παιπάλη, dust or flour, and ἄνθος, flower, from the meal-like down or scurf of the heads and flowers of many South American species.)

1. P. flavídulus, Kunth. Tufted, stemless; leaves bristle-awl-shaped (1´ long); scapes very slender, simple, minutely pubescent (6--12´ high), 5-angled; bracts of the involucre oblong, pale straw-color, those among the flowers mostly obsolete; perianth glabrous; sepals and petals of the fertile flowers linear-lanceolate, scarious-white.--Low pine-barrens, S. Va. to Fla.

3. LACHNOCAÙLON, Kunth. HAIRY PIPEWORT.

Flowers monœcious, etc., as in Eriocaulon. Calyx of 3 sepals. Corolla none! Ster. Fl. Stamens 3; filaments below coalescent into a club-shaped tube around the rudiment of a pistil, above separate and elongated; anthers 1-celled! Fert. Fl. Ovary 3-celled, surrounded by 3 tufts of hairs (in place of a corolla). Stigmas 3, two-cleft.--Leaves linear-sword-shaped, tufted. Scape slender, bearing a single head, 2--3-angled, hairy. (Name from λάχνος, wool, and καυλός, stalk.)

1. L. Michaùxii, Kunth.--Low pine-barrens, Va. to Fla.

ORDER 128. CYPERÀCEÆ. (SEDGE FAMILY.)

Grass-like or rush-like herbs, with fibrous roots, mostly solid stems (culms), _closed sheaths, and spiked chiefly 3-androus flowers, one in the axil of each of the glume-like imbricated bracts (scales, glumes), destitute of any perianth, or with hypogynous bristles or scales in its place; the 1-celled ovary with a single erect anatropous ovule, in fruit forming an achene._ Style 2-cleft with the fruit flattened or lenticular; or 3-cleft and fruit 3-angular. Embryo minute at the base of the somewhat floury albumen. Stem-leaves when present 3-ranked.--A large, widely diffused family.

I. Flowers all perfect, rarely some of them with stamens or pistal abortive; spikes all of one sort.

Tribe I. SCIRPEÆ. Spikelets mostly many-flowered, with only 1 (rarely 2) of the lower scales empty.

[*] Scales of the spikelet strictly 2-ranked, conduplicate and keeled.

[+] Flowers destitute of bristles and of beak to the achene, inflorescence terminal.

1. Cyperus. Spikelets few--many-flowered, usually elongated or slender.

2. Kyllinga. Spikelets 1-flowered (but of 3 or 4 scales), glomerate in a sessile head.

[+][+] Flower furnished with bristles; achene beaked; inflorescence axillary.

3. Dulichium. Spikelets 6--10-flowered, slender, clustered on an axillary peduncle.

[*][*] Scales of the several--many-flowered spikelet imbricated all round (subdistichous in n. 5).

[+] Achene crowned with the bulbous persistent base of the style (usually deciduous in n. 7); flowers without inner scales (bractlets).

[++] Hypogynous bristles (perianth) generally present; culm naked.

4. Eleocharis. Spikelets solitary, terminating the culm. Stamens 3.

[++][++] Bristles always none; culm leafy.

5. Dichromena. Spikelets crowded into a leafy-involucrate head, laterally flattened, the scales more or less conduplicate and keeled. Many of the flowers imperfect or abortive.

6. Psilocarya. Spikelets in broad open cymes. Style almost wholly persistent.

7. Fimbristylis. Spikelets in an involucrate umbel. Culm leafy at base. Style usually wholly deciduous.

[+][+] Style not bulbous at base.

[++] Flowers without inner scales, but bristles generally present.

8. Scirpus. Spikelets solitary or clustered, or in a compound umbel, the stem often leafy at base and inflorescence involucrate. Barbed bristles 3--8 or none. Stamens mostly 3.

9. Eriophorum. As Scirpus, but the bristles naked, exserted and often silky in fruit. Stamens 1--3.

[++][++] Flower with one or more inner scales.

10. Fuirena. Scales of the spikelet awned below the apex. Flower surrounded by 3 stalked petal-like scales alternating with 3 bristles.

11. Hemicarpha. Flower with a single very minute hyaline scale next the axis of the spikelet; bristles none.

12. Lipocarpha. Flower enclosed by 2 inner scales, one next the axis, the other in front of the achene; bristles none.

Tribe II. RHYNCHOSPOREÆ. Spikelets mostly 1--2-flowered, with 2--many of the lower scales empty.

13. Rhynchospora. Spikelets terete or flattish; scales convex, either loosely enwrapping or regularly imbricated. Achene crowned with a persistent tubercle or beak, and commonly surrounded by bristles.

14. Cladium. Spikelets terete, few-flowered, the scales, etc., as in the preceding. Achene destitute of tubercle. No bristles.

II. Flowers unisexual.

Tribe III. SCLERIEÆ. Flowers monœcious; the staminate and pistillate in the same or in different clustered spikes. Achene naked, bony or crustaceous, supported on a hardened disk.

15. Sclerlia. Spikes few-flowered; lower scales empty. No bristles or inner scales.

Tribe IV. CARICEÆ. Flowers monœcious in the same (androgynous) or in separate spikes or sometimes diœcious. Achene enclosed in a sac (perigynium).

16. Carex. Hypogynous bristle short and enclosed in the perigynium or none.

1. CYPÈRUS, Tourn. GALINGALE. (Pl. 1.)

Spikelets many--few-flowered, mostly flat, variously arranged, mostly in clusters or heads, which are commonly disposed in a simple or compound terminal umbel. Scales 2-ranked, conduplicate and keeled (their decurrent base below often forming margins or wings to the hollow of the joint of the axis next below), deciduous when old. Stamens 1--3. No bristles or inner scales. Style 2--3-cleft, deciduous. Achene lenticular or triangular, naked at the apex.--Culms mostly triangular, simple, leafy at base, and with one or more leaves at the summit, forming an involucre to the umbel or head. Peduncles or rays unequal, sheathed at base. All flowering in late summer or autumn. (Κύπειρος, the ancient name.)

§ 1. PYCRÈUS. Achene lenticular, the edge turned to the rhachis; spikelet flattened, many flowered; rhachis narrow, not winged. Annuals.

[*] Umbel simple or capitate, rarely slightly compound.

1. C. flavéscens, L. Culms 4--10´ high, spikelets 5--8´´ long; involucre 3-leaved, very unequal; spikelets becoming linear, obtuse, clustered on the 2--4 very short rays (peduncles); scales obtuse, straw-yellow; stamens 3; achene shining, orbicular, its superficial cells oblong.--Low grounds, N. Eng. to Mich., Ill., and southward. (Eu., etc.)

2. C. diándrus, Torr. (Pl. 1, fig. 1--4.) Spikelets lance-oblong (3--9´´), scattered or clustered on the 2--5 very short or unequal rays; scales rather obtuse, purple-brown on the margins or nearly all over; stamens 2, or sometimes 3; achene dull, oblong-obovate; otherwise much like the last.--Low grounds, common from the Atlantic to Minn., Ark., and N. Mex.--Var. CASTÀNEUS, Torr. Scales more firm and browner; with the type.

3. C. Nuttàllii, Torr. Culms 4--12´ high; spikelets lance-linear, acute and very flat (½--1´ long), crowded on the few usually very short (or some of them distinct) rays; scales oblong, yellowish-brown, rather loose; stamens 2; achene oblong-obovate, very blunt, dull.--Mostly in salt or brackish marshes, along the coast from Mass. to the Gulf.

4. C. polystàchyus, Rottb., var. leptostàchyus, Boeckl. Culms very slender, 6--15´ high; leaves and elongated involucre very narrow; spikelets few to many on the 4--8 rays, linear, acute, 2--9´´ long; scales thin, ovate, acute, closely imbricated, pale brown; stamens 2; achene linear-oblong or clavate, short-pointed, grayish and minutely pitted. (C. microdontus, Torr.)--Margins of ponds and streams, Va. to Fla. and Tex.

[*][*] Umbel compound.

5. C. flavícomus, Vahl. Culm stout (1--3° high); leaves of the involucre 3--5, very long; spikelets linear (4--9´´ long), spiked and crowded on the whole length of the branches of the several-rayed umbel, spreading; scales oval, very obtuse, yellowish and brownish, broadly scarious- (whitish-) margined; stamens 3; achene obovate, mucronate, blackish.--Low grounds, Va. to Fla.

§ 2. CYPERUS proper. Achene triangular; spikelets usually many-flowered, more or less flattened, with carinate scales, the rhachis marginless or nearly so (winged in n. 12).

[*] Stamen 1; spikelets short and small (1½--5´´ long) in globular heads, ovate or linear-oblong, many-flowered; achene oblong-obovate to linear.

[+] Low annuals; involucre 2--3-leaved; heads few; scales pointed.

6. C. aristàtus, Rottb. Dwarf (1--5´ high); spikelets chestnut-brown, oblong becoming linear, 7--13-flowered, in 1--5 ovate heads (sessile and clustered, or short-peduncled); scales nerved, tapering to a long recurved point; achene oblong-obovate, obtuse. (C. inflexus, Muhl.)--Sandy wet shores; common. Sweet-scented in drying.

7. C. acuminàtus, Torr. Slender (3--12´ high); spikelets ovate, becoming oblong, 16--30-flowered, pale; scales obscurely 3-nerved, short-tipped; achene oblong, pointed at both ends.--Low ground, Ill. and southwestward.

[+][+] Tall perennial (1--4° high); heads many, greenish; scales pointless.

8. C. calcaràtus, Nees. Culm obtusely triangular; leaves and involucre very long, keeled; umbel compound, many-rayed; spikelets ovate (1½´´ long), in numerous small heads; achenes pale, linear, on a slender stipe; scales narrow, acutish, obscurely 3-nerved. (C. virens, Gray, in part; not Michx. C. Luzulæ, var. umbellatus, Britt.)--Wet places, Del. to Fla. and Tex.

[*][*] _Stamens 3 (2 in C. fuscus); spikelets clustered on the rays of a simple umbel (or in a single sessile head); scales mostly green or greenish and many-nerved, abruptly sharp-pointed; achene obovate, sharply triangular._

[+] Low annuals.

9. C. Compréssus, L. Culms 3--9´ high, with a simple sessile or a few umbellate clusters of oblong to linear spikelets (15--30-flowered and 3--8´´ long) with crowded strongly keeled and very acute pale scales.--Sterile fields along the coast, Md. to Fla. and Tex.; also adventive near Philadelphia.

C. FÚSCUS, L. Of similar habit; spikelets much smaller (2--4´´ long), the thin brown scales (greenish only on the keel) barely acutish and very faintly nerved.--Revere Beach, Mass. (Young); on ballast at Philadelphia. (Adv. from Eu.)

[+][+] Perennial, propagating from hard clustered corms or bulb-like tubers.

10. C. Schweinítzii, Torr. Culm rough on the angles (1--2° high); umbel 4--8-rayed, rays very unequal, erect; spikelets loosely or somewhat remotely 6--12-flowered, with convex many-nerved scales; joints narrowly winged.--Dry sandy shores and ridges, western N. Y. and Penn. to Minn. and Kan.

11. C. filicúlmis, Vahl. Culm slender, wiry, often reclined (8--15´ high); leaves linear (½--2´´ wide) or filiform; spikelets numerous and clustered in one sessile dense head, or in 1--7 additional looser heads on spreading rays of an irregular umbel; joints of the axis naked; scales blunt, greenish.--Dry sterile soil; common, especially southward.

12. C. Gràyii, Torr. Culm thread-form, wiry (6--12´ high); leaves almost bristle-shaped, channelled; umbel simple, 4--6-rayed; spikes 5--10 in a loose head, spreading; joints of the axis winged; scales rather obtuse, greenish-chestnut-color.--Barren sands, Plymouth, Mass., to N. J., near the coast.

§ 3. PAPỲRUS. Style 3-cleft; achene triangular; stamens 3; spikelets many-flowered, flattened, the carinate scales decurrent upon the rhachis as scarious wings; spikes in simple or compound umbels.

[*] Wings of the rhachis soon separating to the base as a pair of free scales; annual.

13. C. erythrorhìzos, Muhl. (Pl. 1, fig. 5--8.) Culm obtusely triangular (3´--3° high); umbel many-rayed; involucre 4--5-leaved, very long; involucels bristle-form; spikelets very numerous, crowded in oblong or cylindrical nearly sessile heads or spikes, spreading horizontally, linear, flattish (3--6´´ long), bright chestnut-colored; scales lanceolate, mucronulate.--Alluvial banks, L. I. to Penn., Mich., Minn., and southward; also adventive in N. Eng.

[*][*] Wings of the rhachis persistently attached; perennial by slender running rootstocks.

[+] Achene round-obovate; scales mucronate or acute, free or spreading.

14. C. Háspan, L. Culms sharply angled (1--1½° high); leaves linear, often reduced to membranous sheaths; umbel spreading, the filiform rays mostly longer than the 2-leaved involucre; spikelets narrowly linear; scales light reddish-brown, oblong, mucronate, 3-nerved.--Ponds and ditches, Va. to Fla. and Tex.

15. C. dentàtus, Torr. (Pl. 1, fig. 9.) Culms slender (1° high); leaves rigid and keeled; umbel erect, shorter than the 3--4-leaved involucre; scales reddish-brown, with green keel, ovate, acute, 7-nerved.--Sandy swamps, N. Eng. and northern N. Y. to S. C. and W. Va. Spikes often abortive and changed into leafy tufts.

[+][+] Achene linear to oblong; scales appressed, pointless or nearly so.

[++] Perennial by tuberiferous stolons.

16. C. rotúndus, L. (NUT-GRASS.) Culm slender (½--1½° high), longer than the leaves; umbel simple or slightly compound, about equalling the involucre; the few rays each bearing 4--9 dark chestnut-purple 12--40-flowered acute spikelets (4--9´´ long); scales ovate, closely appressed, nerveless except on the keel.--Sandy fields, Va. to Fla. and Tex.; also adventive near Philadelphia and New York city. (Eu.)

17. C. esculéntus, L. Culm (1--2½° high) equalling the leaves; umbel often compound, 4--7-rayed, much shorter than the long involucre; spikelets numerous, light chestnut or straw-color, acutish, 12--30-flowered (4--7´´ long); scales ovate or ovate-oblong narrowly scarious-margined, nerved, the acutish tips rather loose; achene oblong-obovate. (C. phymatodes, Muhl.)--Low grounds, along rivers, etc., N. Brunswick to Fla., west to Minn, and Tex.; spreading extensively by its small nut-like tubers and becoming a pest in cultivated grounds.

[++][++] Perennial, propagating by corm-like tubers from the base; spikelets narrow, acuminate, often teretish; scales oblong-lanceolate; achene linear-oblong.

18. C. strigòsus, L. Culm mostly stout (1--3° high); most of the rays of the umbel elongated (1--5´), their sheaths 2-bristled; spikelets 5--25-flowered, spreading; scales several-nerved, much longer than the achene.--Damp or fertile soil, Canada to Fla., west to Minn., Tex., and the Pacific. Very variable in the number and length of the rays of the simple or compound umbel, and in the size of the spikelets (2½--6 or even 12´´ long), more or less densely crowded on the axis.

§ 4. DICLÍDIUM. Style 3-cleft; spikelets narrow, terete or nearly so, few--many-flowered, the scales closely appressed and the broad wings of the jointed rhachis enclosing the triangular achene.

19. C. speciòsus, Vahl. Culm stout, mostly low (5--20´ high); rays of the simple or compound umbel mostly all short and crowded; spikelets 10--20-flowered, yellowish-brown at maturity (3--7´´ long), the short joints of its axis winged with very broad scaly margins which embrace the ovate triangular achene; the scales ovate, obtusish, imbricately overlapping. (C. Michauxianus, Gray, Manual; not Schultes.)--Low grounds and sandy banks, N. Eng. to Fla., west to Minn. and Tex.

20. C. Engelmánni, Steud. Resembles n. 19; but the spikelets more slender and terete, somewhat remotely 5--15-flowered, the zigzag joints of the axis slender and narrowly winged, and the oblong or oval broadly scarious scales proportionally shorter, so as to expose a part of the axis of each joint, the successive scales not reaching the base of the one above on the same side; achene oblong-linear, very small.--Low grounds, Mass. to Wisc. and southward.

§ 5. MARÍSCUS. Spikelets 1--4-flowered, subterete, usually in dense heads; scales oppressed, several-nerved, the lower empty and often persistent after the fall of the rest of the spikelet; joints of the rhachis winged, enclosing the triangular achene. Perennial.

[*] Spikelets slender and acuminate, more or less refracted in usually close umbelled spikes.--Connecting with § 4.

21. C. Lancastriénsis, Porter. Culm (1--2° high) triangular; leaves rather broadly linear; umbel of 6--9 mostly elongated rays; spikelets very numerous in short-oblong close heads, soon reflexed, of 3--6 narrow scales, the upper and lower empty, twice the length of the linear-oblong achene, which is nearly 1´´ long.--Rich soil, Penn. and N. J. to Ala.

22. C. retrofráctus, Torr. Culm and leaves usually minutely downy and rough on the obtusish angles (1--3° high); umbel many-rayed; spikelets slender-awl-shaped, very numerous in obovate or oblong heads terminating the elongated rays, soon strongly reflexed, 1--2-flowered in the middle (3--5´´ long); scales usually 4 or 5, the two lowest ovate and empty, the fertile lanceolate and pointed, the uppermost involute-awl-shaped; achene linear, 1¼´´ long.--Sandy fields, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.

23. C. refráctus, Engelm. Culm 1--2° high; rays usually more or less elongated; spikelets very slender, in rather loose heads, divaricate or more or less reflexed, 2--4-flowered; achene linear, 1¼´´ long.--N. J. to N. C. and Mo.

[*][*] Spikelets very short, blunt, in densely compacted globose or cylindrical heads.

24. C. ovulàris, Torr. Culm sharply triangular (6´--2° high); umbel 1--6-rayed; spikelets (50--100) in a globular head, 3-flowered, oblong, blunt (1½--2´´ long); scales ovate, obtuse, a little longer than the ovate-oblong achene.--Sandy dry soil, southern N. Y. to Fla., west to Ill., Ark., and Tex.--Var. ROBÚSTUS, Boeckl., is a form with large heads (4--8´´ long), the spikelets 3--4-flowered. (C. Wolfii, Wood.)--Ill. to Ark., and southward.

25. C. Torrèyi, Britton. Like the last, but the heads cylindrical or oblong, spikelets usually 2-flowered, and achene linear-oblong.--L. Island to Fla., west to Tex.

2. KYLLÍNGA, Rottboell. (Pl. 1.)

Spikelets of 3 or 4 two-ranked scales, 1--1½-flowered; the 2 lower scales minute and empty, as in Cyperus, § 4, but style oftener 2-cleft and achene lenticular; spikes densely aggregated in solitary or triple sessile heads.--Culms leafy at base; involucre 3-leaved. (Named after Peter Kylling, a Danish botanist of the 17th century.)

1. K. pùmila, Michx. Annual; culms 2--9´ high; head globular or 3-lobed, whitish-green (about 4´´ broad), spikelets strictly 1-flowered; upper scales ovate, pointed, rough on the keel; stamens and styles 2; leaves linear.--Low grounds, Ohio to Ill., south to Fla. and Tex. Aug.

3. DULÍCHIUM, Pers. (Pl. 1.)

Spikelets many- (6--10-) flowered, linear, flattened, sessile in 2 ranks on axillary solitary peduncles emerging from the sheaths of the leaves; scales 2-ranked, lanceolate, decurrent, forming flat wing-like margins on the joint below. Perianth of 6--9 downwardly barbed bristles. Stamens 3. Style 2-cleft above. Achene flattened, linear-oblong, beaked with the long persistent style.--A perennial herb, with a terete simple hollow culm (1--2° high), jointed and leafy to the summit; leaves short and flat, linear, 3-ranked. (An alteration of Dulcichinum, an old name for a species of Cyperus.)

1. D. spathàceum, Pers.--Borders of ponds, N. Scotia to Fla., west to Minn. and Tex. July--Sept.

4. ELEÓCHARIS, R. Br. SPIKE-RUSH. (Pl. 3.)

Spikelet single, terminating the naked culm, many--several-flowered. Scales imbricated all round in many (rarely in 2 or 3) ranks. Perianth of 3--12 (commonly 6) bristles, usually rough or barbed downward, rarely obsolete. Stamens 2--3. Style 2--3-cleft, its bulbous base persistent as a tubercle jointed upon the apex of the lenticular or triangular achene.--Leafless, chiefly perennial, with tufted culms sheathed at the base, from matted or creeping root-stocks; flowering in summer. (Name from ἕλος, a marsh, and χαίρω to delight in; being marsh plants.)

§ 1. Spikelet terete, hardly if at all thicker than the spongy-cellular culm; scales firmly persistent; style mostly 3-cleft; bristles 6 (rarely 7), firm or rigid, mostly barbed downward, equalling or surpassing the triangular or lenticular achene.

[*] Spikelet linear or lanceolate-awl-shaped, few-flowered; scales (only 3--9) few-ranked, convolute-clasping the long flattened joints of the axis, lanceolate, herbaceous (green) and several-nerved on the back, and with thin scarious margins.

1. E. Robbínsii, Oakes. Flower-bearing culms exactly triangular, rather stout, erect (8´--2° high), also producing tufts of capillary abortive stems or fine leaves, which float in the water; sheath obliquely truncate; spikelet 4--10´´ long; achene oblong-obovate, triangular, minutely reticulated, about half the length of the bristles, tipped with a flattened awl-shaped tubercle.--Shallow water, N. Eng. to Fla.

[*][*] Spikelet cylindrical, many-flowered, 1--2´ long; scales in several ranks, firm-coriaceous with scarious margin, pale, nerveless or faintly striate; culms large and stout (2--4° high); basal sheaths often leaf-bearing.

2. E. equisetoìdes, Torr. Culm terete, knotted as if jointed by many cross-partitions; achene smooth (the minute reticulation transversely linear-rectangular), with a conical-beaked tubercle.--Shallow water, R. I. to Fla., west to Mich. and Tex.

3. E. quadrangulàta, R. Br. (Pl. 3, fig. 6--9.) Culm continuous and sharply 4-angled; achene finely reticulated, with a conical flattened distinct tubercle.--Shallow water, central N. Y. to Mich., and southward; rare.

§ 2. Spikelet terete and turgid-ovate, much thicker than the very slender culm; scales thin-coriaceous or firm-membranaceous, persistent, ovate; style 3-cleft; bristles stout, barbed downward (or sometimes upward), as long as the striate and pitted-reticulated triangular achene and its tubercle; culms tufted from fibrous roots, 1--2° high.

4. E. tuberculòsa, R. Br. (Pl. 3, fig. 10.) Culms flattish, striate; spikelet 3--6´´ long, many-flowered; tubercle flattish-cap-shaped, as large as the body of the achene.--Wet sandy soil, from Mass. along the coast to Fla.

5. E. tórtilis, Schult. Culms sharply triangular, capillary, twisting when dry; spikelet 2--3´´ long, few-flowered; conical-beaked tubercle much smaller than the achene. (E. simplex, Torr.)--Eastern shore of Md. to Fla.

§ 3. Spikelets terete, much thicker than the culm, many-flowered; scales imbricated in many or more than 3 ranks, thin-membranaceous or scarious, with a thicker midrib, usually brownish or purplish, sometimes deciduous.

[*] Style 2-cleft (often 3-cleft in n. 7 and 10) and the smooth achene lenticular; culms slender or thread-form, terete or compressed.

[+] Annuals; culms tufted, from fibrous roots.

6. E. capitàta, R. Br. Culms terete, ¼--8´ high or more; spikelets ovate to oblong (1--3´´ long), obtuse, 15--40-flowered; scales thickish, round-ovate, obtuse, brown or brownish with green keel and paler margins; stamens 2; achene obovate, black, about equalling the 6--8 bristles, tipped with a flattened or saucer-shaped tubercle. (E. dispar, E. J. Hill.)--In sand or gravel near sloughs, Md. (Canby) to Fla. and Tex.; N. Ind. (Hill). (S. Am., etc.)

7. E. ovàta, R. Br. Culms nearly terete, 8--14´ high; spikelet globose-ovoid to ovate-oblong, obtuse, 1--6´´ long (dull brown); scales very obtuse, densely crowded in many ranks; style 3- (rarely 2-) cleft; achene obovate with narrow base, pale-brownish, shining, shorter than the 6--8 bristles, broader than the short-deltoid, acute and flattened tubercle. (E. obtusa, Schult.)--Muddy places, N. Brunswick to Minn., south and westward. Variable as to the length of its bristles. A low form, with smaller and more narrowly obovate achenes, and the bristles very short or none, is E. diandra, Wright. A dwarf form occurs with very small and few-flowered heads. (Eu.)

8. E. Engelmánni, Steud. Like the last; spikelets usually narrowly cylindrical and acute or acutish, 2--8´´ long; achene broad and truncate, the tubercle covering the summit; bristles not exceeding the achene. (E. obtusa, var. detonsa, Gray.)--Mass. to Penn. and Mo.

[+][+] Perennials, with running rootstocks.

9. E. olivàcea, Torr. (Pl. 2, fig. 1--5.) Culms flattish, grooved, diffusely tufted on slender matted rootstocks (2--4´ high); spikelet ovate, acutish, 20--30-flowered; scales ovate, obtuse, rather loosely imbricated (purple with a green midrib and slightly scarious margins); achene obovate, dull, abruptly beaked with a narrow tubercle, shorter than the 6--8 bristles.--Wet, sandy soil, Mass. to N. C., and western N. Y.

10. E. palsútris, R. Br. Culms nearly terete, striate, 1--5° high; spikelet oblong-lanceolate, pointed, many-flowered; scales ovate-oblong, loosely imbricated, reddish-brown with a broad and translucent whitish margin and a greenish keel, the upper acutish, the lowest rounded and often enlarged; achene rather narrowly obovate, somewhat shining, crowned with a short ovate or ovate-triangular flattened tubercle, shorter than the usually 4 bristles.--Very common, either in water, when it is pretty stout and tall, or in wet grassy grounds, when it is slender and lower. (Eu., Asia.)--Var. GLAUCÉSCENS, Gray. Culms slender or filiform; tubercle narrower, acute, beak-like, sometimes half as long as the achene. With the type.--Var. CÁLVA, Gray. Bristles none; tubercle short, but narrower than in the type.--Var. VÌGENS, L. H. Bailey. Culms very stout, rigid; achene more broadly obovoid. Lake Champlain and along the Great Lakes to Minn.

[*][*] Achene triangular or turgid; style 3-cleft.

[+] Bristles at least equalling the smooth achene, downwardly barbed, persistent.

11. E. rostellàta, Torr. Culms flattened and striate-grooved, wiry, erect (1--2½° high), the sterile ones reclining, rooting and proliferous from the apex (1--2° high), the sheath transversely truncate; spikelet spindle-shaped, 12--20-flowered; scales ovate, obtuse (light-brown); achene obovate-triangular, narrowed into the confluent pyramidal tubercle, which is overtopped by the 4--6 bristles.--Marshes, N. Eng. to S. C., west to Mich. and Ky.

12. E. intermèdia, Schultes. Culms capillary, wiry, striate-grooved, densely tufted from fibrous roots, diffusely spreading or reclining (6--12´ long); spikelet oblong-ovate, acutish, loosely 10--20-flowered (2--3´´ long); scales oblong, obtuse, green-keeled, the sides purplish-brown; achene obovoid with a narrowed base, beaked with a slender conical-awl-shaped distinct tubercle, which nearly equals the 6 bristles.--Wet slopes, Penn. to Iowa, north to Canada.

13. E. Torreyàna, Boeckl. Like the preceding, but more capillary and heads smaller (1½--2´´ long), sometimes proliferous, the one or more short new culms from the axil of its lowest scale, which persists as an herbaceous bract; achene very much smaller, with sharper angles and a short conical tubercle, which is hardly equalled by the 3--6 slender bristles. (E. microcarpa, var. filiculmis, Torr.)--Wet pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla.

(Addendum) 13^a. E. álbida, Torr. Like n. 12 and 13 in habit, somewhat stouter; spikelet dense, ellipsoidal or oblong, 1--4´´ long, acutish, with pale obtuse scales; achene very small, triangular-obovate, very smooth, with a broadly triangular tubercle upon a narrow base, shorter than or exceeding the reddish bristles.--Salt marshes, Northampton Co., Va. (Canby), and south to Fla. and Tex.

[+][+] Bristles 2--4, shorter than the achene, slender and fragile, or none.

14. E. ténuis, Schultes. Culms almost capillary, erect from running rootstocks, 4-angular and flattish (1° high), the sides concave; spikelet elliptical, acutish, 20--30-flowered (3´´ long); scales ovate, obtuse, chestnut-purple with a broad scarious margin and green keel; achene obovate, roughish-wrinkled, crowned with a small depressed tubercle, persistent after the fall of the scales; bristles ½ as long as the achene or none.--N. Scotia to N. C., Minn., and Mo. June.

15. E. compréssa, Sullivant. Culms flat, striate, tufted, erect (1--2° high); spikelet ovate-oblong, or at length lanceolate, 20--30-flowered (4--7´´ long); scales lanceolate-ovate, acute, dark purple with broad white pellucid margins and summit; achene yellowish, obovate-pear-shaped, obtusely triangular, wrinkled, crowned with a small conical and pointed tubercle; bristles 1--4, very slender, fragile, shorter than or equalling the achene (sometimes none or a single rudiment).--Wet places, N. Y. and Ont. to Minn. and Mo.

16. E. melanocárpa, Torr. Culms flattened, grooved, wiry, erect (9--18´ high); spikelet cylindrical-ovoid or oblong, thick, obtuse, densely many-flowered (3--6´´ long); scales closely many-ranked, roundish-ovate, very obtuse, brownish with broad scarious margins; achene smooth, obovate-top-shaped, obtusely triangular, the broad summit entirely covered like a lid by the flat depressed tubercle, which is raised in the centre into a short abrupt triangular point; bristles often obsolete; achene soon blackish.--Wet sand, Mass. to Fla.

17. E. tricostàta, Torr. Culms flattish (1--2° high); spikelet soon cylindrical, densely many-flowered (6--9´´ long), thickish; scales ovate, very obtuse, rusty brown, with broad scarious margins; achene obovate, with 3 prominent thickened angles, minutely rough-wrinkled, crowned with a short-conical acute tubercle; bristles none.--N. J. to Fla.

18. E. Wólfii, Gray. Culms slender (1° high), from very small creeping rhizomes, 2-edged; spikelet ovate-oblong, acute; scales ovate-oblong, obtuse, scarious, pale purple; achene pyriform, shining, with 9 nearly equidistant obtuse ribs and transverse wrinkles between them; tubercle depressed, truncate, more or less apiculate; bristles not seen.--Wet prairies, N. Iowa and S. Minn.

§ 4. Spikelet more or less flattened, thicker than the slender or capillary culm, few--many-flowered; the thin membranaceous scales somewhat 2--3-ranked; style 3-cleft; bristles of the perianth 3--6, fragile or fugacious. Small or delicate species, differing from the last division chiefly in the flattish spikelets.

[*] Tubercle contracted at its junction with the achene.

19. E. aciculàris, R. Br. Culms finely capillary (2--8´ long), more or less 4-angular; spikelet 3--9-flowered; scales ovate-oblong, rather obtuse (greenish with purple sides); achene obovate-oblong, with 3-ribbed angles and 2--3 times as many smaller intermediate ribs, also transversely striate, longer than the 3--4 very fugacious bristles; tubercle conical-triangular.--Muddy shores, across the continent. (Eu., Asia.)

20. E. pygmæ̀a, Torr. Culms bristle like, flattened and grooved (1--2´ high); spikelet ovate, 3--8-flowered; scales ovate (greenish), the upper rather acute; achene ovoid, acutely triangular, smooth and shining, tipped with a minute tubercle; bristles mostly longer than the fruit, sometimes wanting.--Brackish marshes, from N. Brunswick to Fla.

[*][*] Tubercle continuous with the nutlet and not contracted at base.

21. E. pauciflòra, Link. Culms striate-angled, very slender (3--9´ high), scarcely tufted, on slender running rootstocks, with a short truncate sheath at base; scales of the ovate spikelet evidently 2-ranked, chestnut-brown, pointless, all flower-bearing, the two lower larger; bristles 3--6, about as long as the conspicuously beaked triangular achene. (Scirpus pauciflorus, Lightfoot.)--Wet places, N. Y. to N. Ill. and Minn., north and westward. (Eu., Asia.)

5. DICHRÒMENA, Richard. (Pl. 4.)

Spikelets aggregated in a terminal leafy-involucrate head, more or less compressed, few-flowered, all but 3 or 4 of the flowers usually imperfect or abortive. Scales imbricated somewhat in 2 ranks, more or less conduplicate or boat-shaped, keeled, white or whitish. Stamens 3. Style 2-cleft. Perianth, bristles, etc., none. Achene lenticular, wrinkled transversely, crowned with the persistent and broad tubercled base of the style.--Culms leafy, from creeping perennial rootstocks; the leaves of the involucre mostly white at the base (whence the name, from δίς, double, and χρῶμα, color).

1. D. leucocéphala, Michx. Culm triangular (1--2° high); leaves narrow; those of the involucre 4--7; achene truncate, not margined.--Damp pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. Aug., Sept.

2. D. latifòlia, Baldwin. (Pl. 4, fig. 1--5.) Culm stouter, nearly terete; leaves broadly linear, those of the involucre 8 or 9, tapering from base to apex; achene round-obovate, faintly wrinkled, the tubercle decurrent on its edges.--Low pine-barrens, Va. to Fla.

6. PSILOCÁRYA, Torr. BALD-RUSH. (Pl. 4.)

Spikelets ovoid, terete, the numerous scales all alike and regularly imbricated, each with a perfect flower. Perianth (bristles) wholly wanting. Stamens mostly 2. Style 2-cleft, its base or the greater part of it enlarging and hardening to form the beak of the lenticular or tumid more or less wrinkled achene.--Annuals, with leafy culms, the spikelets in terminal and axillary cymes. (Name from ψιλός, naked, and καρύα, nut.)

1. P. scirpoìdes, Torr. Annual (4--10´ high), leafy; leaves flat; spikelets 20--30-flowered; scales oblong-ovate, acute, chestnut-colored; achene somewhat margined, beaked with a sword-shaped almost wholly persistent style. (Rhynchospora scirpoides, Gray.)--Inundated places, S. N. Eng.

7. FIMBRÍSTYLIS, Vahl. (Pl. 3.)

Spikelets several--many-flowered, terete; scales all floriferous, regularly imbricated in several ranks. Perianth (bristles, etc.) none. Stamens 1--3. Style 2--3-cleft, often with a dilated or tumid base, which is deciduous (except in n. 4) from the apex of the naked lenticular or triangular achene. Otherwise as in Scirpus.--Culms leafy at base. Spikelets in our species umbelled, and the involucre 2--3-leaved. (Name compounded of fimbria, a fringe, and stylus, style, which is fringed with hairs in the genuine species.)

[*] Style 2-cleft, flattened and ciliate; achene lenticular; tubercle soon deciduous; spikelets many-flowered.

1. F. spadícea, Vahl, var. castànea, Gray. Culms (1--2½° high) tufted from a perennial root, rigid, as are the thread-form convolute-channelled leaves, smooth; spikelets ovate-oblong becoming cylindrical, dark chestnut-color (2´´ thick); stamens 2 or 3; achene very minutely striate and reticulated.--Salt marshes along the coast, N. Y. and N. J. to Fla. July--Sept.--Scales lighter colored than in the tropical form.

2. F. láxa, Vahl. (Pl. 3, fig. 1--5.) Culms slender (2--12´ high) from an annual root, weak, grooved and flattish; leaves linear, flat, ciliate-denticulate, glaucous, sometimes hairy; spikelets ovate, acute (3´´ long); stamen 1; achene conspicuously 6--8-ribbed on each side, and with finer cross-lines.--Low ground, Penn. to Fla., west to Ill. and La. July--Sept.

[*][*] Style 3-cleft and achene triangular; tubercle soon deciduous; spikelets smaller and fewer-flowered.

3. F. autumnàlis, Roem. & Schult. (Pl. 3, fig. 6--9.) Annual (3--16´ high), in tufts; culms flat, slender, diffuse or erect; leaves flat, acute; umbel compound; spikelets oblong, acute (1--2´´ long), single or 2--3 in a cluster; scales ovate-lanceolate, mucronate; stamens 1--3.--Low grounds, Maine to Fla., west to Ill. and La.

[*][*][*] Style 3-cleft, filiform and not ciliate; achene acutely triangular; tubercle more or less persistent.

4. F. capillàris, Gray. Low annual, densely tufted (3--9´ high); culm and leaves nearly capillary, the latter short; umbel compound or panicled; spikelets (2´´ long) ovoid-oblong; stamens 2; achene minutely wrinkled, very obtuse.--Sandy fields, N. Eng. to Fla., west to Minn., Tex., and the Pacific.

F. VÁHLII, Link (F. congesta, Torr.), a diminutive southern species, with long filiform leaves, sessile capitate spikelets, narrow acuminate scales, and the style 2-cleft and not ciliate, has been found in ballast-sand along the northern coast.

8. SCÍRPUS, Tourn. BULRUSH or CLUB-RUSH. (Pl. 3.)

Spikelets several--many-flowered, solitary or in a terminal cluster which is subtended by a 1--several-leaved involucre (this when simple often appearing like a continuation of the culm), terete, the scales being regularly imbricated all round in many or several ranks, or rarely somewhat compressed and the fewer scales inclining to be 2-ranked. Flowers to all the scales, or to all but one or two of the lowest, all perfect. Perianth of 3--6 mostly retrorsely barbed or ciliate bristles (not elongated), or sometimes wanting. Stamens mostly 3. Style 2--3-cleft, simple, not bulbous at base, wholly deciduous, or sometimes leaving a tip or point to the lenticular or triangular achene.--Culms sheathed at base; the sheaths usually leaf-bearing. Mostly perennials; flowering in summer. (The Latin name of the Bulrush.)

[*] Spikelets solitary, few-flowered, small, often flattish; achene triangular, smooth.

[+] Involucre a short awl-shaped bract; culms tufted (3--12´ high), filiform.

1. S. cæspitòsus, L. Culms terete, wiry, densely sheathed at base, in compact turfy tufts; the upper sheath bearing a very short awl-shaped leaf; spikelet ovoid, rusty-color; involucral bract a rigid-pointed scale, resembling the lowest proper scale of the spikelet and scarcely surpassing it; bristles 6, smooth, longer than the abruptly short-pointed achene.--Coast of Maine, alpine summits of N. Eng., swamps of northern N. Y., N. Ill., Minn., and northward; also on Roan Mt., N. C. (Eu.)

2. S. Clintònii, Gray. Culms acutely triangular, almost bristle-like; sheaths at the base bearing a very slender almost bristle-shaped leaf shorter (usually very much shorter) than the culm; involucral bract awl-shaped, mostly shorter than the chestnut-colored ovate spikelet, which has pointless scales; otherwise as the next.--Rather dry plains, N. Y. June.

3. S. planifòlius, Muhl. Culms triangular, leafy at base; leaves linear, flat, as long as the culm, and like it rough-edged; involucral bract a bristle-tipped scale usually overtopping the ovate or oblong chestnut-colored spikelet, the green midrib of the scales extended into sharp points; bristles upwardly hairy, as long as the pointless achene.--Dry or moist ground, N. Eng. to Del., west to western N. Y. and Penn.; W. Mo. (B. F. Bush.).

[+][+] One-leaved involucre more conspicuous, and as if continuing the culm.

4. S. subterminàlis, Torr. Aquatic; culms (1--3° long, thickish-filiform) partly and the shorter filiform leaves wholly submersed, cellular; the filiform green bract 6--12´´ long, much surpassing the oblong spikelet; scales somewhat pointed; bristles 6, bearded downward, rather shorter than the abruptly-pointed achene.--Slow streams and ponds, N. Eng. to N. J., west to Mich. and N. Ind.--Var. TERRÉSTRIS, Paine; less tall, with firmer stem and leaves, and fruiting spike more turgid. Growing chiefly emersed; Herkimer Co., N. Y.

[*][*] Spikelets clustered (rarely only one), appearing lateral, the one-leaved involucre resembling and seeming to be a continuation of the naked culm.

[+] Culm sharply triangular, stout, chiefly from running rootstocks; spikelets many-flowered, rusty brown, closely sessile in one cluster; sheaths at base more or less leaf-bearing.

5. S. púngens, Vahl. Running rootstocks long and stout; culm sharply 3-angled throughout (1--4° high) with concave sides; leaves 1--3, elongated (4--10´ long), keeled and channelled; spikelets 1--6, capitate, ovoid, usually long, overtopped by the pointed involucral leaf; scales ovate, sparingly ciliate, 2-cleft at the apex and awn-pointed from between the acute lobes; anthers tipped with an awl-shaped minutely fringed appendage; style 2-cleft (rarely 3-cleft); bristles 2--6, shorter than the obovate plano-convex and mucronate smooth achene.--Borders of salt and fresh ponds and streams, throughout N. Am. (Eu., S. Am.)

6. S. Torrèyi, Olney. Rootstocks slender if any (so that the plant is readily pulled up from the mud); culm 3-angled, with concave sides, rather slender (2--4° high), leafy at base; leaves 2 or 3, more than half the length of the culm, triangular-channelled, slender; spikelets 1--4, oblong or spindle-shaped, acute, distinct, pale chestnut-color, long overtopped by the slender erect involucral leaf; scales ovate, smooth, entire, barely mucronate; style 3-cleft; bristles longer than the unequally triangular-obovate very smooth long-pointed achene.--Borders of ponds, brackish and fresh, N. Eng. to Penn., Mich., and Minn.

7. S. Olnèyi, Gray. Culm 3-wing-angled, with deeply excavated sides, stout (2--7° high), the upper sheath bearing a short triangular leaf or none; spikelets 6--12, closely capitate, ovoid, obtuse, overtopped by the short involucral leaf; scales orbicular, smooth, the inconspicuous mucronate point shorter than the scarious apex; anthers with a very short and blunt minutely bearded tip; style 2-cleft; bristles 6, scarcely equalling the narrowly obovate plano-convex and mucronate achene.--Salt marshes, S. New Eng. to Fla., west to the Pacific.

S. MUCRONÀTUS, L. Resembling the last, 1--3° high; spikelets numerous in a dense cluster, oblong-ovate, 6--8´´ long or less; scales ovate, mucronate, firm, scarcely at all scarious; style 3-cleft; achene smaller, broadly obovate.--In a single locality in Delaware Co., Penn.; probably introduced from S. Europe.

[+][+] Culm triangular, tall and stout, from slender running rootstocks; spikelets many-flowered, loosely umbellate or corymbed, involucellate-bracted.

8. S. Cánbyi, Gray. Culm (3--5° high) 3-angled, usually sharply so above, obtusely below, the sheath at base extended into a long slender triangular and channelled leaf (2--4° long); involucral leaf similar (4--8´ long), continuing the culm; spikelets oblong (4--6´´ long), single or sometimes proliferously 2 or 3 together, nodding on the apex of the 5--9 long filiform and flattened peduncles or rays of the dichotomous umbel-like corymb, or the central one nearly sessile; scales loosely imbricated, oblong-ovate, acute, pale, thin and scarious, with a greenish nerved back; bristles 6, firm, furnished above with spreading hairs rather than barbs, equalling the slender abrupt beak of the obovate-triangular shining achene (1½´´ long).--In a pond near Salisbury, Md.

[+][+][+] Culm terete, very tall and stout, from a deep running rootstock, leafless or very nearly so; spikelets numerous, clustered in a one-sided compound umbel-like panicle longer than the involucral leaf; involucellate bracts small, scale-like and rusty-scarious; scales of the spikelets rusty or chestnut-brown, scarious, the midrib extended into a mucronate point.

9. S. lacústris, L. (GREAT BULRUSH.) Culm 3--9° high, ½--1´ thick at base; spikelets ovate-oblong (3--4´´ long); scales mostly a little downy on the back and ciliate; style 2-cleft; achene pale and dull, obovate with a narrowed base, plano-convex, mucronate-pointed, usually overtopped by the 4--6 slender downwardly barbed bristles. (S. validus, Vahl.)--Common everywhere in still fresh water. (Eu., Asia, etc.)

[+][+][+][+] Culms slender from an annual root, terete, plano-convex or obtusely triangular, naked; the sheaths rarely bearing a short leaf; spikelets few or several in a sessile cluster, sometimes solitary, much overtopped by the involucral leaf; bristles often few or wanting.

10. S. débilis, Pursh. (Pl. 3, fig. 1--5.) Culms obtusely triangular, with somewhat hollowed sides, 1--2° high, yellowish-green, shining; spikelets 3--12, capitate, ovate-oblong, obtuse (3--4´´ long), chestnut-brown; involucral leaf often horizontal at maturity; scales roundish; stamens 3; style 2--3-cleft; bristles 6, stout, downwardly barbed, equalling or two surpassing the obovate turgidly plano-convex (or bluntly 3-sided) abruptly mucronate-pointed smoothish achene.--Swamps, Mass. to S. C., Minn. and Neb. Aug., Sept.

11. S. Smíthii, Gray. Culms terete, slender, 3--12´ high, often leaf-bearing from the upper sheath, dull green as are the 1--3 oblong-ovate acute spikelets; involucral leaf always erect; scales oblong-oval; style 2-cleft; bristles 1 or 2 minute rudiments or none; achene somewhat lenticular, smooth, deciduous with the scales.--Wet shores, Delaware Bay to L. Ontario, Mich., N. Ind., and Ill. July.

12. S. supìnus, L., var. Hállii, Gray. Culms filiform, 5--12´ high; upper sheath rarely distinctly leaf-bearing; spikelets 1--7 in a sessile or sometimes geminately proliferous cluster, ovate-oblong becoming cylindrical, greenish; scales ovate, strongly keeled, mucronate-pointed; stamens 2 or 3; style 2-cleft; bristles none; achene obovate-orbicular, mucronate, plano-convex, strongly wrinkled transversely.--Wet shores, Ill. to Tex.; also found in E. Mass. (Hitchings). (Eu.)

[*][*][*] Spikelets in simple or mostly compound umbellate or cymose-panicled clusters, many-flowered, terete; involucre of mostly several flat leaves; culm tall, from tufted or running rootstocks, triangular, leafy, sedge-like; leaves rough on the margin; style mostly 3-cleft.

[+] Spikelets large (6--15´´ long); midrib of the scales extended beyond the mostly lacerate or two-cleft apex into a distinct awn.

13. S. marítimus, L. (SEA CLUB-RUSH.) Leaves flat, linear, as long as the stout culm (1--3° high), those of the involucre 1--4, very unequal; spikelets few--several in a sessile cluster, and often also with 1--4 unequal rays bearing 1--7 ovate or oblong-cylindrical (rusty-brown) spikelets; awns of the scales soon recurved; achene obovate-orbicular, compressed, flat on one side, convex or obtuse-angled on the other, minutely pointed, shining, shorter than the 1--6 unequal and deciduous (sometimes obsolete) bristles.--Saline localities, on the coast from N. Scotia to Fla., and in the interior across the continent. (Eu.)--Var. MACROSTÁCHYOS, Michx.; larger, with very thick oblong-cylindrical heads (1--1½´ long), and longer involucral leaf (often 1° long).

14. S. fluviátilis, Gray. (RIVER C.) Culm very stout, 3--5° high; leaves flat, broadly linear (½´ wide or more), tapering gradually to a point, the upper and those of the very long involucre very much exceeding the compound umbel; rays 5--9, elongated, recurved-spreading, each bearing 1--5 ovate or oblong-cylindrical acute paler heads; scales less lacerate and awns less recurved; achene obovate, sharply and exactly triangular, conspicuously pointed, opaque, scarcely equalling the 6 rigid bristles.--Borders of lakes and large streams, W. Vt. to Conn. and Penn., west to Minn. and Iowa.

[+][+] Spikelets very numerous, small (1--3´´ long); scales mucronate-pointed or blunt; umbel-like cymose panicle irregular, compound or decompound; culm 2--5° high, unusually leafy; leaves broadly linear, green and rather soft; bristles very slender, often more or less tortuous and naked below.

15. S. sylváticus, L. Spikelets lead-colored, clustered 3--10 together at the end of the mostly slender ultimate divisions of the open decompound panicle, ovoid or lance-ovate, 2´´ long; scales bluntish; bristles 6, downwardly barbed throughout, rather exceeding the triangular short-pointed achene; style 3-cleft.--Along brooks, E. Mass. to N. Y.; rare.

Var. dígynus, Boeckl. Style 2-cleft and the achene not at all angled on the back; stamens 2, and bristles 4. (S. microcarpus, Presl.)--N. Scotia and N. Eng. to Minn., and westward.

16. S. atròvirens, Muhl. Leaves somewhat more rigid; spikelets dull greenish-brown, densely conglomerate (10--30 together) into close heads, these also usually densely clustered in a less compound panicle; scales pointed; bristles sparsely and strongly downwardly barbed above the middle, naked below, nearly straight, as long as the conspicuously pointed and obovate-oblong triangular achene.--Wet meadows and bogs, N. Scotia and N. Eng., west to Minn., Kan., and the Pacific.

17. S. polyphýllus, Vahl. Culm usually more leafy; spikelets yellow-brown, ovate, becoming cylindrical, clustered 3--8 together in small heads on the short ultimate divisions of the open decompound umbel; scales mucronate; bristles 6, usually twice bent, soft-barbed toward the summit only, about twice the length of the achene.--Swamps and borders of ponds, western N. Eng to N. C., west to Minn, and Ark.

9. ERIÓPHORUM, L. COTTON-GRASS. (Pl. 3.)

Bristles naked, usually very numerous, often silky and becoming greatly elongated. Otherwise as in Scirpus.--Spikelets single or clustered or umbellate, usually involucrate with erect scale-like bracts, upon a leafy or naked stem; scales membranaceous, 1--3-nerved. Style very slender and elongated, 3-cleft. Achene acutely triangular. (Name composed of ἔριον, wool or cotton, and φορός, bearing.)

[*] Bristles 6, rust-colored, becoming tortuous and entangled; culm very leafy, bearing numerous spikelets in an involucrate decompound cymose-panicled umbel.

1. E. lineàtum, Benth. & Hook. Culm triangular, leafy (1--3° high); leaves linear, flat, rather broad, rough on the margins; umbels terminal and sometimes axillary, loose, drooping, the terminal with a 1--3-leaved involucre much shorter than the long slender rays; spikelets oblong, becoming cylindrical (2--4´´ long), on thread-like drooping pedicels; bristles at maturity scarcely exceeding the ovate green-keeled pointed scales; achene sharp-pointed. (Scirpus lineatus, Michx.)--Low grounds, western N. Eng. to Ga., west to Minn. and Mo.

2. E. cyperìnum, L. (Pl. 3, fig. 6--10, under Scirpus.) (WOOL-GRASS.) Culm nearly terete (2--5° high); leaves narrowly linear, long, rigid, those of the involucre 3--5, longer than the umbel, the rays at length drooping; spikelets exceedingly numerous, ovate, clustered, or the lateral pedicelled, woolly at maturity (1½--3´´ long); the rust-colored bristles much longer than the pointless scales; achene short-pointed. (Scirpus Eriophorum, Michx.)--Wet meadows and swamps, Newf. to Fla., west to Minn. and Iowa. Exceedingly variable in the character and size of the umbel, the typical form having the spikelets mostly clustered in small heads.--Var. LÁXUM has the spikelets scattered, the lateral long-pedicelled.

[*][*] Bristles 6, crisped, white; spikelet single, small; involucre of one short bract.

3. E. alpìnum, L. (Pl. 3, fig. 1--6.) Culms slender, many in a row from a running rootstock (6--10´ high), scabrous, naked; sheaths at the base awl-tipped.--Cold bogs, Lab. to N. Eng., west to Minn. June. (Eu.)

[*][*][*] Bristles very numerous, not crisped, forming dense cottony heads in fruit.

[+] Culm bearing a single spikelet; involucre none.

4. E. vaginàtum, L. Culms in close tufts (1° high), leafy only at the base, above with 2 inflated leafless sheaths; root-leaves long and thread-form, triangular-channelled; scales of the ovate spikelet long-pointed, lead-color at maturity.--Cold and high peat-bogs, N. Eng. to Penn., Mich., Minn., and northward. May, June. (Eu.)

[+][+] Culm leafy, bearing several umbellate-clustered heads, involucrate.

5. E. Virgínicum, L. Culm rigid (2--4° high); leaves very narrowly linear, elongated, flat; spikelets nearly sessile, crowded in a dense cluster or head; wool rusty or copper-color, only thrice the length of the scale; stamen 1.--Bogs and low meadows, Newf. to Fla., west to Minn. and Neb. July, Aug.--Var. ÁLBUM, Gray, has the wool white. N. New York.

6. E. polystáchyon, L. Culm rigid (1--2° high), obscurely triangular; leaves linear, flat, or barely channelled below, triangular at the point; involucre 2--3-leaved; spikelets several (4--12), on smooth nodding peduncles, some of them elongated in fruit; achene obovate; wool white, very straight (1´ long or more).--Bogs, Newf. to Ga., Minn., and westward. June, July. (Eu.)--Var. LATIFÒLIUM, Gray; peduncles rough; leaves sometimes broader and flatter.

7. E. grácile, Koch. Culm slender (1--2° high), rather triangular; leaves slender, channelled-triangular, rough on the angles; involucre short and scale-like, mostly 1-leaved; peduncles rough or roughish-pubescent; spikelets 3--7, small, when mature the copious white wool 6--9´´ long; achene elliptical-linear.--Cold bogs, Newf. to N. J., west to Minn. and Mo. Scales in our plant mostly light chestnut and about 3-nerved. June--Aug. (Eu.)

10. FUIRÈNA, Rottboell. UMBRELLA-GRASS. (Pl. 2.)

Spikelets many-flowered, terete, clustered or solitary, axillary and terminal. Scales imbricated in many ranks, awned below the apex, all floriferous. Perianth of 3 ovate or heart-shaped petaloid scales, mostly on claws, and usually with as many alternating small bristles. Stamens 3. Style 3-cleft. Achene triangular, pointed with the persistent base of the style. Culms from a perennial root, obtusely triangular. (Named for G. Fuiren, a Danish botanist.)

1. F. squarròsa, Michx., var. híspida, Chapm. (Pl. 2, fig. 1--7.) Stem (1--3° high) leafy; leaves and sheaths usually densely hairy; spikelets ovoid-oblong (4--6´´ long), clustered in heads, bristly with the spreading awns of the scales; perianth-scales rhombic or deltoid-ovate, with a short thick awn or point, the interposed mostly barbed bristles shorter than the achene.--Sandy wet places, N. J. to Fla., west to Ky. and Tex.

Var. pùmila, Torr. Usually low (1--6´ high or more), with 1--6 spikelets; perianth-scales narrowly to broadly oblong or ovate, long-stipitate and attenuate to a long awn; barbed bristles usually exceeding the achene.--Mass. to N. J., Fla., and La.; Mich. The commonest form.

11. HEMICÁRPHA, Nees. (Pl. 2.)

Spikelet, flowers, etc., as in Scirpus, except that there is a minute translucent scale (readily overlooked) between the flower and the axis of the spikelet. Stamen only one. Style 2-cleft. Bristles or other perianth none. (Name from ἥμι, half, and κάρφος, straw or chaff, in allusion to the single inner scalelet.)

1. H. subsquarròsa, Nees. Dwarf or minute annual (1--5´ high); involucre 1-leaved, as if a continuation of the bristle-like culm, and usually with another minute leaf; spikelets 2--3 (barely 2´´ long); scales brown, tipped with a short recurved point.--Sandy borders of ponds and rivers, N. Eng. to Fla., west to the Pacific.

12. LIPOCÁRPHA, R. Br. (Pl. 2.)

Spikelets terete, many-flowered, in a terminal close cluster involucrate by leafy bracts. Scales spatulate, regularly imbricated all round in many ranks, awnless, deciduous, a few of the lowest empty. Inner scales (bractlets) 2 to each flower, thin, one between the scale of the spikelet and the flower, one between the latter and the axis of the spikelet. Bristles or other perianth none. Stamens 1 or 2. Style 2--3-cleft. Achene flattish or triangular, naked at the tip.--Culms leafy at base. (Name formed of λίπος, fat, and κάρφος, chaff, from the thickness of the inner scales of some species.)

1. L. maculàta, Torr. Annual; culm (4--8´ high) much longer than the linear concave leaves; spikelets (1--2´´ long) green and dark-spotted; inner scales delicate; stamen one; achene oblong with a contracted base.--Springy or miry places, Va. to Fla.; near Philadelphia, probably adventive.

13. RHYNCHÓSPORA, Vahl. BEAK-RUSH. (Pl. 4.)

Spikelets panicled or variously clustered, ovate, globular, or spindle-shaped, terete, or sometimes flattish; but the scales open or barely concave (not boat-shaped nor keeled); the lower commonly loosely imbricated and empty, the uppermost often subtending imperfect flowers. Perianth in the form of bristles (mostly 6). Stamens mostly 3. Achene lenticular, globular, or flat, crowned with a conspicuous tubercle or beak consisting of the persistent indurated base or even of the greater part of the style.--Chiefly perennials, with more or less triangular and leafy culms; the spikelets in terminal and axillary clusters; flowering in summer. (Name composed of ῥύγχος, a snout, and σπορά, a seed, from the beaked achene.)

§ 1. RHYNCHOSPORA proper. Spikelets terete or biconvex, few--many-flowered; style conspicuously 2-cleft, its base only forming the tubercle of the mostly lenticular achene; bristles usually present, merely rough or barbed-denticulate (not plumose).

[*] Achene transversely wrinkled; bristles mostly 6, upwardly denticulate.

1. R. cymòsa, Nutt. Culm triangular; leaves linear (¼´ wide); cymes corymbose, the spikelets crowded and clustered; achene round-obovate, twice the length of the bristles, four times the length of the depressed-conical tubercle.--Low grounds, Penn. and N. J. to Fla., west to N. Ind. and Ill.

2. R. Torreyàna, Gray. (Pl. 4, figs. 1--5.) Culm nearly terete, slender; leaves bristle-form; cymes panicled, somewhat loose, the spikelets mostly pedicelled; achene oblong-obovate, longer than the bristles, thrice the length of the broad compressed-conical tubercle.--Swamps; pine-barrens of N. J. to S. C.

3. R. inexpánsa, Vahl. Culm triangular, slender; leaves narrowly linear; spikelets spindle-shaped, mostly pedicelled, in drooping panicles; achene oblong, half the length of the slender bristles, twice the length of the triangular-subulate tubercle.--Low grounds, Va. to Ga.

[*][*] Achene smooth and even.

[+] Bristles 6, long and conspicuous, upwardly denticulate.

4. R. fúsca, Roem. & Schultes. Culm 6--12´ high; leaves bristle-form channelled; spikelets ovate-oblong, few, clustered in 1--3 loose heads (dark chestnut-color); achene obovate, half the length of the bristles, equalling the triangular-sword-shaped acute tubercle, which is rough serrulate on the margins.--Low grounds, N. Brunswick to N. J., west to L. Superior. (Eu.)

5. R. gracilénta, Gray. Culms very slender, 1--2° high; leaves narrowly linear; spikelets ovoid, in 2--4 small clusters, the lateral long-peduncled; achene ovoid, rather shorter than the bristles, about the length of the flat awl-shaped tubercle.--Low grounds, southern N. Y. and N. J. to Fla.

6. R. oligántha, Gray. Culm and leaves filiform, 6--12´ high; spikelets very few (1--4), ovate-oblong; bristles plumose below the middle; achene obovate-oblong, bearing a conical tubercle {1/3} its length.--Del. (Canby) to Fla.

[+][+] Bristles none, or 1--3 and minute; spikelets pale, 1-flowered.

7. R. pállida, M. A. Curtis. Culm (1--2° high) acutely triangular; leaves and spikelets as in the next species, but only a terminal dense cluster, which is less white or turns pale reddish-tawny; achene obovate-lenticular, tipped with a minute depressed and apiculate tubercle; the delicate bristles 4--5 times shorter or obsolete.--Bogs in pine-barrens of N. J. and N. C.

[+][+][+] Bristles long, denticulate downward, or both ways in n. 11.

[++] Spikelets white or whitish, becoming tawny with age, perfecting only a single flower; stamens usually 2; bristles 9--12, or even 20.

8. R. álba, Vahl. Culm slender (1--2° high), triangular above; leaves narrowly linear or almost bristle-form; spikelets lanceolate, densely crowded in a head-like terminal corymb and usually one or two lateral ones; achene oblong-obovate with a narrowed base, scarcely longer than the flattened-awl-shaped tubercle, shorter than the bristles.--Bogs, Newf. to Fla., west to N. Ind., Minn., and Oregon. (Eu.)

[++][++] Spikelets chestnut-colored or darker in n. 10 and 11, few--several-flowered; stamens 3; bristles usually 6.

9. R. capillàcea, Torr. Culm 6--9´ high, slender; leaves bristle-form; spikelets 3--6 in a terminal cluster, and commonly 1 or 2 on a remote axillary peduncle, oblong-lanceolate (pale chestnut-color, 3´´ long); achene oblong-ovoid, stipitate, very obscurely wrinkled, about half the length of the (6, rarely 12) stout bristles, and twice the length of the lanceolate-beaked tubercle.--Bogs and rocky river-banks, N. Vt. to Penn., west to western N. Y. and Minn.--Var. LEVISÈTA, Hill. Bristles perfectly smooth. N. W. Ind.

10. R. Knieskérnii, Carey. Culm 6--18° high, slender; leaves narrowly linear, short; spikelets numerous, crowded in 4--6 distant clusters, oblong-ovate (scarcely 1´´ long); achene obovate, narrowed at base, equalling the bristles, twice the length of the triangular flattened tubercle.--Pine-barrens of N. J. (on bog iron ore exclusively) to Va.; rare.

11. R. glomeràta, Vahl. Culm 1--3° high; leaves linear, flat; spikelets numerous in distant clusters or heads (often in pairs from the same sheath), ovoid-oblong; achene obovate, margined, narrowed at base, as long as the lance-awl-shaped flattened tubercle, which equals the always downwardly barbed bristles.--Low grounds, N. Eng. to Fla., west to Mich. and N. Ind.

12. R. cephalántha, Gray. Culm stout (2--3° high); leaves narrowly linear, flat, keeled; spikelets very numerous, crowded in 2 or 3 or more dense globular heads which are distant (and often in pairs), oblong-lanceolate, dark brown; achene orbicular-obovate, margined, narrowed at base, about as long as the awl-shaped beak; bristles twice longer, stout, barbed downward and sometimes also upward.--Sandy swamps, Long Island to N. J. and Fla.

§ 2. CERATOSCHŒ̀NUS. Spikelets lanceolate, acuminate, in fruit flattish, cymose-panicled, of only one perfect and 1--4 staminate flowers; scales few; bristles rigid, minutely scabrous upward; style simple or barely 2-toothed, filiform and gradually thickened downward, in fruit persistent as an exserted, slender-awl-shaped, upwardly roughened beak, several times longer than the smooth flat obovate achene; coarse perennials; spikelets in flower 4´´, in fruit including the projecting beak about 1´ long.

13. R. corniculàta, Gray. (HORNED RUSH.) Culm 3--6° high; leaves about 6´´ wide; cymes decompound, diffuse; bristles awl-shaped, stout, unequal, shorter than the achene.--Wet places, Penn. to Fla., west to S. Ind. and Mo.

14. R. macrostàchya, Torr. (Pl. 4, fig. 1--4.) Cymes decompound, or in the northern form somewhat simple and smaller, and the spikelets usually more clustered; bristles capillary, twice the length of the achene.--Borders of ponds, Mass. to N. J. and Fla.; rare.

14. CLÀDIUM, P. Browne. TWIG-RUSH. (Pl. 5.)

Spikelets ovoid or oblong, of several loosely imbricated scales; the lower empty, one or two above bearing a staminate or imperfect flower; the terminal flower perfect and fertile. Perianth none. Stamens 2. Style 2--3-cleft, deciduous. Achene ovoid or globular, somewhat corky at the summit, or pointed, without any tubercle, in which it differs from Rhynchospora. (Diminutive of κλάδος, a branch, from the repeatedly branched cyme of the original species.)

1. C. mariscoìdes, Torr. Perennial; culm obscurely triangular (1--2° high); leaves narrow, channelled, scarcely rough-margined; cymes small; the spikelets clustered in heads 3--8 together on 2--4 peduncles; style 3-cleft.--Bogs, N. Scotia to Del., west to S. Minn. and Iowa. July.

15. SCLÈRIA, Berg. NUT-RUSH. (Pl. 5.)

Flowers monœcious; the fertile spikelets 1-flowered, usually intermixed with clusters of few-flowered staminate spikelets. Scales loosely imbricated, the lower empty. Stamens 1--3. Style 3-cleft. Achene globular, stony, bony, or enamel-like in texture. Bristles, etc., none. Perennials, with triangular leafy culms, mostly from creeping rootstocks; flowering in summer; all in low ground or swamps. Inflorescence, in our species, of terminal and axillary clusters, the lower clusters usually peduncled. (Name, σκληρία, hardness, from the indurated fruit.)

[*] Achene smooth.

1. S. triglomeràta, Michx. Culm (1½--3° high) and broadly linear leaves roughish; fascicles of spikelets few, the lowest peduncled, the upper somewhat in threes; achene ovate-globose or depressed, on an obscure crustaceous disk.--Mass. and Vt. to Fla., west to Minn. and Tex.--Var. GRÁCILIS, Britton. Culms slender (1--2° long); fascicles few-flowered, the lower (2--3-flowered) on very long filiform peduncles; achene not more than half as large, acutish.--N. J.

2. S. oligántha, Ell. Culms slender, 2° high, the angles somewhat winged; leaves linear (2´´ wide), smooth except the scabrous apex; lateral fascicles 1 or 2, usually on long exserted peduncles; achene ovate, on a tuberculate disk.--Va. to Fla. and Tex.

[*][*] Achene papillose or warty.

3. S. pauciflòra, Muhl. Smoothish or hairy; culm slender (9--24´ high); leaves narrowly linear; fascicles few-flowered, the lateral pedunculate, sessile, or wanting; bracts ciliate; achene globose-ovate; the disk a narrow ring bearing 3 pairs of minute tubercles.--N. H. to Ohio, south to Fla. and Tex.

[*][*][*] Achene reticulated or wrinkled.

4. S. reticulàris, Michx. (Pl. 5, fig. 6--10.) Culms slender, erect, scabrous (1--2½° high); leaves linear (1--1½´´ wide), smooth; lateral fascicles 1--3, loose, remote, nearly erect, on short often included peduncles; bracts glabrous; achene globose, regularly reticulated and pitted, not hairy, resting upon a double greenish conspicuously 3-lobed disk, the inner appressed to and deciduous with the achene.--E. Mass. to Fla.--Var. PUBÉSCENS, Britton. Edges of reticulations more or less hairy, especially toward the apex; lateral fascicles generally on longer peduncles. Pine-barrens of N. J. to Fla.--Var. OBSCÙRA, Britton. Achene bony, its surface with very obscure reticulations, nearly smooth at the summit. R. I. and N. C.

5. S. Torreyàna, Walpers. Culms weak, diffuse, slightly scabrous or smooth; leaves linear (2--4´´ wide), smooth; lateral fascicles loose, on more or less elongated and drooping filiform peduncles; achene irregularly pitted-reticulated or pitted-rugose with the ridges somewhat spirally arranged and more or less hairy (sometimes smooth); otherwise as in the last. (S. laxa, Torr.)--Pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.

6. S. verticillàta, Muhl. Smooth; culms simple, slender (4--24´ high); leaves narrowly linear, fascicles 3--9-flowered, 4--6, sessile in an interrupted spikelet; achene globose (½´´ broad), somewhat triangular at base, rough-wrinkled with short elevated ridges; disk obsolete.--E. Mass. to Ont., Minn., and south to the Gulf.

16. CÀREX, Ruppius. SEDGE. (By L. H. BAILEY.)

Flowers unisexual, destitute of floral envelopes, disposed in spikes; the staminate consisting of three stamens, in the axil of a bract, or scale; the pistillate comprising a single pistil with a bifid or trifid style, forming in fruit a hard lenticular or triangular achene, which is enclosed in a sac (perigynium) formed by the complete union of the borders of a bractlet or of connate bractlets and borne in the axil of a bract, or scale. Staminate and pistillate flowers borne in different parts of the spike (spike androgynous), or in separate spikes on the same culm, or rarely the plant diœcious.--Perennial grass-like herbs with mostly triangular culms, 3-ranked leaves, usually with rough margins and keel, and spikes in the axils of leafy or scale-like bracts, often aggregated into heads. An exceedingly critical genus, the study of which should be attempted only with complete and fully mature specimens. (The classical Latin name, of obscure signification; derived by some from κείρω, to cut, on account of the sharp leaves--as the English name Shear-grass.) (Pl. 5 and 6.)

Synopsis of Sections and Groups.

§ 1. CAREX proper. Staminate flowers forming one or more terminal linear or club-shaped spikes (often pistillate at base or apex). Pistillate flowers usually in distinct and simple mostly peduncled spikes. Cross-section of perigynium circular, obtusely angled, or prominently triangular in outline. Style mostly 3-parted and achene triangular or triquetrous.

[*] 1. Physocarpæ. Perigynium mostly straw-colored at maturity, papery in texture, usually more or less inflated, smooth (sometimes hairy in n. 6), nerved, tapering into a beak as long as or longer than the body; spikes few to many, distinct, compactly flowered; stigmas 3 (2 in n. 10).

[+] 1. Paucifloræ. Perigynium greenish, linear-lanceolate or almost needle shaped, not inflated, strongly deflexed at maturity, several times longer than the inconspicuous scale; spike androgynous, the pistillate flowers at base, few.--Sp. 1.

[+] 2. Lupulinæ. Perigynium green or greenish tawny or sometimes yellow, more or less inflated (except in n. 2--4) long, usually very turgid at base, mostly erect or nearly so, very gradually attenuate to a long slenderly toothed beak exceeding the scale; spikes 3 or more, the staminate mostly 1 and stalked, the pistillate often sessile, usually short and thick, often becoming dark colored in drying.--Sp. 2--8.

[+] 3. Vesicariæ. Perigynium smooth and shining, much inflated, at maturity straw-colored or sometimes purple, beaked and conspicuously short toothed (entire in n. 10), usually prominently few nerved, much shorter than in [+] 2; staminate spikes commonly 2 or more; pistillate spikes as a rule long and densely cylindrical.--Sp. 9--16.

[+] 4. Pseudocyperæ. Perigynium less inflated, more conspicuously nerved or even costate, and with more or less setaceous or awned teeth; scale usually awned; spikes mostly nodding or spreading, comose in appearance, greenish, greenish-yellow, or ochroleucous.--Sp. 17--19.

[+] 5. Squarrosæ. Perigynium obconic or obovoid, squarrose in exceedingly dense short spikes.--Sp. 20, 21.

[*] 2. Trachychlænæ. Perigynium mostly thick and hard in texture, often scabrous or hirsute, straight-beaked; pistillate spikes compactly flowered, mostly large, erect or nearly so; staminate spikes 1 or more; stigmas 3. Generally large and coarse.

[+] 1. Shortianæ. Terminal spike androgynous, staminate below; perigynium small, scabrous, nearly beakless, entire.--Sp. 22.

[+] 2. Anomalæ. Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes long and cylindrical, mostly dense; perigynium broad and short, short-beaked, the orifice very slightly notched or entire, mostly granulate.--Sp. 23.

[+] 3. Hirtæ. A heterogeneous group, distinguished from [+] 2 by the longer and more deeply cut beak (slightly toothed in n. 24), and by the hairy perigynium (smooth in n. 25)--Sp. 24--27.

[+] 4. Paludosæ. Staminate spikes 2 or more, long stalked; the pistillate 2--several, usually all peduncled, long and heavy, loose-flowered, erect or nodding; perigynium large, thick in texture, strongly nerved, mostly smooth, usually conspicuously beaked. Coarse species.--Sp. 28, 29.

[*] 3. Microrhynchæ. Parallel with [*] 2; distinguished in general by the much smaller and nearly or entirely beakless and mostly entire-mouthed perigynium, which is much thinner in texture; stigmas 2 or 3. Paludose and alpine species, of various habit, mostly with colored spikes, often in dense tufts or tussocks.

[+] 1. Atratæ. Terminal spike club-shaped and androgynous with the staminate flowers below (very rarely all staminate in n. 32); pistillate spikes mostly short and dark-colored, erect or drooping; stigmas 3.--Sp. 30--32.

[+] 2. Rigidæ. Mostly stiff, with short erect closely flowered spikes, an entirely staminate terminal spike, dark colored scales, and bracts with purple or black auricles at base; stigmas 2 or 3.--Sp. 33.

[+] 3. Acutæ. Mostly larger and more slender, usually paludose, with green or light-colored large and long spikes; stigmas 2 (3 in n. 39). Distinguished from [+] 2 mainly by habit.--Sp. 34--39.

[+] 4. Cryptocarpæ. Large, with nodding or drooping large spikes, their dark scales very long and conspicuous; stigmas 2.--Sp. 40, 41.

[+] 5. Pendulinæ. Distinguished from [+] 4 by the smaller size, smaller spikes, sheathless bracts, and whitish, more or less granulated, nearly pointless perigynium; stigmas 3.--Sp. 42--45.

[*] 4. Hymenochlænæ. Perigynium mostly light green or whitish, usually thin and membranous, often somewhat inflated or loosely investing the achene, commonly smooth and shining (hairy in n. 46, sometimes in n. 47), slender or oblong, attenuate to a distinct or long minutely toothed straight beak (or beakless or nearly so in [+] 1 and n. 55); pistillate spikes several or many, mostly loosely flowered and on filiform nodding or widely spreading peduncles; bracts leaf-like; terminal spike staminate or androgynous; stigmas 3. Mostly rather tall and slender upland species.

[+] 1. Virescentes. Terminal spike pistillate at top; pistillate spikes oblong or cylindrical, dense, erect; perigynium ovate or obovate, nearly or quite beakless, often hairy.--Sp. 46, 47.

[+] 2. Sylvaticæ. Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes mostly long-exserted, slender; perigynium few-nerved, contracted into a cylindrical beak which is longer than the body.--Sp. 48.

[+] 3. Flexiles. Terminal spike all staminate; pistillate spikes rather thick (very small in n. 50), more or less drooping; perigynium beaked, few-nerved or nerveless, tawny or whitish.--Sp. 49, 50.

[+] 4. Debiles. Terminal spike all staminate (occasionally pistillate above in n. 53); pistillate spikes very narrow and slender, long-exserted and nodding, mostly very loosely flowered; perigynium rather small, not turgid, prominently beaked.--Sp. 51--53.

[+] 5. Gracillimæ. Terminal spike pistillate at top; pistillate spikes habitually thicker than in [+] 4; perigynium ovate-oblong, more or less turgid; the beak short or none.--Sp. 54--57.

[+] 6. Griseæ. Terminal spike staminate; perigynium more or less turgid or plump, often glaucous, scarcely beaked, finely striate; spikes erect.--Sp. 58, 59.

[*] 5. Spirostachyæ. Perigynium smooth or minutely granulated or rarely somewhat serrate on the margins, prominently nerved, mostly yellowish, squarrose, mostly beaked (entirely beakless in n. 63), the orifice entire; staminate spike mostly single; pistillate spikes 2--5, short (usually 1´ long or less), yellow or fuscous, compactly flowered; stigmas 3.--Medium-sized species, growing in meadows and grassy swales.

[+] 1. Granulares. Spikes scattered, cylindrical, the lowest long-stalked; bracts erect, long and leafy; sheaths short or nearly obsolete.--Sp. 60, 61.

[+] 2. Extensæ. Spikes mostly approximate or aggregated at the top of the culm (becoming remote in C. extensa), the lowest 1 or 2 subtended by a long and leafy mostly abruptly spreading and nearly or entirely sheathless bract. Terminal spike sometimes androgynous.--Sp. 62.

[+] 3. Pallescentes. Spikes globular or short-oblong, obtuse, sessile or short-peduncled, approximate at the top of the culm; bracts short, leaf-like, sheathless; perigynium entire at the orifice, the beak none or very short and stout.--Sp. 63, 64.

[*] 6. Dactylostachyæ. Perigynium mostly short and triangular, mostly with a short and straight or curved beak, green or greenish, scarcely inflated; scales of the pistillate spikes mostly whitish (sometimes dark-colored in the Digitatæ), often small; staminate spike mostly one; pistillate spikes short (seldom exceeding 1´), commonly rather loosely flowered and slender (spike single and plant diœcious in n. 83); bracts sheathing, the sheaths often conspicuous and colored.--Low and lax or slender species inhabiting meadows and copses.

[+] 1. Oligocarpæ. Slender and narrow-leaved, with leafy bracts and inconspicuous green sheaths; perigynium rounded on the angles, finely many-striate, often somewhat punctulate as in n. 58, to which the group forms a transition.--Sp. 65--67.

[+] 2. Laxifloræ. Slender and more or less broad-leaved, with mostly leafy bracts, green or purple sheaths, and loosely flowered spikes; perigynium mostly conspicuously three-angled, with a more or less curved beak.--Sp. 68--74.

[+] 3. Paniceæ. Mostly stouter and narrow-leaved, with thinner spikes; perigynium often strongly nerved, not conspicuously triangular, often somewhat turgid; bracts and sheaths various.--Sp. 75--78.

[+] 4. Bicolores. Small species with a beakless, more or less round or pyriform perigynium, which is commonly glaucous; terminal spike androgynous or all staminate; stigmas mostly 2.--Sp. 79.

[+] 5. Digitatæ. Low species; sheaths membranaceous or hyaline and colored, either not prolonged into a bract or the bract very short and not foliaceous; perigynium more or less three-angled, often hairy, the beak straight or nearly so.--Sp. 80--83.

[*] 7. Sphæridiophoræ. Perigynium mostly short and rounded, three-angled in the Triquetræ, firm or hard in texture, not inflated, hairy or scabrous, the beak straight and usually bifid; staminate spike one; pistillate spikes short (1´ long or less), usually globular or short-oblong, more or less sessile and approximate or the longer ones radical (spike single in n. 84); bracts sheathless, short, or obsolete; stigmas rarely two.--Low species of dry ground, with leaves all radical.

[+] 1. Scirpinæ. Spike one, unisexual; plant diœcious.--Sp. 84.

[+] 2. Montanæ. Spikes two to several, the lowest occasionally long-peduncled and radical; perigynium rounded, contracted above and below, mostly bearing two prominent ribs, more or less hairy.--Low species of dry soils.--Sp. 85--91.

[+] 3. Triquetræ. Taller; spikes mostly approximate at the top of the culm, oblong or cylindrical; perigynium conspicuously 3-angled.--Sp. 92.

[*] 8. Phyllostachyæ. Perigynium much as in the Montanæ; spike one, staminate above; pistillate flowers few, often remote, usually on a more or less zigzag rhachis; scales prolonged and leaf-like.--Sp. 93--95.

[*] 9. Leptocephalæ. Perigynium thin in texture, green, oblong or lanceolate or linear in general outline, beakless; spike one, staminate above, thin and slender; stigmas mostly three.--Small, slender and grass-like.--Sp. 96.

[*] 10. Physocephalæ. Spike one, globular or short-oblong, staminate at the apex; perigynium straw-colored, paper-like, more or less inflated; stigmas three. Leaves remarkably broad in our species.--Sp. 97.

§ 2. VIGNEA. Staminate flowers few and inconspicuous, borne at the base or apex of the pistillate spikes. Pistillate flowers in short sessile spikes (or spike single in some cases), which are commonly more or less aggregated into heads or even panicled. Perigynium plano-convex. Styles two and achene lenticular.--The spikes, especially the uppermost, usually have contracted bases when the staminate flowers are borne below the pistillate ones, and empty scales at the top when the staminate flowers are borne at the summit.

[*] 11. Acroarrhenæ. Staminate flowers borne at the top of the spikes (or, in the Multifloræ and Arenariæ, spikes often wholly staminate and the plants occasionally diœcious).

[+] 1. Fœtidæ. Spikes tawny or brown, not elongated, very densely aggregated into a continuous globose somewhat chaffy head; perigynium ovate or ovate-lanceolate, nerveless or nearly so, mostly thin in texture.--Sp. 98, 99.

[+] 2. Vulpinæ. Spikes mostly yellow or tawny when mature, densely aggregated or sometimes somewhat scattered below or even panicled; perigynium thick in texture, spongy at base, mostly stipitate, bearing very conspicuous nerves, which converge below and are especially prominent on the outer side.--Sp. 100--102.

[+] 3. Multifloræ. Heads various, mostly loosely flowered, sometimes a panicle, yellow or tawny; spikes short (rarely longer than broad), staminate flowers sometimes occupying whole spikes in the middle or at the apex of the head; perigynium mostly small and short and nearly nerveless, or in some species becoming nearly lanceolate and more or less prominently nerved, firm in texture, usually numerous.--Sp. 103--108.

[+] 4. Arenariæ. Spikes longer than in the last section, linear or nearly so, aggregated into short, almost globose heads; perigynium lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, mostly larger and more delicate in texture; scales awn-pointed or very acute. Staminate flowers variously situated.--(C. arenaria.)

[+] 5. Muhlenbergianæ. Spikes green or nearly so when mature, aggregated or scattered, never in compound heads; perigynium mostly short-ovate, staminate flowers always at the top of the spike.--Sp. 109--114.

[+] 6. Dioicæ. Spike commonly one, small; plants small and slender, often diœcious.--Sp. 115--117.

[*] 12. Hyparrhenæ. Staminate flowers borne at the base of the spikes (or in n. 124 and 125 variously situated).

[+] 1. Elongatæ. Spikes silvery green or sometimes tawny when mature, distinct, mostly small; perigynium not wing-margined nor conspicuously broadened, mostly nearly flat on the inner surface.--Sp. 118--124.

[+] 2. Ovales. Spikes tawny or dark, rather large, sometimes crowded; perigynium with a more or less thin or winged margin, which is mostly incurved at maturity, rendering the perigynium concave inside.--Sp. 125--132.

[+] 3. Cyperoideæ. Spikes green, oblong, densely crowded into a short head subtended by two or three leafy bracts which are erect and prolonged from six inches to a foot; perigynium linear-lanceolate, scarcely margined.--Sp. 133.

Artificial Key.

Spike 1, staminate at top; scales of pistillate flowers leaf-like Sp. 93-95

Spike 1, scales not leaf-like.

Usually diœcious, stigma 2 115-117

Stigmas 3.--

Perigynium densely hairy 84

Spike staminate at base; perigynia squarrose 21

Spike staminate at top.--

Globose; leaves broad 97

Perigynium nearly linear, beakless 96

Perigynium long, spindle-shaped 1

Spikes several or numerous, sessile, spicate or capitate; stigmas 2.

All in a globose or ovoid uninterrupted head.

All staminate above.--

Usually green at maturity 112, 114

Usually yellow or tawny or brown 98, 99, 104, 105

All staminate below.--

Leafy-bracteate 133

Not leafy-bracteate.--

Green 118-120

Usually tawny or brown 125-132

Some or all of the spikes distinct or the head interrupted.

Staminate and pistillate flowers variously disposed, some of the spikes often unisexual.

Head large and long 108, C. arenaria

Head short or linear 124, 125

Spikes staminate above 100-114

Spikes staminate below 118-133

Spikes usually more or less pedicelled, the wholly or partially staminate spikes uppermost.

Terminal spike (rarely the 2 or 3 uppermost) staminate only at base.

Stigmas 2 34-38, 79

Stigmas 3; spikes erect,

Short and squarrose 20, 21

Not squarrose 22, 30, 32, 46, 47, 54, 79

Stigmas 3; spikes more or less drooping 31, 51-53, 55-57

Terminal spike or spikes staminate.

Stigmas 2.--

Spikes spreading or pendulous 34, 37, 40, 41

Spikes erect or nearly so 9-16, 34-41, 85-91, 79

Stigmas 3; spikes spreading or drooping.

Perigynium prominently 3-angled 68-74

Perigynium large, thin, much inflated 9-16

Perigynium firmer, not inflated.

Beakless 42-45

Beaked or prominently pointed.--

Teeth long, stiff and sharp 17-19

Teeth short and thin, or none 30, 31, 39, 48-53

Stigmas 3; spikes erect or ascending.

Perigynium hairy.--

Spikes very large, globose 6

Spikes very small, sessile or nearly so 81-83, 85-92

Spikes cylindrical, heavy 24-28

Perigynium granular-roughened 23

Perigynium smooth,

Thin and turgid, loosely enclosing the achene.--

Beakless 58, 59

Beaked 5-17

Firm in texture, not inflated,

Long-beaked, deeply toothed 2-4, 26, 28

Less prominently beaked, short-toothed, sharply 3-angled 69-74

Wholly beakless and pointless 58, 59, 63, 78, 79

Very small, black and shining; leaves capillary 80

Culm and leaves thinly pubescent 64

Perigynium more or less pointed or beaked.

Spikes spreading or drooping 51-53, 68-70, 75

Spikes erect 60-62, 65-68, 71-78

[*] 1. PHYSOCÁRPÆ.--[+] 1. Pauciflòræ.

1. C. pauciflòra, Lightf. (Pl. 5, fig. 1--16.) Very slender but erect, 6--18´ high; leaves very narrow, much shorter than the culm; staminate and pistillate flowers 2--5; perigynium at maturity easily detached.--Cold sphagnum swamps, New Eng. to N. Penn. and Minn.; local. (Eu.)

[*] 1.--[+] 2. Lupulìnæ.

[++] Teeth of the perigynium strongly reflexed.

2. C. subulàta, Michx. Green, very slender but erect, 6´--2° high; leaves narrow, somewhat shorter than the culm; bracts leafy, sheathing; pistillate spikes 2--4, scattered, 2--6-flowered; perigynium deflexed.--Deep sphagnum swamps, R. I. to E. Penn., and southward; very local.

[++][++] Teeth erect or spreading.

[=] Whole plant yellowish; perigynium little or not at all inflated.

3. C. Michauxiàna, Boeckl. Slender but stiff and erect, 1--2° high; leaves narrow and firm, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--3, the lowest usually remote and short-peduncled, the remainder aggregated and sessile; staminate spike small, wholly sessile; perigynium not inflated, erect or spreading, twice longer than the blunt scale. (C. rostrata, Michx.)--Bogs and lake-borders, mountains of N. H. and N. Y., and westward to L. Superior; local.

4. C. folliculàta, L. Stout, 2--3° high; leaves very broad and flat, lax; pistillate spikes 3--4, scattered, all but the uppermost prominently peduncled; staminate spike short-peduncled; perigynium larger, inflated, the scale awned and nearly as long.--Cold swamps, New Eng. to N. J. and Penn., and west to Mich.; rather local.

[=][=] Plant green; perigynium much inflated.

5. C. intuméscens, Rudge. Slender, 18--30´ high; leaves narrow, pistillate spikes two, loosely 1--8-flowered, the perigynium erect-spreading, not prominently many-nerved.--Wet pastures and swamps; common.

6. C. Gràyii, Carey. Larger and stouter; leaves broad and flat, 3--4´´ wide; pistillate spikes 1 or 2, the lowest often peduncled, perfectly globular and compactly 12--30-flowered, the perigynium spreading or deflexed and prominently many-nerved.--Meadows and copses, Vt. to Ill., and south to Ga.; rare eastward.--In var. HISPÍDULA, Gray, the perigynium is sparsely hispidulous.

7. C. lupulìna, Muhl. Very stout and leafy; leaves rather broad and loose; pistillate spikes 2--6, approximate at the top of the culm, all closely sessile or the lower sometimes short-peduncled, oblong or short-cylindrical, very heavy and densely flowered; staminate spike small and sessile; perigynium large and rather soft, erect or but slightly spreading, giving the spike a hop-like aspect (whence the name). (C. lurida, Bailey.)--Swamps and wet pastures; frequent.

Var. pedunculàta, Dewey. Spikes more or less scattered, some or all prominently peduncled; staminate spike usually conspicuous, often long-peduncled, very variable in size; perigynium more spreading. (C. gigantea, Rudge.)--With the species, but more common.

Var. polystàchya, Schwein. & Torr. Stouter, the leaves very broad (often ½´); bracts broad and far exceeding the culm; pistillate spikes 4--6, all long (3--4´) and cylindrical, more or less short-peduncled, somewhat scattered, becoming yellow; perigynium very large, ascending. (C. lupuliformis, Sartw.)--N. Y. and N. J.; not common.

C. LUPULÌNA × RETRÓRSA, Dudley. Distinguished from C. lupulina by its straw-colored perigynium, which is less inflated and more spreading, standing at nearly right angles to the axis of the spike; scales acute to short-awned, rough. (C. lurida × retrorsa, Bailey).--Ithaca, N. Y. (Dudley), and Lansing, Mich. (Bailey). Resembles n. 16.

8. C. grándis, Bailey. Distinguished from C. lupulina, var. polystachya, by its much more scattered and mostly shorter slim spikes, which are comparatively loosely flowered; perigynium swollen below but very abruptly contracted into a slender beak 3--4 times as long as the body, spreading at right angles or nearly so, never becoming yellow; scales narrow, smooth. (C. gigantea of previous editions.)--Swamps, Ky., Del., and southward; local.

[*] 1.--[+] 3. Vesicàriæ.

[++] Spikes very small, globular or short-oblong.

9. C. oligospérma, Michx. Very slender, but stiff, 18--30´ high; leaves and bracts very narrow, becoming involute; staminate spike single, peduncled; pistillate spikes 1 or 2, sessile or the lowest very short-peduncled, 3--8-flowered; perigynium turgid, short-ovoid, gradually contracted into a very short and minutely toothed beak, prominently few-nerved, yellow, nearly twice longer than the blunt scale.--Deep swamps and borders of lakes, N. Eng. to Penn. and Minn.; frequent.

10. C. miliàris, Michx. Culm very slender but erect, 12--18´ high, smooth, or slightly rough above on the angles; leaves almost filiform, mostly shorter than the culm; staminate spikes 1--2, exceedingly narrow, elevated an inch or two; pistillate spikes 1--3, the upper one sessile and the lowest very short stalked, 9´´ long or less, the lower subtended by a short leafy bract; perigynium very small, broad or round-ovate or ovate-oblong, thin but firm, bearing a nerve on each side but otherwise nerveless or very nearly so, rounded into a very short terete entire or somewhat erose beak; scales brown, lance-ovate, white tipped, about as long as the perigynium. (C. rotundata? of last ed.)--Outlet of Moosehead Lake, Maine, and northward.

Var. màjor, Bailey. Culm much stouter (often over 2° high), thick and very sharply angled; leaves stout and channelled or involute; staminate spikes short-stalked; the pistillate 1--5, darker, mostly longer and larger; scale varying from wholly obtuse to acutish.--Outlet of Moosehead Lake (Porter), and northward.

Var. (?) aùrea, Bailey. Taller and mostly stouter than the type; pistillate spikes one or two, often staminate at top, yellow or stramineous; perigynium longer, gradually produced into a conspicuous and more or less toothed beak, prominently few-nerved, yellow, broader and usually longer than the blunt scale. (C. pulla, and var. miliaris, last ed.)--Outlet of Moosehead Lake (Smith), and northward.

[++][++] Spikes much larger, cylindrical.

[=] Scales all, or all but the very lowest, smooth.

11. C. utriculàta, Boott. Very stout and robust, 3--4° high; leaves broad (4--6´´) and flat, very prominently nodulose, particularly below; spikes 3--4, 3--6´ long, very thick and dense above but usually more or less attenuate below, erect or nearly so, all but the lowest sessile or very short-stalked; perigynium ovate, only moderately inflated, rather abruptly contracted into a short toothed beak, at maturity usually squarrose, rather prominently few-nerved, the upper longer than the sharp scale, the lower shorter than or only equalling the sharper or awned scale. (C. rostrata, Bailey, etc.)--Swamps, everywhere; common. Passes imperceptibly into var. MÌNOR, Boott, which is distinguished by its much smaller size, spikes 2½´ long or less, smaller perigynium, blunt scales, and narrower and little nodulose leaves. With the type.

12. C. monìle, Tuckerm. Rather slender but erect, 2--3° high, the culm sharply angled and usually rough above; pistillate spikes 2--3, the lowest one or two short-stalked, erect or spreading, 1--3´ long, narrowly cylindrical; perigynium turgid, prominently beaked, about 10-nerved, ascending, longer than the very sharp scale. (C. Vaseyi, Dewey.)--Meadows and swales; common.--In var. MONSTRÒSA, Bailey, the plant is very slender throughout, and the terminal spike more or less pistillate, while the remaining spikes are reduced to one or two which are very small and loosely flowered and usually on very long filiform peduncles. E. Mass. (Swan).

13. C. Tuckermàni, Dewey. Differs from the last chiefly in the comparatively shorter (1--2´ long) spikes, which are much thicker (usually ½´ or more); perigynium greatly inflated and very thin and papery, the body broader than long (about 3´´ thick); scale thin and narrow, acute, all but the very lowest less than half the length of the perigynium.--Swamps, W. New Eng. to N. J., and west to Minn.; frequent.

14. C. bullàta, Schkuhr. (Pl. 6, fig. 15--20.) Slender, 1--2° high; culm very sharply and roughly angled, thin but stiff; leaves narrow, rough-edged, stiff; spikes 1 or 2, remote, short and thick (rarely 1½´ long), sessile or the lower short-peduncled, more or less spreading; perigynium turgid but very firm, dull straw colored and shining as if varnished, prominently few-nerved, the long beak usually minutely roughened; scale membranaceous and blunt, about {1/3} as long as the perigynium.--Swamps from E. Mass, to N. J. and E. Penn., and southward; frequent.

C. BULLÀTA × UTRICULÀTA, Bailey. Perigynium considerably smaller and more spreading, less shining; scales longer and sharper. (C. Olneyi, Boott.)--Providence, R. I. (Olney).

15. C. retrórsa, Schwein. Stout, 2--3° high; culm obtusely angled and smooth or nearly so; leaves broad and soft, roughish, much longer than the culm; spikes 3--5, approximate near the top of the culm or the lowest remote, all but the lowest 1 or 2 sessile, 1--2´ long and very compactly flowered, erect or spreading; perigynium very thin and papery, much inflated, prominently nerved, strongly reflexed; scale very short and small.--Swamps, from Penn. northward; common.--In var. HÁRTH, Gray, a common monstrous form, the spikes are more or less scattered and peduncled, loosely flowered, and the perigynium less reflexed or spreading.

[=][=] Scales all rough-awned.

16. C. lùrida, Wahl. Variable in size, mostly ranging from 1½--3° high, stout; culm rather obtusely angled and smooth; leaves long and loose, rough; spikes 2--4, variously disposed, the 1 or 2 upper sessile, nearly erect or often drooping, very densely flowered; perigynium thin and turgid, often somewhat shining, rather lightly about 10-nerved, very long and slenderly beaked, ascending; staminate spike single, scales linear, half as long as the perigynium or more. (C. tentaculata, Muhl.)--Swamps, N. Eng. to S. Ill., and southward; abundant eastward. Very variable.--Var. GRÁCILIS, Bailey. Plant more slender; spikes 2--3, very small and narrowly cylindrical (1´ long or less, and 3´´ broad or less). Mts. of Vt., Penn., and Tenn.

Var. fláccida, Bailey. Lower, scarcely exceeding 12--15´ in height; spikes 2--4, all sessile and approximate at the top of the culm, small and straight (1´ long or less), dull brown or reddish-brown, loosely flowered and entirely lacking the dense and comose appearance of the type; perigynium very thin and much inflated, the body usually larger than in the type and more gradually contracted into the beak.--N. Y. to N. J.; apparently scarce.

C. LÙRIDA × LUPULÌNA, Bailey. Very like C. lurida, but the spikes usually all approximate or only the lowest separated, erect or spreading, all sessile, green or greenish, often curved; perigynium very long-beaked and ascending; staminate spike one, sessile or very nearly so, strongly resembling that of C. lupulina. (C. tentaculata, var. altior, Boott.)--Mass., Conn., and N. Y.; little known. C. lupulina × retrorsa is distinguished from this by its yellow or straw-colored more scattered spikes which are shorter and always straight, and the loose, larger and more inflated perigynia.

[*] 1.--[+] 4. Pseudocypèræ.

[++] Spikes all erect or ascending.

17. C. Schweinítzìi, Dewey. Soft but erect, 1--2° high, stoloniferous, yellowish-green and becoming straw-colored in drying; culm flattish and smooth; leaves broad (3--4´´), the radical longer than the culm, the others mostly short; spikes 3--4, the lower one or two short-peduncled, narrowly long-cylindrical (1½--3´ long, 4´´ broad); perigynium thin and somewhat inflated, prominently few-nerved, the long beak short-toothed, ascending; scale awned and commonly rough at the tip, a little shorter than the perigynium.--Swamps, W. New Eng. to N. J., and west to Mich.; local.

[++][++] Spikes widely spreading or drooping.

18. C. hystricìna, Muhl. Slender but erect, 1--2° high; culm very sharply angled and rough, at least above; leaves rather narrow, roughish; spikes 1--3, borne near the top of the culm, the upper one often sessile, the remainder on more or less filiform stalks, short (rarely 1½´ long) and compactly flowered; perigynium greenish, very strongly 15--20-nerved, the very slender beak strongly toothed; scale linear and rough-awned, nearly or quite as long as the perigynium.--Swales, throughout; frequent. Often confounded with n. 16.

Var. Dudlèyi, Bailey. Taller; spikes larger and slimmer (1½--2½´ long), light straw-colored, all secund and widely divaricate or nodding; perigynium stronger toothed; scales usually more prominent.--Swales, Conn. (Wright), Ithaca, N. Y. (Dudley), Wisc. (Lapham).

19. C. Pseùdo-Cypèrus, L. Tall and stout, 2--3° high; culm thick and very sharply triangular, rough throughout; leaves very long, rough-margined; spikes 3--5, all slenderly peduncled and more or less drooping, all somewhat contiguous, long (mostly 2--3´) and narrowly cylindrical, very compactly flowered; perigynium elliptic-lanceolate, more or less 2-edged, many-costate, the beak shorter than the body, with erect short teeth, strongly reflexed; scale very rough-awned, about the length of the perigynium.--Swamps and lake-borders, N. Eng. to Penn., and Mich.; rare. (Eu.)

Var. Americàna, Hochst. Mostly stouter, the leaves broader (about ¼´); spikes thicker and commonly more drooping; perigynium longer, the beak mostly longer than the body and the teeth long and prominently spreading. (C. comosa, Boott.)--Swamps; common.

[*] 1.--[+] 5. Squarròsæ.

20. C. stenólepis, Torr. Stout and very leafy, 1--2° high; culm obtusely angled, very smooth; leaves about 3´´ broad, rough on the nerves, the upper and the bracts very much longer than the culm; terminal spike often pistillate at top; other spikes 3--5, the uppermost sessile on the zigzag rhachis, short (1--1½´ or less) and evenly cylindrical, often staminate at top; perigynium very abruptly contracted into a short but slender toothed beak, shorter than the long-linear and rough scale.--Swamps and meadows, central Penn., to N. Ohio, west and southward; frequent.

21. C. squarròsa, L. Cespitose, 2--3° high; culm sharply angled, more or less rough above; leaves broad and weak, roughish, exceeding the culm; bracts much less prominent than in the last; spikes 1--3, thick, the terminal always two-thirds pistillate or more, the remainder more or less stalked, erect or slightly nodding, globular or oblong-cylindric, brown, exceedingly densely flowered; perigynium larger, the beak rough; scale short and usually invisible.--Bogs, throughout; infrequent.

[*] 2. TRACHYCHLÆNÆ.--[+] 1. Shortiànæ.

22. C. Shortiàna, Dewey. Tall and slender but strict, in small clumps, 2--3° high; leaves about ¼´ broad, flat, rough on the nerves; spikes 3--5, somewhat approximate near the top of the culm, the lowest 2 or 3 short-peduncled, erect, small (1´ long or less, and 2´´ wide), evenly cylindrical, exceedingly densely flowered; perigynium small, circular or round-ovate, flat, sharp-edged, nerveless, the orifice entire, perfectly squarrose; scale thin and blunt, about the length of the perigynium.--Wet meadows, S. Penn. and Va. to Ill.; rare eastward.

[*] 2.--[+] 2. Anómalæ.

23. C. scabràta, Schwein. Tall and rather stout, very leafy, 1--3° high, culm sharply and very roughly angled; leaves broad and flat, very rough; spikes 3--5, scattered, the upper 1 or 2 sessile, the remainder often long-peduncled and sometimes nodding, 1--2´ long, narrowly cylindrical and compactly flowered; perigynium broadly ovate, prominently few-nerved, rough, the beak nearly as long as the body and slightly toothed; scale acute and rough-tipped, green-nerved, about as long as the body of the perigynium.--Wet meadows and glades, as far west as Mich.; common eastward.

[*] 2.--[+] 3. Hirtæ.

24. C. vestìta, Willd. Stout and stiff, 2--3° high; culm sharply angled, smooth or somewhat rough; leaves narrow and rather short, roughish; staminate spike 1, rarely 2, sessile or nearly so; pistillate spikes 2--5, approximate and sessile, or rarely the lowest sub-radical, often staminate at top, oblong or short-cylindric (rarely 1´ long), compactly flowered; perigynium ovate, nerved, stiffly hairy, short-beaked, the beak often purple, and white-hyaline at the orifice, which becomes more or less split with age; scale thin and blunt or acute, shorter than the perigynium.--Tufted in sandy soils, from N. Eng. to N. Y., and southward; frequent.

25. C. striàta, Michx., var. brèvis, Bailey. Stiff, 1½--2½° high; culm sharply angled, smooth or slightly rough above, mostly exceeding the leaves; leaves narrow and stiff, becoming involute; spikes 1--2, mostly closely sessile, considerably separated when two, short (rarely 1½´ long) and rather thick, erect; perigynium broad-ovate with impressed nerves, smooth, ascending, short-beaked and very short-toothed; scale thin, obtuse or acutish, mostly about ½ as long as the perigynium.--Pine-barren swamps, N. J., and southward; local.

26. C. Houghtònii, Torr. Stiff, 1--2° high, extensively creeping; culm rather sharply angled, rough, exceeding the leaves; leaves flat and very sharp-pointed; spikes 1--3, sessile or the lowest short-stalked, erect, varying from nearly globular to cylindric (1½´ long), compact; perigynium short-ovate, stiffly pubescent, prominently nerved and toothed; scale thin-margined, acute or awned, shorter than the perigynium.--Sandy knolls and banks from Maine to Minn. along our northern borders, and northwestward; rather local.

27. C. filifórmis, L. Tall and very slender but erect, 2--3° high; culm obtuse, smooth; leaves very long, involute-filiform, rough; spikes 1--3, sessile, somewhat scattered, erect, short and thick (rarely over 1´ long); perigynium very short-ovate, the teeth very short, the few nerves obscured by the dense stiff hairs; scale thin and blunt, about as long as the perigynium.--Bogs, throughout, north of Penn.; frequent. (Eu.)

Var. latifòlia, Boeckl. Culm mostly rough above; leaves flat, 1--2´´ broad; spikes usually somewhat slimmer and scales often sharper and longer. (C. lanuginosa, Michx.)--Swales and low meadows, throughout; common.

C. HÍRTA, L. Variable in size (½--2° high), widely creeping; culm rather slender but erect, obtuse and smooth or slightly rough above; leaves soft and flat, generally sparsely hairy and the sheaths very hirsute, rarely smooth; spikes 2--3, distant, more or less shortly-peduncled, erect or nearly so, 1½´ long or less and rather loose; perigynium long-ovate, nerved, soft-hairy, the prominent beak slenderly toothed; scale thin and green-nerved, awned, mostly a little shorter.--E. Mass. to central N. Y. and Penn. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*] 2.--[+] 4. Paludòsæ.

[++] Teeth slender, mostly spreading.

28. C. trichocárpa, Muhl. Stout and tall, 2--3° high; culm sharply angled, rough above; leaves very numerous, flat and very rough, but not hairy, much exceeding the culm; spikes 2--5, scattered, the lower stalked and more or less spreading, long and heavy (1--4´) but loosely flowered at base; perigynium long-ovate, many-costate, sparsely short-hairy, about twice as long as the membranaceous, acute or acuminate scale.--Marshes; frequent.--Var. IMBÉRBIS, Gray. Mostly smaller throughout; perigynium smooth; scales usually sharper and longer. Drier places, N. Y. to Mo.; infrequent.

Var. Dewèyi, Bailey. Leaves narrower, often becoming somewhat involute, smoother; spikes short (seldom over 1½´ long), all but the lowest one sessile; perigynium smooth, thick in texture, becoming polished with age, the nerves impressed; scales sharp, mostly a little shorter than the perigynium.--Dakota (Seymour), and northwestward. Resembles small forms of n. 29.

Var. aristàta, Bailey. Mostly stouter; leaves more or less hairy on the under surface and sheaths; perigynium usually longer, smooth, the teeth longer and more spreading. (C. aristata, R. Br.)--N. Eng. to Minn.; rare eastward.

[++][++] Teeth short, erect or very nearly so.

29. C. ripària, W. Curtis. Very large and stout, 2--4° high, stoloniferous; leaves mostly broad, flat, rough, glaucous, much longer than the sharply angled culm; spikes 2--4, scattered and all more or less peduncled, the lowest often very long-stalked, varying from almost globular in starved plants to 3--4´ long, erect or the lower somewhat drooping, loosely flowered below; perigynium ovate-lanceolate, coriaceous, rather lightly many-nerved, becoming polished, the beak short and thick; scale varying from blunt to awned, shorter or longer than the perigynium.--Swales; common. (Eu.)

C. ACUTIFÓRMIS, Ehrh. Stout, 2--3° high; culm thick and sharp, mostly smooth; leaves broad, flat and glaucous, much prolonged; spikes 3--5, all but the uppermost peduncled, spreading or drooping, narrowly cylindric (2--3´ long), loosely flowered below; perigynium ovate, very strongly many-nerved, the short beak slightly toothed; scale rough-awned and longer than the perigynium. (C. paludosa, Gooden.)--Swales, Dorchester, and New Bedford, Mass. (Nat. from Eu.) The former station has been recently destroyed.

[*] 3. MICRORHYNCHÆ.--[+] 1. Atràtæ.

[++] Alpine; plant small.

30. C. alpìna, Swartz. Small and slender, ½--2° high; culm thin and obtuse, smooth or roughish, naked above; leaves narrow and flat, shorter than the culm; spikes commonly 3, sometimes 2 or 4, aggregated, globular and very small, all closely sessile or rarely the lowest exceedingly short-stalked; perigynium orbicular or obovate, nerveless or nearly so, the short beak slightly notched, a little longer than the ovate and black mostly obtuse scale.--Isle Royale, L. Superior. (Eu.)

31. C. atràta, L., var. ovàta, Boott. Very slender but erect, 1--2° high; culm rather sharp, roughish above; leaves narrow but flat, shorter than the culm; spikes 3--5, all but the terminal one on slender stalks ½--2´ long, drooping when mature, 1´ long or less, ovate-oblong or short-cylindric, reddish-brown; perigynium broadly ovate, thin and puncticulate, very short-beaked, the orifice slightly notched; scale blunt, thin-margined, about as long as the perigynium. (C. atrata, Man.)--White Mountains, N. H., Smugglers' Notch, Vt. (Brainerd), and northward.

[++][++] Paludose; plant larger.

32. C. fúsca, All. Rather slender but stiff, 1--3° high; culm sharp, roughish above; leaves very narrow, rough, mostly shorter than the culm; spikes 2--4, the terminal rarely all staminate, all sessile and approximate or the lowest sometimes very short-stalked, varying from globular to narrowly cylindric (often becoming 1½´ long), dark brown or variegated; perigynium elliptic and beakless, whitish and granular, nearly nerveless, the orifice entire; staminate scales very long-lanceolate, the pistillate lance-ovate and very sharp, conspicuously longer than the perigynium. (C. Buxbaumii, Wahl.)--Bogs, throughout; frequent. (Eu.)

[*] 3.--[+] 2. Rígidæ.

33. C. vulgàris, Fries. Low and stiff, about 1° or sometimes 18´ high; culm sharp, smooth or rather rough above; leaves narrow and stiff, shorter than the culm, glaucous blue; staminate spike sessile or nearly so; spikes 2--4, all sessile or rarely the lowest very short-stalked, short and erect (1´ long or less), very densely flowered or sometimes becoming loose below, the lowest subtended by a bract 1--3´ long; perigynium appressed, oval or round-ovate, mostly finely striate toward the base, the beak entire or very nearly so, bright green until over-mature; scale ovate and very obtuse, purple with a faint white nerve, conspicuously narrower and shorter than the perigynium, thus causing the spike in the growing plant to assume a characteristic green-and-black appearance.--Swales and low meadows along the sea-board, from Mass. northward; common. (Eu.)

Var. strictifórmis, Bailey. Taller (1½--2½° high) and looser; culms slender; leaves long and narrow, lax, scarcely glaucous; staminate spike longer peduncled; pistillate spikes looser and often longer, mostly brown or tawny-green. (C. limula, Man.)--Swales from E. Penn. northward, near the seaboard; frequent. Often confounded with n. 34, but easily distinguished by the non-cespitose habit, sheaths not fibrillose, and the short scales very obtuse.

Var. hyperbòrea, Boott. Somewhat stoloniferous, low, often smaller than the type; spikes shorter and mostly loosely flowered, often becoming very thin; scales generally longer, giving the spikes a darker color; stigmas often 3. (C. rigida, var. (?) Bigelovii, Tuckerm.)--Alpine summits of N. H., Vt., and N. Y. (Eu.)

[*] 3.--[+] 3. Acùtæ.

[++] Stigmas 2; scales not conspicuously acute, or if so, divaricate.

[=] Spikes erect, or rarely spreading in n. 34.

34. C. strícta, Lam. Tall and slender but erect, 2--4° high, generally in dense clumps when old, or rarely in small tufts; culm sharp, rough above; leaves long and narrow, rough on the edges, the lowest sheaths usually becoming prominently fibrillose; 1 or 2 lowest bracts leafy and equalling the culm; spikes 3--5, variable in size and shape, scattered, the lowest usually more or less peduncled and clavate and the others sessile, erect or spreading, oblong or cylindric (½--2´ long and 2--3´´ broad), all compactly flowered above but often attenuate at base (or rarely alternate-flowered throughout), the upper mostly staminate at top, all greenish-purple or pallid; perigynium ovate and small, tawny, mostly lightly few-nerved and somewhat granular, the beak very short and commonly entire; scale obtuse to nearly acute, about equalling the perigynium or a little shorter.--Swales, throughout; abundant and variable.

Var. angustàta. Stricter; spikes longer and narrower (3--4´ long about 1½´´ broad), never clavate, more approximate and always erect, the staminate portion usually much longer (often 1--2´), rust-colored; scales narrower and sharper, mostly longer than the perigynium. (C. angustata, Boott, in part.)--Same range as the type, but less common.

Var. decòra, Bailey. Usually smaller; basal sheaths rarely fibrillose; spikes shorter (seldom over 1´ long), sessile or very nearly so, rarely attenuate at base, spreading, the terminal staminate flowers few, rust-colored; bracts more spreading; scales very sharp and spreading, longer than the perigynium. (C. aperta, Man.)--N. Eng. to Wisc.; rather rare.

C. STRÍCTA × FILIFÓRMIS. Leaves and culms very slender; spikes short (1´ long or less), sessile and compact, the upper 1 or 2 scarcely bracted, pallid; perigynium small, smooth.--Keweenaw Co., Mich. (Farwell.) Exactly intermediate between the two species.

35. C. aquátilis, Wahl. Large and stout, glaucous, 2--4° high; culm very obtuse and smooth; leaves exceedingly long, broader than in the last, the bracts broad and prolonged far beyond the culm; spikes 3--5, 1--2´ long, very compact or the lowest sometimes attenuate below, erect, thick (3´´ broad or less); perigynium round-ovate or broadly elliptic, nerveless, greenish, imbricated; scale obtuse and much shorter and narrower than the perigynium.--Swamps and lake-margins, N. Eng. to Minn.; not common. (Eu.)

36. C. lenticulàris, Michx. Rather slender but erect, pale throughout, 1--2° high; culm sharp, usually slightly rough above; leaves very narrow, numerous, much surpassing the culm; spikes 3--6, more or less aggregated or the lowest remote, the terminal androgynous or staminate, mostly sessile, erect; perigynium ovate, minutely granular, brown-nerved, the tip empty and entire; scale pale and obtuse, about ½ the length of the perigynium.--Gravelly borders of ponds and lakes, northern N. Eng. to Minn.; mostly local.

[=][=] Spikes widely spreading or drooping.

37. C. tórta, Boott. Slender but erect, 1½--2½° high, in clumps, with exceedingly tough and cord-like roots; culm rather sharp, smooth or roughish above; leaves flat and rather soft, those of the culm very short; spikes 3--5, mostly somewhat approximate or the lower remote, the upper sessile and ascending but the others drooping, long and slender (often 3´ long, 2´´ broad or less); perigynium lance-ovate, thin and green, nerveless, the slim upper half empty and more or less tortuous, the beak entire or erose; scale purple-margined and very obtuse, shorter than the perigynium.--Cold banks and swamps, Vt. to N. C.; infrequent.

[++][++] Stigmas 2; scales long-acute and ascending.

38. C. salìna, Wahl., var. cuspidàta, Wahl. Rather stout, 1--2½° high; culm rather sharp, smooth; leaves narrow but flat; spikes 2--4, somewhat approximate, the lowest 1 or 2 very short-stalked, erect, short (1½´ or less) and rather thick, the lower subtended by leaf-like bracts 3--4´ long; perigynium elliptic, somewhat granular, marked with 2 or 3 nerves or nerveless, the minute beak entire; scale brown-margined, produced into a lighter and rough awn much exceeding the perigynium. (C. salina, Man.)--Salt marshes, Mass., and along the coast northward; rare in the United States. (Eu.) Anomalous forms, which appear to be hybrids, have been separated as

C. STRÍCTA × SALÌNA, Bailey. Spikes thinner and more scattered, more inclined to be peduncled; scales blunt or short-awned, little exceeding the perigynium.--Near Boston, Mass., W. Boott, Morong.

[++][++][++] Stigmas 3.

39. C. prasìna, Wahl. Slender, somewhat flexuose, 1½--2½° high; culm rather sharp, smooth; leaves very narrow, soft and flat, rough; spikes 2--3, peduncled and spreading or drooping, somewhat approximate, green, 1--2´ long, narrow and loosely flowered; perigynium pale, narrowly triangular-ovate, thin, nearly nerveless, produced into a short but slender entire or minutely toothed beak; scale very thin and acute, nearly colorless, shorter than the perigynium. (C. miliacea, Muhl.)--Meadows and bogs, Vt. to Mich., and southward; infrequent.

[*] 3.--[+] 4. Cryptocárpæ.

40. C. marítima, O. F. Mueller. Mostly stout, 1--2½° high; culm sharp, smooth or rough above; spikes 2--6, scattered, all or all but the upper one on very long weak stalks and pendulous, 1--3´ long and thick and bushy, usually staminate at top; perigynium nearly orbicular, pale, few-nerved or nerveless, the beak very short and entire or nearly so; scale produced into a greenish rough awn 3--8 times as long as the perigynium.--Salt marshes of the coast, Mass., Maine, and northward; not common. Leaves smooth, broad and flat. (Eu.)

41. C. crinìta, Lam. Robust and mostly stout, 2--4° high; culm sharp and rough or sometimes smooth; leaves about 3´´ broad, flat, more or less rough on the nerves and margins; spikes 3--6, somewhat scattered, all variously peduncled, mostly secund, curved and drooping (or in small forms rarely nearly erect), 1--4´ long, narrowly and evenly cylindric, compact or attenuate below, often staminate at top; perigynium ovate, thin and puncticulate, obscurely nerved, the minute point entire; scale greenish-brown and rough-awned, 2--3 times as long as the perigynium. (C. gynandra, Schwein.)--Swales; common.--Var. MÌNOR, Boott. Much smaller in all its parts, 10--18´ high; leaves narrow; spikes 3--4, 1½´ long or less, less drooping; scales less prominent.--Maine to N. Y.; scarce. Somewhat resembles n. 39.

C. CRINÌTA × TÓRTA, Bailey. More slender than C. crinita, the leaves narrower; spikes nearly as slender as those of C. torta; scales blunt or simply acute and little longer than the perigynium, or sometimes very short-awned.--Moist meadows near the Glen House, White Mts. (Brainerd). Might be mistaken for drooping spiked forms of n. 34.

[*] 3.--[+] 5. Pendulìnæ.

[++] Spikes narrowly cylindrical.

42. C. littoràlis, Schwein. Somewhat slender but erect, 1--2° high; leaves narrow and rather stiff, flat, glaucous, shorter than the sharp and nearly smooth culm; staminate spikes 1--3, dark purple, 1½´ long or less, the scales obtuse; pistillate spikes 2--4, somewhat approximate, on thread-like peduncles, 1--2´ long, usually staminate at top; perigynium lance-oval, faintly nerved, the minute beak entire, mostly longer than the obtuse purple scale; bracts prominently purple-auricled. (C. Barrattii, Schwein. & Torr.)--Marshes near the coast, N. J. and southward; rare.

[++][++] Spikes globular or oblong.

[=] Scales very sharp, prominently longer than the perigynium.

43. C. Magellánica, Lam. Slender but erect, 8--18´ high; leaves flat and lax, somewhat shorter than the culm; lowest bract as wide as the leaves or nearly so and exceeding the culm; spikes 2--3, approximate, all slenderly stalked and drooping; perigynium orbicular or broad-ovate, nerved in the centre, ½--{2/3} the length of the scale. (C. irrigua, Smith.)--Deep swamps, throughout, north of Penn.; local. (Eu.)

[=][=] Scales blunt, little exceeding the perigynium.

44. C. rariflòra, Smith. Very small but stiff, 4--10´ high, somewhat stoloniferous; culm obtuse and very smooth; leaves very narrow, becoming involute, shorter than the culm; spikes 1--2, only 3--10-flowered, drooping, borne in the axil of a minute awl-like and purple-auricled bract; perigynium ovate, nearly pointless, obscurely nerved, mostly a little shorter than the enveloping scale.--Mt. Katahdin, Maine (Goodale). (Eu.)

45. C. limòsa, L. Slender but rather stiff, 1--2° high, stoloniferous; culm sharp, rough above; leaves very narrow, strongly keeled or involute; spikes 1--2, nodding on short stalks or the upper one erect, oblong, springing from the axil of a very narrow bract which is nearly always shorter than the culm; perigynium very short-pointed, about the length of the broad scale.--Deep swamps, throughout, north of Penn.; local. (Eu.)

[*] 4. HYMENOCHLÆ̀NÆ.--[+] 1. Virescéntes.

46. C. viréscens, Muhl. Slender, erect or spreading, 1--1½° high; leaves very narrow, more or less hairy; spikes 3--5, green, short-oblong, all somewhat stalked and often spreading, compact (1½´´ thick or less); perigynium ovate and costate, very hairy, longer than the thin and white acute scale.--Var. COSTÀTA, Dewey, usually the commoner form, is taller (often reaching 2½°), with spikes long-cylindric, ½--2´ long, and a stronger ribbed perigynium.--Banks and copses, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward; common eastward.

47. C. trìceps, Michx., var. hirsùta, Bailey. Usually stiffer; leaves hairy; spikes 2--4 (usually 3), all contiguous or occasionally the lowest somewhat removed, sessile, short-oblong or globular, green or brown (2--3´´ thick); perigynium broad-ovate, flattish, very obtuse, often sparsely hirsute when young but smooth at maturity; staminate scales very sharp; pistillate scales acute or short-awned, about the length of or shorter than the perigynium.--Dry copses and fields, N. Eng. to Mo., and southward; rare northward.--Var. SMÍTHII, Porter. Tall, slender, olive-green, the leaves very long, very nearly smooth; spikes small, globular or short-cylindrical (½´ long or less), the lowest often somewhat remote, all more inclined to be peduncled; perigynium globular and turgid, brown, squarrose, giving the spike a characteristic plump appearance.--Fields and woodlands, southern N. J., E. Penn., and southward; also in Ark.; frequent.

[*] 4.--[+] 2. Sylváticæ.

48. C. longiróstris, Torr. Very slender but erect, 1½--3° high, growing in stools; leaves narrow, flat, loose; spikes 3--5, 1--2´ long, loosely flowered, drooping; perigynium thin, slightly inflated, green, nearly nerveless, spreading, the beak longer than the body, about the length of the awned scale.--Shady banks from N. Eng. to Neb., and northward; frequent.--Var. MÌNOR, Boott. Smaller and slenderer; spikes 9´´ long or less, very narrow and very loosely or even alternately few-flowered; perigynium smaller. Neb. and westward.

[*] 4.--[+] 3. Fléxiles.

49. C. castànea, Wahl. Slender but erect, 1--2½° high; leaves broad and flat, hairy, much shorter than the rough culm; spikes 2--4, approximate, widely spreading or drooping on filiform stalks, 1´ long or less, rather dense, tawny; perigynium broad lanceolate, gradually narrowed into a beak ½ as long as the body, thin, with a nerve on each side, longer than the light brown or whitish acute thin scale. (C. flexilis, Rudge.)--Banks, Conn. to Minn.; local.

C. ARCTÀTA × CASTÀNEA, Bailey. Leaves mostly narrower, less hairy or smooth; spikes very slender and loosely flowered (scarcely over 1´´ wide), erect or drooping, chestnut color; perigynium thin, long-ovate, shorter-beaked, lightly nerved, mostly surpassing the pointed whitish scale. (C. Knieskernii, Dewey.)--Oneida Co., N. Y.; Keweenaw Co., Mich. (Farwell); N. Minn.

50. C. capillàris, L. Very slender but erect, 2--12´ high; culm smooth, longer than the narrow flat or at length involute leaves; spikes 2--4, either scattered or approximate, all more or less long-peduncled and drooping, borne in the axils of conspicuous sheathing bracts, very small (3--12-flowered); perigynium thin, very small, oblong-ovoid, the beak hyaline-lipped, longer than the very obtuse white scale.--Alpine summits of the White Mts.; Cortland, N. Y., Alcona Co., Mich., and Point de Tour, L. Huron. (Eu.)

[*] 4.--[+] 4. Débiles.

[++] Perigynium thin, rarely with more than two prominent nerves.

51. C. arctàta, Boott. Slender, erect, 1--2° high; radical leaves much shorter than the culm and very broad (2½--5´´), flat; bracts broad and short, long-sheathing; spikes 3--5, all widely spreading or drooping on filiform stalks, 1--3´ long and exceedingly slender; perigynium short (2´´ long or less), abruptly and conspicuously stipitate and abruptly contracted into a beak, 3-cornered, prominently nerved, green, mostly spreading, scarcely longer than the very sharp or cuspidate scale.--Woods and copses, N. Eng. to Penn. and Minn.; common.

Var. Faxòni, Bailey. Spikes shorter and usually short-peduncled, erect or nearly so, much more densely flowered, part of them commonly contiguous at the top of the culm, rendering the shorter staminate spike inconspicuous; perigynium usually larger.--Lisbon, N. H. (Faxon); Keweenaw Co., Mich. (Farwell); extreme northern Minn. (Bailey); also in Canada.

52. C. débilis, Michx., var. Rúdgei, Bailey. Very slender and diffuse, 1--2½° high (or rarely reduced to 3--4´!); leaves narrow and lax, longer than the culm; spikes mostly heavier than in the last; perigynium much longer, very gradually narrowed at each end, scarcely angled and not prominently nerved, rusty when ripe, erect, twice longer than the obtuse or acutish scale. (C. debilis, of last ed.)--Copses, N. Eng. to N. Mich., and southward; frequent east and southward.--Var STRÍCTIOR, Bailey. Usually taller, strict; leaves broader (about 2´´ wide) and firmer; spikes stiffer, simply spreading or even erect; perigynium mostly shorter and greener, often little exceeding the scale. White Mts. (Faxon).--Var PÙBERA, Gray. Perigynium usually more slender, more nerved and minutely pubescent. Center and Lancaster Counties, Penn. (Porter, Lumsden), and Bedford Co., Va. (Curtiss).

C. DÉBILIS × VIRÉSCENS, Bailey. Plant slender and very green; leaves flat, rough, mostly longer than the culm, spikes 2--3, 2´ long, thin and slender, erect or nearly so, the terminal one bearing a few pistillate flowers at top; perigynium exactly intermediate between the two species, lance-ovate, nerved and slightly hairy, short-beaked, thin, twice longer than the scale.--Revere, near Boston, Mass. (Faxon).

[++][++] Perigynium firm, prominently many-nerved.

53. C. venústa, Dewey, var. mìnor, Boeckl. Slender but strict, 1½--2° high; leaves narrow and strict, about as long as the culm; spikes 1--2´ long, scattered, the upper usually ascending, the terminal one sometimes staminate at top; perigynium ascending, the very short and stout beak prominently toothed, thrice longer than the rusty narrow scale. (C. glabra, Boott.)--Sphagnous swamps, Oneida Co., N. Y., N. J., and southward; local.

[*] 4.--[+] 5. Gracíllimæ.

[++] Perigynium small, scarcely turgid.

54. C. æstivàlis, M. A. Curtis. Slender but erect, 1--1½° high; leaves very narrow, flat, shorter than the culm, the sheaths pubescent; spikes 3--4, erect or spreading, 1--2´ long and very loosely flowered, all but the lowest short-stalked; perigynium very small, ovate, scarcely pointed and the orifice entire, few-nerved, about twice longer than the obtuse scale.--Saddle Mountain, W. Mass., and southward in the mountains to N. C.; rare.

55. C. gracíllima, Schwein. Tall and slender, sometimes diffuse, 1½--3° high; leaves broad and flat (the radical about 3´´ wide), very dark and bright green; spikes 3--4, scattered, the terminal rarely staminate, densely flowered except at base, peduncled and drooping, green; perigynium ovate, thin and slightly swollen, nerved, obtuse, orifice entire, twice longer than the very obtuse scale.--Woodlands and low meadows, throughout; common.--In poorer soil and sunny places, it runs into var. HÙMILIS, Bailey, and is then smaller, has much narrower leaves and very small erect spikes (2--12-flowered), and mostly smaller perigynia.

C. GRACÍLLIMA × HIRSÙTA, Bailey. In habit like var. humilis; spikes tawny; perigynium like that of C. triceps, var. hirsuta; plant smooth, or very minutely pubescent under a strong lens.--Philipstown, N. Y. (Barratt).

C. GRACÍLLIMA × PUBÉSCENS, Bailey. Tall and erect; leaves narrower than in the last, usually slightly hairy; spikes slender, erect or slightly spreading, often staminate at top; perigynium exactly intermediate between the two species, ovate, obscurely nerved, sparsely hairy, beaked, about the length of the ovate ciliate rough-awned scale. (C. Sullivantii, Boott.)--Columbus, Ohio (Sullivant); Yonkers, N. Y. (E. C. Howe); Stanton, Del. (Commons).

[++][++] Perigynium large, prominently inflated.

56. C. formòsa, Dewey. Slender, erect, 1--2½° high; leaves flat, mostly rather broad, those of the culm very short; spikes 3--5, scattered, oblong or short-cylindrical (1´ long or less), compact, all flexuose or drooping; perigynium ovate, puncticulate, obscurely nerved, short-beaked with a slightly notched orifice, all but the lowest one or two twice longer than the blunt or cuspidate scale.--Woods and copses, Vt. to Mich.; local.

57. C. Davísii, Schwein. & Torr. Always taller; spikes heavier; perigynium more inflated, strongly nerved and prominently toothed, no longer or shorter than the conspicuously awned and spreading scale.--Wet meadows, W. Mass. to S. Minn., and southward; rare east and northward.

[*] 4.--[+] 6. Gríseæ.

58. C. grísea, Wahl. Stout, 1--2° high; leaves broad (2--3´´) and slightly glaucous; bracts broad and leaf-like, diverging, very much exceeding the culm; staminate spike small and sessile; pistillate spikes 3--4, short (1´ long or less), the highest two usually contiguous to the staminate spike and sessile, the others somewhat remote and peduncled, all erect, compact; perigynium oblong, pointless, marked with impressed nerves, turgid and cylindric, all but the lowest longer than the narrow, cuspidate or blunt, nerved scale.--Moist grounds, throughout, except along our northern borders; common.--Var. ANGUSTIFÒLIA, Boott. Much more slender; leaves scarcely half so wide, the bracts, especially, much narrower and shorter and more erect; spikes slender, perigynium scarcely inflated, triangular-oblong, bearing a sharp beak-like point, 2-ranked; scale nerveless, long-awned and spreading. N. J. to S. Ohio, and southward; common.--Var. GLOBÒSA, Bailey. Low, 3--12´ high, often spreading; spikes few-flowered, often with but 2 or 3 perigynia; perigynium short, inflated, very blunt, nearly globose or obovate; scale short, not prominently cuspidate or the upper ones wholly blunt. Mo., Kan., and southward.

Var. (?) rígida, Bailey. Rigid; leaves rather narrow, long and erect; staminate spike prominently peduncled; pistillate spikes scattered, all more or less stalked, conspicuously 2 ranked; perigynium triangular-oblong, hard, longer than the cuspidate ascending scale.--Sellersville, Penn., and Del.

59. C. glaucodèa, Tuckerm. Lax or somewhat strict (6--18´ high), densely glaucous; leaves flat, variable in width; spikes as in n. 58; perigynium firm, not inflated, prominently impressed-nerved, glaucous, longer than the short-cuspidate or blunt thin and appressed scale. (C. flaccosperma, last ed.)--Meadows and swamps, Mass. to S. Ill., and southward; local.

[*] 5. SPIROSTÀCHYÆ.--[+] 1. Granulàres.

60. C. granulàris, Muhl. Erect or spreading, 8´--2° high, somewhat glaucous; leaves flat, various; bracts broad and long, much exceeding the culm; spikes 3--4, scattered, all but the upper peduncled, erect or ascending, compact, short-oblong to cylindric, never exceeding 1´ in length; staminate spike small and usually sessile; perigynium ovoid, very strongly nerved, the nearly entire short beak usually bent; scale thin and pointed, about ½ the length of the perigynium.--Moist grassy places; common.--Var. HALEÀNA, Porter. Habitually lower and more slender; radical leaves very broad (3--4´´) and more glaucous; pistillate spikes ½´ long or less, thinner; perigynium a half smaller, narrower. Wisc. to Va.; infrequent.

61. C. Cràwei, Dewey. Low, strict, stoloniferous (4--12´ high); leaves narrow; bracts scarcely exceeding the culm; spikes 2--4, scattered, the lowest radical or nearly so, short-peduncled or the upper sessile, erect, compact, 9´´ long or less; staminate spike generally peduncled; perigynium ovate, usually resinous dotted, obscurely or few-nerved, very short-pointed, longer than the obtuse or short-pointed scale.--Moist places, N. Y. to Ill. and Minn.; local, especially eastward.

[*] 5.--[+] 2. Exténsæ.

C. EXTÉNSA, Gooden. Slender but strict, 1--2° high; leaves involute; spikes about 3, the lowest remote and short-peduncled, the remainder approximate and sessile, short (about ½´ long) and compact; perigynium ovate, very strongly nerved, ascending, the short stout beak sharply toothed, longer than the blunt brown-edged scale.--Long Island and Coney Island, N. Y.; Norfolk, Va., McMinn. (Nat. from Eu.)

62. C. flàva, L. Very slender but strict and stiff, 1--2° high, yellowish throughout; leaves flat but narrow, mostly shorter than the culm; staminate spike sessile or nearly so, usually oblique; pistillate spikes 2--4, all contiguous or rarely the lowest one remote, all but the lowest sessile, short-oblong or globular, densely flowered, the lowest subtended by a long divaricate bract; perigynium ovate, produced into a deflexed beak as long as the body, strongly nerved, thrice longer than the blunt scale.--Swales and wet meadows, N. Eng. to L. Superior; rare westward. (Eu.)--Var. GRÁMINIS, Bailey. Smaller and green, 6--12´ high; leaves mostly longer than the culm; bracts erect; perigynium straight or nearly so, the beak often rough. Grassy places, probably common and generally distributed.

Var. virídula, Bailey. Small and slender, very strict, green or greenish-white; leaves narrow, equalling or exceeding the culm; bracts long and strictly erect, spikes very small or sometimes becoming cylindric, more closely aggregated; perigynium conspicuously smaller, the beak very short and straight. (C. Œderi, last ed.)--Cold bogs, N. Eng. to Penn., and northwestward; local.

[*] 5.--[+] 3. Pallescéntes.

[++] Perigynium wholly beakless.

63. C. palléscens, L. Slender, erect, 4´--2° high, tufted; leaves narrow, flat, the lower slightly pubescent, particularly on the sheaths; spikes 2--4, ½´ long or less, densely flowered, all but the upper one very shortly peduncled, erect or spreading; perigynium globular-oblong, thin and very nearly nerveless, about the length of the cuspidate scale.--Glades and meadows, N. Eng. to Penn., Wisc. and L. Superior; rare westward. (Eu.)

[++][++] Perigynium very stout-beaked.

64. C. Torrèyi, Tuckerm. Stiff, 1--1½° high; culm and leaves thinly pubescent; spikes all sessile, very short; perigynium obovate, very strongly many-nerved, retuse, the beak short and straight, equalling or exceeding the mostly cuspidate scale.--Supposed to have been collected, a half-century ago, in N. Y. by Torrey, and in Penn. by Schweinitz. It occurs in the Rocky Mountain region, and high northward.

[*] 6. DACTYLOSTÀCHYÆ.--[+] 1. Oligocárpæ.

[++] Sheaths smooth.

65. C. conoídea, Schkuhr. Slender but strict, 1--1½° high; staminate spike long-peduncled or rarely nearly sessile; spikes 2--3, scattered, short-stalked or the upper one sessile (the lowest frequently very long-stalked), oblong (rarely 1´ long) and rather loosely flowered, erect; perigynium oblong-conical, impressed-nerved, gradually narrowed to a point, the orifice entire; scale loosely spreading and rough-awned, equalling or exceeding the perigynium.--Moist grassy places, N. Eng. to Ill., and southward; rare westward.

66. C. oligocárpa, Schkuhr. Diffuse, 10--18´ high; bracts flat and spreading; staminate spike sessile or stalked; spikes 2--4, scattered, stalked or the uppermost sessile, loosely 2--8-flowered, erect; perigynium small, hard, finely impressed-nerved, abruptly contracted into a conspicuous mostly oblique beak, the orifice entire; scale very loosely spreading and rough-awned, longer than the perigynium.--Dry woods and copses, W. New Eng. to Mo., and southward; rare westward. Often confounded with small forms of n. 58.

[++][++] Sheaths pubescent.

67. C. Hitchcockiàna, Dewey. Erect, 1½--2° high; spikes 2--4, all more or less peduncled, very loosely few-flowered, erect; perigynium triangular-ovate, many-striate, the strong beak prominently oblique, shorter than the rough-awned scale.--Rich woods, W. New Eng. to Ill., and southward to Penn. and Ky.; frequent.

[*] 6.--[+] 2. Laxiflòræ.

[++] Sheaths green.

[=] Perigynium mostly obscurely triangular, the beak very prominent.

68. C. laxiflòra, Lam. Slender but mostly erect, 1--2° high; leaves rarely over 2´´ wide, rather soft; staminate spike peduncled or at least conspicuous; pistillate spikes 2--4, scattered, peduncled or the upper one sessile, loosely flowered, cylindric or sometimes reduced to short-oblong, erect or the lower loosely spreading; perigynium obovate, conspicuously nerved, the short entire beak much bent or recurved; scale thin and white, blunt or cuspidate, mostly shorter than the perigynium.--Grassy places, throughout; common. Exceedingly variable.--Var. VÀRIANS, Bailey. Mostly stouter than the type, the leaves broader; pistillate spikes ½--1´ long, the two upper more or less contiguous to the staminate spike and sessile or nearly so; bracts leafy and prolonged.--Copses and grassy places, throughout; common. Counterfeits var. patulifolia.--Var. STRIÁTULA, Carey. Diffuse; pistillate spikes rarely over ½´ long, the upper sessile and aggregated about the inconspicuous staminate spike, the lowest usually long-exserted. Grassy places, throughout; very common.--Var. LATIFÒLIA, Boott. Rather low; leaves ½´ broad or more; staminate spike sessile or very nearly so; pistillate spikes cylindric and loose, the upper one or two contiguous; bracts very broad. Deep rich woods, E. Mass. (Deane) to Penn. and Mich.; common westward.--Var. PATULIFÒLIA, Carey. Glaucous; leaves 3´´ broad or more; staminate spike prominent, mostly stalked; pistillate spikes long and alternately flowered, scattered and peduncled; perigynium (as in the following varieties) elliptic, attenuate at both ends, mostly less prominently nerved, and the beak not strongly recurved. Open places, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward; frequent.--Var. DIVARICÀTA, Bailey. Tall and stout; leaves narrower; staminate spike large and stalked; pistillate spikes scattered, all but the upper one prominently peduncled, long; perigynium very large, divaricate, triangular, contracted into a stipe-like base at least half as long as the body. Near Washington, Vasey.--Var. STYLOFLÉXA, Boott. Very weak and slender; leaves 2´´ wide or less; staminate spike usually peduncled; pistillate 2--3, scattered, few-flowered, lowest drooping; perigynium very long-pointed. S. E. Penn., and southward; frequent.

[=][=] Perigynium sharply triangular, short, and mostly not prominently beaked.

[a.] Spikes drooping or flexuose.

69. C. digitàlis, Willd. Very slender, bright green, tufted, 6--18´ high; leaves very narrow (1--2´´ wide); staminate spike short stalked; pistillate spikes 2--4, all on filiform stalks and all but the upper widely spreading or drooping, linear, alternately flowered; perigynium very small, impressed-nerved, longer than the acute whitish scale.--Dryish woods and glades, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward; frequent.--Var. COPULÀTA, Bailey. Leaves much broader, and the culms weak and reclined; spikes heavier and mostly shorter; perigynium larger, very sharp. Rich woods, central Mich., and probably elsewhere westward.

70. C. laxicúlmis, Schwein. Differs from the variety of n. 69 chiefly in its more cespitose habit, its densely glaucous-blue covering, very slender culm, and very long and filiform peduncles. (C. retrocurva, Dewey.)--Glades, N. Eng. to Mich. and Va.; rare westward.

[b.] Spikes erect.

71. C. ptychocárpa, Steudel. Low, glaucous, 3--10´ high; leaves flat and rather broad (2´´ or more), much exceeding the culm; bracts leafy and much prolonged; staminate spike very small and sessile, mostly overtopped by the upper pistillate spike; pistillate spikes 2--3, sessile or short-stalked or rarely the lowest long-peduncled, erect; perigynium tawny, much as in n. 69, twice longer than the very thin obtuse scale.--Low grounds or swamps, E. Mass., N. J., Del., and southward; local.

72. C. platyphýlla, Carey. Low, spreading, glaucous, 6--12´ high; leaves ½´ broad or more, mostly shorter than the culms; bracts with thin and sharp-pointed leaf-like tips 1--2´ long; staminate spike stalked; pistillate spikes 2--3, scattered, all more or less peduncled, alternately 2--10-flowered; perigynium short, strongly many-striate, about the length of the acute or cuspidate scale.--Rich shady woods and banks, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward to Va.; mostly local.

73. C. Careyàna, Torr. Tall and slender, mostly erect, 1--2° high; leaves bright green, firm, 3--4´´ wide or more, shorter than the long culm; bracts leafy, longer than in the last; staminate spike heavy and stalked; pistillate spikes 2--3 (mostly 2), the upper usually near the terminal spike, and nearly sessile, the other remote and long-peduncled, loosely 2--8-flowered; perigynium very large and very sharply angled, the beak oblique, finely many-nerved, twice longer than the sharp scale.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Mich., and southward to Washington; rare.

[++][++] Sheaths usually purple.

74. C. plantagínea, Lam. Slender but erect, 1--2° high; leaves ½--1´ broad, very firm, appearing after the flowers and persisting over winter, shorter than the culm; staminate spike purple and clavate, stalked; pistillate spikes 3--4, scattered, loosely few-flowered, erect, the peduncles included in the leafless sheaths; perigynium smaller than in n. 73, prominently beaked, about as long as the sharp scale.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Wisc., and southward; local.

[*] 6.--[+] 3. Paníceæ.

[++] Beak cylindrical and prominent; plant not glaucous.

75. C. Saltuénsis, Bailey. Very slender and more or less diffuse, strongly stoloniferous, 1--1½° high; leaves narrow and soft, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--3, scattered, all peduncled and more or less spreading, loosely 3--10-flowered; perigynium small, nearly nerveless, thin, the beak straight and sharply toothed; scale loose, acute, shorter than the perigynium. (C. vaginata, last ed.)--Deep swamps, Vt. to Minn.; local.

76. C. polymórpha, Muhl. Stout, 1--2° high; leaves rather broad, short; spikes 1--2, short-stalked, erect, compact or rarely loose, usually staminate at the apex, 1½´ long or less; perigynium long-ovate, obscurely nerved; the very long and nearly straight beak oblique or lipped at the orifice; scale reddish-brown, obtuse, shorter than the perigynium.--Moist meadows, Mass. to N. C.; local.

[++][++] Beak short or none; plant often glaucous.

[=] Plants of ordinary habit.

77. C. tetánica, Schkuhr. Rather slender, rarely glaucous, somewhat stoloniferous; culm scabrous, at least above; spikes all peduncled, the upper one very shortly so, pale, all more or less attenuate below, the lower borne in the axils of bracts 3´ long or more; perigynium not turgid, greenish, prominently many-nerved, the beak strongly bent; scale obtuse or abruptly mucronate, all except the lowest mostly shorter than the perigynium.--Meadows and borders of ponds from W. Mass. westward; common westward.--Var. WOÒDII, Bailey. Very slender and strongly stoloniferous; leaves narrow, very long and lax; spikes mostly alternately flowered throughout; scales often sharper. (C. Woodii, Dewey.) Rich woods, N. Y. to Mich., and south to Washington; frequent.--Var. MÈADII, Bailey. Stiffer; leaves mostly broader and stricter; spikes thick and densely flowered, not attenuate at base, the upper one often sessile; perigynium larger. (C. Meadii, Dewey.) R. I. to Neb., and southward; rare eastward.--Var. CÁNBYI, Porter. Stout and stiff; leaves still broader (about 2´´ wide) and flat; spikes thick, often ¼´ wide; perigynium long, straight or very nearly so; scale large, nearly equalling or exceeding the perigynium. E. Penn. (Canby); Ill. and Wisc.; little known.

[C.] PANÍCEA, L. Strict, often stiff, glaucous-blue 1--2° high; culm smooth; bracts 1--2´ long; spikes 1--3, scattered, colored, peduncled, erect, rather compact or loose below, seldom 1´ long; perigynium ovoid, yellow or purple, somewhat turgid, scarcely nerved, the point usually curved, mostly longer than the purple-margined scale.--Fields, E. Mass. and R. I. (Nat. from Eu.)

[=][=] Very strict, densely glaucous.

78. C. lívida, Willd. Culms 18´ high or less; leaves narrow, often becoming involute; spikes 1 or 2 and aggregated or approximate, or rarely a third nearly radical, sessile or nearly so, erect, narrow; perigynium ovoid-oblong, nerved, granular, beakless, the point straight or nearly so, orifice entire; scale obtuse, mostly a little shorter than the perigynium.--Pine-barrens of N. J., and sphagnum swamps northward to N. Eng. and L. Superior; local. (Eu.)

[*] 6.--[+] 4. Bicolòres.

79. C. aùrea, Nutt. Low and slender, 1° high or less; bracts exceeding the culm; spikes 2--4, all but the lowest usually approximate, peduncled or the upper one or two sessile, erect, loosely few-flowered or sometimes becoming ¾´ long, at maturity yellow or brown, the terminal one frequently pistillate above; perigynium fleshy at maturity, nerved, longer than the blunt scale.--Wet meadows and springy banks, throughout; rather common.

[*] 6.--[+] 5. Digitàtæ.

[++] Spikes two or more.

80. C. ebúrnea, Boott. Exceedingly slender and capillary, erect, 4--12´ high, stoloniferous; leaves shorter than the culm; staminate spike very small and very short-peduncled, overtopped by the two upper pistillate spikes; pistillate spikes 2--4, approximate or the lowest remote, all stalked, erect, 2--6-flowered; perigynium very small, almost nerveless, smooth and becoming black and shining at full maturity; scale white and thin, obtuse, shorter than the perigynium.--Tufted in sandy or light soils from N. Eng. to Ky. and Neb.; frequent.

81. C. Richardsòni, R. Br. Rather stiff, 4--9´ high, stoloniferous; sheaths short, purple or brown; staminate spike stout and mostly short-peduncled; pistillate spikes 1--2, approximate, the very short stalks included, erect, compact, less than ½´ in length; perigynium obovoid, firm, hairy, the very short beak entire or erose; scale brown with a conspicuous white-hyaline margin, obtuse or pointless, and longer than the perigynium.--Dry ground, western N. Y. to Ill., and northwestward; rare.

82. C. pedunculàta, Muhl. Low and diffuse, 3--10´ high, forming mats; leaves abundant, very green, flat and firm, longer than the weak culms; staminate spike very small, with the uppermost pistillate spike sessile at its base; pistillate spikes 2--4 on each culm, scattered and long-peduncled from green sheaths, erect or spreading, many other spikes nearly or quite radical and very long-stalked, all 3--8-flowered; perigynium triangular-obovate, smooth or very slightly pubescent above, the short and nearly entire beak somewhat oblique; scale green or purple, truncate and cuspidate, mostly a little longer than the perigynium.--Dry woods and banks, N. Eng. to Va. (Kennedy) and Minn.; frequent northward.

[++][++] Spike one or rarely a rudiment of a second; plant diœcious.

83. C. pícta, Steudel. Rather weak, 1° high or less; leaves flat and firm, persisting through the winter, at least twice longer than the culm; a sheathing purple scale at the base of the spike; staminate spike about 1´ long, clavate in anthesis, the purple scales ending in a very short and blunt whitish tip; pistillate spike narrower and mostly longer, the scales more abruptly contracted into a colored cusp and at length deciduous; perigynium obovate, much contracted below into a stipe-like base, very strongly nerved, entirely pointless, hairy above, covered by the scale. (C. Boottiana, Benth.)--In a wooded ravine with Hepatica and Epigæa, near Bloomington, Ind. (Dudley); also Ala. and La.

[*] 7. SPHÆRIDIÓPHORÆ.--[+] 1. Scirpìnæ.

84. C. scirpoídea, Michx. Strict, the pistillate plant mostly stiff, 6--18´ high; leaves flat, shorter than the culm; spike 1´ long or less, densely cylindrical, very rarely with a rudimentary second spike at its base; perigynium ovate, short-pointed, very hairy, about the length of the ciliate purple scale.--Mountains of N. New Eng.; Drummond's Island, L. Huron. (Norway.)

[*] 7.--[+] 2. Montànæ.

[++] Some or all of the culms longer than the leaves (or in the type of n. 85 frequently shorter).

[=] Staminate spike minute, wholly or partially concealed in the head; leaves always very narrow; radical spikes often present.

85. C. defléxa, Hornem. Diffuse and low, tufted; culms 1--6´ high, setaceous, more or less curved or spreading, little exceeding or shorter than the leaves; staminate spike exceedingly minute and nearly always entirely invisible in the head; pistillate spikes 2--3, 2--5-flowered, green, or green and brown, all aggregated into a head, the lowest one always more or less short-peduncled and subtended by a leafy bract ½´ long or less; radical spikes few; perigynium very small and much contracted below, sparsely hairy or nearly smooth, the beak flat and very short, mostly longer than the acutish scale. (C. Novæ-Angliæ, last ed., mostly.)--High mountains of N. H. and Vt.

Var. Dèanei, Bailey. Taller and lax, the culms 6--12´ high and some or all prominently longer than the longer and loose leaves; staminate spike much larger (2--3´´ long), erect or oblique, sessile; pistillate spikes larger (4--8-flowered), less aggregated or the lowest usually separated, though rarely more than ¼´ apart; radical spikes usually numerous; bract mostly longer.--Swales or dryish places, high or subalpine regions, Mt. Desert, Maine (Rand); Essex, Mass.; N. H., Vt., and N. Y.; scarce. In aspect like n. 86.

Var. mèdia, Bailey. Rather stiff, 4--12´ high, in dense tufts; most of the spikes equalling or exceeding the leaves, the staminate prominent, erect (3--5´´ long), sessile or very short-peduncled; pistillate spikes 2--3, all scattered, the uppermost at or near the base of the staminate spike, the lowest usually very prominently peduncled and subtended by a conspicuous bract which surpasses the culm, all rather compactly 3--8-flowered, green, or brown and green; radical spikes several; perigynium larger, much like that of short-beaked forms of n. 90.--Keweenaw Co., Mich. (Farwell); also far westward.

86. C. vària, Muhl. Erect, mostly strict, 6--15´ high, tufted and somewhat stoloniferous; culms variable in length, often twice longer than the leaves; staminate spike 3´´ long or less; pistillate spikes closely aggregated, or rarely somewhat loosely disposed but never scattered, all strictly sessile, green; radical spikes none; lower bract usually present; perigynium longer-pointed than in the last, about the length of the sharp scale. (C. Emmonsii, Dewey.)--Banks and dry woods; frequent.--In var. COLORÀTA, Bailey, the scales are purple. Mostly southward.

[=][=] Staminate spike very prominent (or in the variety of n. 89 very small, but the leaves broad); radical spikes none.

[a.] Scales smooth.

87. C. Nòvæ-Ángliæ, Schwein. Very slender and soft, erect, stoloniferous, 6--8´ high; culms little longer than the very narrow leaves; staminate spike exceedingly narrow (3--8´´ long by about ½´´ wide), mostly minutely peduncled; pistillate spikes 2, or rarely 3, the upper one near the base of the staminate spike, the lower very short-peduncled and removed ½--1´ and subtended by a leafy bract which nearly or quite equals the culm, both rather loosely 3--6-flowered; perigynium very narrow, often nearly oblanceolate, small, very thinly hairy, the beak sharp and prominent; stigmas often 2.--Mountain swamps of W. Mass., and Mt. Desert, Maine (Rand); rare.

88. C. Pennsylvánica, Lam. A foot high or less, erect, strongly stoloniferous, forming large patches; leaves narrow and more or less involute, dark or dull green, mostly nearly as long as the culm; staminate spike ½´ (rarely ¾´) long, usually dull brown or brown-purple, sessile or very nearly so; pistillate spikes 1--3, contiguous or the two lower rarely ½´ apart, all sessile and usually dark-colored, the lowest bract very short or at least rarely prominent; perigynium short- or round-ovate, hairy.--Dry fields; our commonest species.

89. C. commùnis, Bailey. Habitually taller and stricter, 8--18´ high, in small tufts, never stoloniferous; leaves proportionately shorter, broad (about 2´´), flat and pale; staminate spike mostly longer, often short-peduncled and usually paler; pistillate spikes 2--4, scattered on the upper part of the culm, green or tawny, the lowest one or two sometimes peduncled and often with prominent leafy bracts. (C. varia, last ed.)--Dry hill-sides; common.

Var. Wheèleri, Bailey. Mostly greener, 3--14´ high; leaves soft and flat and much shorter than the culm; staminate spike ¼´ long or less, very narrow, sessile and oblique; pistillate spikes mostly closer together.--Knolls in woods, Ionia Co., Mich. (Wheeler), and Alcona Co. (Bailey); Middletown, Conn. (Barratt), and Cheshire Co., N. H. It has much the aspect of n. 86, but is readily distinguished by the broad leaves and more scattered spikes.

[b.] Scales rough-cuspidate.

C. PRÆ̀COX, Jacq. Rather stiff, the culm sometimes curved, 3--10´ high; leaves flat, shorter than the culm; staminate spike prominently clavate, mostly sessile; pistillate spikes 2--3, all contiguous, sessile or the lowest very short-peduncled and subtended by a bract scarcely as long as itself, all oblong or short-cylindric, the lowest about 6´´ long; perigynium triangular-obovoid, the very short beak entire or erose, thinly hispid-hirsute, about the length of the scale.--Fields, E. Mass. (Nat. from Eu. early in the century.)

[++][++] Part or usually all of the culms much shorter than the leaves.

90. C. umbellàta, Schkuhr. (Pl. 6, fig. 11--14.) Low, growing in small and dense mats (1--3´ across); leaves short and often stiff (2--6´long), flat, the earliest very narrow but the later often 2´´ broad; spikes all on separate scapes which rarely exceed 1--2´ in length (or rarely one or two short true culms), usually densely aggregated at the surface of the ground and hidden by the leaves, the pistillate spikes green or tawny and rather loosely few-flowered; perigynium slenderly beaked, toothed, very lightly pubescent, about the length of the acute and often rough-tipped scale.--Dry banks and knolls, N. Eng. to N. J. and N. Y., and perhaps farther westward; infrequent.--Var. VÍCINA, Dewey. Tufts looser and larger; leaves longer (often 1° or more) and laxer, sometimes broader; some pistillate spikes borne near the base of the staminate on a true culm which is 3--8´ high, one or two on each culm. With the species and farther westward; infrequent.

91. C. nìgro-marginàta, Schwein. Leaves mostly stiffer than in n. 90, often broader, and some of the culms prolonged; perigynium smooth or nearly so, shorter beaked; scales purple-margined, giving the spikes a very dark or variegated appearance, considerably larger and longer than in the last.--Dry hillsides, N. J., and southward; local.

[*] 7.--[+] 3. Triquétræ.

92. C. pubéscens, Muhl. Strict, 1--2° high, pubescent throughout; leaves flat and soft, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--4, the lower 1 or 2 short-peduncled, and about ½´ long, loosely flowered, erect; perigynium very hairy, conspicuously beaked and minutely toothed, straight, about the length of the truncate and rough-cuspidate thin scale.--Copses and moist meadows, N. Eng. to Ky., and westward; frequent.

[*] 8. PHYLLOSTÁCHYÆ.

93. C. Jamèsii, Schwein. (Pl. 5, fig. 17--21.) Diffuse, 6--10´ high; leaves very narrow (1´´ or less), much surpassing the culm; spike very small, the staminate portion inconspicuous, the pistillate flowers 1--3 and loosely disposed; perigynium globular, produced into a very long and roughened nearly entire beak; scale narrow, the lowest often 1--2´ long, the upper often shorter than the perigynium. (C. Steudelii, Kunth.)--Woods, N. Y. to Ill., and southward; frequent.

94. C. Willdenòvii, Schkuhr. Lower, stiffer, the leaves broader and pale; spike larger, the pistillate flowers 3--9, compact; perigynium bearing a prominent two-edged very rough beak; scales chaffy, nerved, as broad as and somewhat longer than the perigynium, or the lowest rarely overtopping the spike.--Copses, Mass. to Mich., and southward; rare.

95. C. Báckii, Boott. Forming dense mats; leaves still broader (2´´ or more), very abundant; staminate flowers about 3; pistillate 2--5; perigynium more gradually beaked, smooth throughout; scales very broad and leaf-like, all exceeding the culm and entirely enveloping the spike.--W. Mass. to Ohio, and far westward; local and rare, especially eastward.

[*] 9. LEPTOCÉPHALÆ.

96. C. polytrichoìdes, Muhl. Capillary, erect or slightly diffuse, 6--18´ high; leaves mostly shorter than the culm; spike 2--4´´ long, linear, the staminate portion very small; perigynium thin and green, nerved, about twice longer than the obtuse caducous scale.--Bogs; common.

[*] 10. PHYSOCÉPHALÆ.

97. C. Fràseri, Andrews. Cespitose; culm 6--15´ high, naked or the lower portion included in loosely sheathing abortive leaves, smooth and stiff; leaves 1´ broad or more, destitute of midrib, very thick and persistent, pale, 1--2° long; spike whitish; perigynium ovoid, faintly nerved, much longer than the scale.--Rich mountain woods, Va. and southward; very local and rare. A most remarkable plant.

§ 2. VÍGNEA.--[*] 11. ACROARRHÈNÆ.--[+] 1. Fœ́tidæ

98. C. chordorhìza, Ehrh. Very extensively stoloniferous; culm mostly erect, 1--1½° long; leaves involute, shorter than the culm; perigynium globular, very strongly nerved, short-pointed and entire, about the length of the acute scale.--Cold bogs and soft lake-borders, Vt. to Iowa, and northward; infrequent. (Eu.)

99. C. stenophýlla, Wahl. Stiff, 3--8´ high; leaves involute and shorter than the culm; perigynium ovate, flat on the inner face, lightly nerved, gradually contracted into a short and entire rough-edged beak, tightly enclosing the achene, at maturity longer than the hyaline acutish scale.--Dry grounds, Thayer Co., Neb. (Bessey); Emmet Co., Iowa (Cratty), and westward. (Eu).

[*] 11.--[+] 2. Vulpìnæ.

[++] Beak shorter than or about as long as the body of the perigynium.

100. C. conjúncta, Boott. Strict but rather weak, 1½--3½° high; culm soft and sharply triangular or nearly wing-angled, becoming perfectly flat when pressed; leaves soft, about 3´´ broad; head 1--3´ long, interrupted, often nearly green, infrequently bearing a few setaceous bracts; perigynium lance-ovate, light colored, whitish and thickened below, the beak lightly notched and roughish, about equalling or a little exceeding the cuspidate scale.--Swales and glades, N. J., Ky., and westward; usually rare.

[++][++] Beak twice the length of the body of the perigynium or longer.

101. C. stipàta, Muhl. Stout, 1--3° high, in clumps; culm rather soft, very sharp; head 1--3´ long, rarely somewhat compound at base, interrupted, the lowest spikes often ½´ long; perigynium lanceolate, brown-nerved, the beak toothed and roughish, about twice the length of the body, and much longer than the scale.--Swales; common and variable.

102. C. crus-córvi, Shuttlew. Stout, glaucous, 2--3° high; culm rough, at least above; leaves flat and very wide; head much branched and compound, 3--6´ long; perigynium long lanceolate, the short base very thick and disk-like, the roughish and very slender beak thrice the length of the body or more, 3--4 times the length of the inconspicuous scale.--Swamps, S. Minn. to Neb. and Ky., and southward; rare northward.

[*] 11.--[+] 3. Multiflòræ.

[++] Spikes conspicuously panicled.

103. C. decompósita, Muhl. Stout, exceedingly deep green, 1½--3° high, in stools; culm very obtusely angled, almost terete below; leaves firm, channelled below, longer than the culm; head 2--4´ long, the lower branches ascending and 1--2´ long; perigynium very small, round-obovate, few-nerved, hard and at maturity shining, the abrupt short beak entire or very nearly so; scale acute, about the length of the perigynium.--Swamps, N. Y. to Mich., and southward; local.

[++][++] Spikes in a simple or nearly simple head.

[=] Leaves very narrow (1´´ broad or less), becoming more or less involute.

104. C. teretiúscula, Gooden. Slender but mostly erect, 1½--2½° high, in loose stools; culm rather obtuse, rough at the top, mostly longer than the leaves; head 1--2´ long, compact or somewhat interrupted, narrow ({1/4}´ wide or less); perigynium very small, ovate and truncate below, bearing a few inconspicuous short nerves on the outer side, stipitate, firm and at maturity blackish and shining, the short beak lighter colored; scale chaffy and acute, about the length of the perigynium.--Swales, N. Eng. to Penn., and westward; common. (Eu.)--Var. RAMÒSA, Boott. More slender; head mostly longer, the upper portion often somewhat nodding, the spikes scattered and the lowest ones often slightly compound. N. Y., and westward; common.

[=][=] Leaves broader and flat (occasionally involute in n. 106).

[a.] Scales very sharp, mostly rough-tipped.

1. Perigynium large (2´´ long or more), nerveless on the inner face.

105. C. alopecoídea, Tuckerm. Stout but rather soft, 2--3° high; culm rather sharp, thick and soft in texture; leaves 2--3´´ wide, about the length of the culm, very green; head 1½´ long or less, sometimes green, and occasionally a little compound, the spikes many and compactly or somewhat loosely disposed or the lowest often separate and all mostly short-oblong; perigynium ovate, tapering into a rough beak, very prominently stipitate, with a few brown nerves on the outer face, ascending, about equalling or a little exceeding the scale.--Open swales, N. Y., Penn., and Mich.; local. In aspect like n. 101.

Var. sparsispicàta, Dewey. Weak, the leaves much narrower and lax; head 1--3´ long and linear or nearly so, the spikes smaller and separated or scattered.--S. E. Mich. (Cooley, Clark); little known.

106. C. grávida, Bailey. Lower and the culm thinner and more sharply angled, 1--2° high; leaves rather narrower and firmer, shorter than the culm; head short, always simple, globular or short-oblong, the lowest spikes rarely distinct; spikes few (4--7), globular, or broader than long; perigynium broadly ovate, nearly twice larger, sessile, plump and somewhat polished at maturity, prominently spreading.--N. Ill. to Iowa and Neb.--Var. LAXIFÒLIA, Bailey. Much larger, 2--3½° high; leaves broader (about ¼´) and lax; head large and dense, ovoid or oblong, scarcely interrupted. N. Ill. to Dak.

2. Perigynium very small, mostly nerved on the inner face.

107. C. vulpinoídea, Michx. Mostly rather stiff, 1--2½° high; culm very rough, at least above; leaves various, mostly flat and longer than the culm; head 1--4´ long, usually much interrupted and frequently somewhat compound, varying from dull brown to almost green at maturity, commonly provided with many very setaceous short bracts; spikes very numerous, ascending and densely flowered; perigynium ovate or lance-ovate, mostly ascending.--Low places, variable; very abundant, especially northward.

[b.] Scales blunt, smooth and hyaline-tipped.

108. C. Sartwéllii, Dewey. Stiff and strict, 1½--2½° high; leaves produced into a long slender point, mostly shorter than the culm; staminate flowers variously disposed, frequently whole spikes being sterile; head 1--3´ long and rather narrow, the individual spikes usually clearly defined, or occasionally the head interrupted below, tawny-brown; perigynium elliptic or lance-elliptic, nerved on both sides, very gradually contracted into a short beak; scale about the length of the perigynium. (C. disticha, last ed.)--Bogs, central N. Y., west and northward; frequent.

[*] 11.--[+] 4. Arenàriæ.

C. ARENÀRIA, Linn. Extensively creeping, 1° high or less; leaves very narrow and very long-pointed, shorter than the culm; head about 1´ long, dense or sometimes interrupted, ovoid or oblong; spikes few to many, those at the apex of the head usually staminate, the intermediate ones staminate at the summit, the lowest entirely pistillate and subtended by a bract about 1´ long; perigynium very strongly nerved on both faces, wing-margined above, sharply long-toothed, about the length of the scale.--Sea-beaches near Norfolk, Va. (McMinn). (Adv. from Eu.)

[*] 11.--[+] 5. Muhlenbergiànæ.

[++] Heads narrow, the spikes scattered (or often aggregated in C. muricata.)

[=] Perigynium almost terete.

109. C. tenélla, Schkuhr. Exceedingly slender, 6´--2° high, in tufts; leaves flat, soft, and weak, mostly shorter than the culm; spikes 1--3-flowered, or the terminal 4--6-flowered, all distinct and scattered on the upper part of the culm, the bracts obsolete or the lowest present and very short; perigynium elliptic-ovate, very plump, finely nerved, the minute beak entire, longer than the white scale, usually at length splitting and exposing the blackish achene.--Cold swamps, N. Eng. to Penn., and far westward; common. (Eu.)

[=][=] Perigynium flattish.

110. C. ròsea, Schkuhr. Always slender and weak, erect, 1--2½° high, exceeding the narrow leaves; spikes 5--8, 6--14-flowered, the upper 3--4 aggregated, the others 3--9´´ apart, the lowest usually with a setaceous bract; perigynium lance-ovate, thin and shining, nerveless, scarcely margined, rough on the edges above, perfectly squarrose, very green, about twice longer than the translucent white scale.--Rich woods, N. Eng. to Minn. and Neb.; frequent.--Var. RADIÀTA, Dewey. Lower and much more slender, the culms sometimes almost capillary; spikes 2--5, scattered, 2--4-flowered; perigynium mostly narrower and more ascending. Open places and drier woods; common.

Var. Texénsis, Torr. Very slender but strict, 1° high or less; spikes 3--4, all contiguous or the lower ones approximate, 2--6-flowered; perigynium lanceolate, the base prominently spongy, smooth or nearly so, conspicuously divaricate.--Dry places, S. Ill. (Schneck), and southward.

Var. retrofléxa, Torr. Often rather stiff, 1--1½° high; spikes 4--8, the upper ones aggregated, the lower 1 or 2 separated and commonly subtended by a conspicuous bract, often brownish; perigynium ovate, smooth throughout, very prominently corky and swollen at the base, which is frequently contracted almost to a stipe, at maturity usually widely spreading or reflexed; scale brownish and sharp, at length deciduous. (C. retroflexa, Muhl.)--Copses, throughout; rare northward.

111. C. sparganioìdes, Muhl. Stouter, stiff; culm 2--3° high; leaves very broad (usually ¼´ or more) and flat, their sheaths conspicuously clothing the base of the culm; spikes 6--10, the 2 or 3 upper ones contiguous, the remainder entirely separate, very green, oblong or short-cylindric, the lowest often compound, all truncate at top; perigynium ovate, wing-margined, rough on the short beak, often obscurely nerved on the outer face, considerably longer than the rough-pointed scale.--Rich woods; frequent.

C. MURICÀTA, L. Culm 1--2° high, rough, longer than the narrow leaves; spikes 5--10, variously disposed, but usually some of them scattered, frequently all aggregated, rarely tawny; perigynium heavy, ovate, thin and shining, nerveless, the long beak minutely rough, spreading, a little longer than the sharp green or brownish scale.--Dry fields, E. Mass., where it is common, and sparingly south and westward to Va. and Ohio. (Nat. from Eu.)

[++][++] Heads short-oblong or globular, the spikes all aggregated, or only the lowest one or two separate.

[=] Plant very stiff throughout.

112. C. Muhlenbérgii, Schkuhr. Pale, growing in small tufts, 1--2½° high; culms much prolonged beyond the few narrow and at length involute leaves; head {3/4}´ long or less, the individual spikes clearly defined; spikes globular, 4--8; perigynium nearly circular, very strongly nerved on both faces, broader than the rough-cuspidate scale and about as long.--Open sterile soils; frequent.--Var. ENÉRVIS, Boott. Perigynium nearly or entirely nerveless. Southeastern N. Y., and southward; rare.

[=][=] Plant strict but not stiff.

113. C. cephaloídea, Dewey. Lax, very green, 2--3° high; leaves broad (2--3´´) and thin, shorter than the long culm; head rather loose, ¾´ long or more, all but the very uppermost spikes clearly defined; perigynium ovate, entirely nerveless, long rough-pointed, spreading, twice longer than the very thin scale or more.--Shady banks, W. Mass. to Mich.; frequent.

114. C. cephalóphora, Muhl. Mostly smaller and stricter, pale; leaves half as wide or less; head small, rarely ½´ long, globular or very short-oblong, never interrupted, the lower 1 or 2 spikes usually bearing a very setaceous short bract; perigynium twice smaller than in the last, scarcely longer than the rough-cuspidate scale.--Dry and mostly sterile knolls; common.

Var. angustifòlia, Boott. Low, 8´ high or less; leaves very narrow; head smaller, usually tawny; perigynium mostly broader.--West and southward; rare.

[*] 11.--[+] 6. Diòicæ.

[++] Perigynium nerveless or very nearly so.

115. C. capitàta, L. Rigid, 3´--1° high; leaves filiform, shorter than the culm; head globular, uniformly staminate above, brown, very small; perigynium broadly ovate, very thin, whitish, prominently beaked, erect and appressed, longer than the very thin and obtuse scale.--Alpine summits of the White Mountains. (Eu.)

[++][++] Perigynium prominently nerved.

116. C. gynòcrates, Wormsk. Stiff but very slender, 3--6´ high, diœcious; leaves filiform and setaceous, about the length of the culm; spike oblong, 2--4´´ long; perigynium elliptic-ovate, nearly terete, stipitate, widely spreading or reflexed at maturity, 1 or 2 sometimes borne at the base of the staminate spike.--Cold sphagnum swamps, Penn., north and westward; local, particularly southward.

117. C. exìlis, Dewey. Very stiff, slender, 1--2° high; leaves involute-filiform and very stiff, shorter than the culm; spike varying from almost globular to cylindrical (frequently 1´ long), either unisexual or the sexes variously placed, very rarely a supplementary spike at base; perigynium elliptic-ovate, flattish, stipitate and somewhat cordate at base, strongly brown-nerved on the outer face, rather faintly nerved on the inner, rough-edged above, sharply toothed, spreading, a little longer than the scale.--Cold swamps and lake-borders, N. Eng. and eastern N. Y. to N. J.; rare.

[*] 12. HYPARRHÈNÆ.--[+] 1. Elongàtæ.

[++] Perigynium very sharp-margined, firm, often thickened at base, spreading in open and at maturity stellate spikes.

118. C. echinàta, Murray, var. cephalántha, Bailey. Rather stiff but slender, 1--2° high; leaves very narrow and involute, about the length of the culm; spikes 5--8, approximate or even aggregated into a head, green, compactly 15--30-flowered, short-oblong or nearly globular; perigynium ovate-lanceolate, rough on the margins above, nerved on both faces, spreading or reflexed at maturity, the beak long and prominent, longer than the sharp white scale. (C. stellulata, last ed.)--E. Penn. (Porter) to Mass. (Morong), and westward to L. Superior; rare.--Var. CONFÉRTA, Bailey. Very stiff; spikes contiguous or scattered, spreading, short-oblong or globular, dense; perigynium broadly ovate or even nearly round-ovate, very strongly nerved, reflexed or widely spreading. Near the sea-coast; uncommon. The perigynia resemble those of n. 112.--Var. MICRÓSTACHYS, Boeckl. Mostly very slender; spikes few, 3--10-flowered, usually tawny; perigynium small, lance-ovate, nerved on the outer face but usually nerveless on the inner, erect or spreading, the beak rather long or prominent. (C. scirpoides, Schkuhr. C. sterilis, Willd.) Swales, throughout; very common and variable.--Var. ANGUSTÀTA, Bailey. Exceedingly slender; spikes few and very few-flowered, mostly all contiguous; perigynium lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, twice the length of the scale or more. N. Y., Vt., and northward; rare.

[++][++] Perigynium scarcely sharp-margined, thin in texture, not thickened at base, mostly in closely flowered and rounded or oblong spikes.

[=] Perigynium ovate or nearly so, the beak short or none.

[a.] Bracts not prolonged.

119. C. canéscens, L. Stiff and rather stout, 1--2½° high, glaucous and pale throughout, growing in stools; spikes 4--8, globular or oblong, very densely 20--50-flowered, approximate or somewhat scattered on the upper part of the culm, usually prominently contracted below with the staminate flowers; perigynium short-ovate, silvery-white and minutely puncticulate, never thickened at base, faintly few-nerved, smooth throughout, ascending, the beak very short and entire; scale obtuse or acutish, about the length of the perigynium.--Cool swamps and bogs, N. Eng. to Penn., west and northward; frequent northward. (Eu.)

Var. vulgàris, Bailey. Very slender, lower, not glaucous, in small and loose tufts; spikes smaller and usually fewer, loosely flowered; perigynium mostly more beaked, prominently spreading.--Mostly in drier places; very common. Perigynium much shorter than in any form of n. 118.

Var. alpícola, Wahl. Low and stiff, or at lower altitudes becoming somewhat slender, seldom much over 1° in height; spikes small, globular or nearly so, dense, well defined and brown or tawny; perigynium as in the type, ascending. (C. vitilis, Fries.)--Mountains from N. Eng. to Ga., sparingly along our northern boundary, and far westward. (Eu.)

Var. polystàchya, Boott. Erect and mostly strict, not glaucous, 1½--2½° high, scarcely tufted; leaves very lax and exceeding the culm; spikes oblong, more or less aggregated in an oblong interrupted head, the lowest 1 or 2 subtended by short scale-like bracts; perigynium somewhat spreading. (C. arcta, Boott.) Low woods, N. New Eng. to N. Minn.; rare. Resembles C. echinata, var. cephalantha.

120. C. Norvégica, Willd. Low and stiff, but rather slender, 1° high or less; leaves very narrow, mostly shorter than the culm; spikes 3--5, somewhat scattered, brown, globular or oblong, compactly many-flowered, the terminal one long-contracted below with the staminate flowers; perigynium very short-ovate, thick, the beak rough, a little longer than the very obtuse scale.--Salt marshes, Maine, and northward, rare. (Eu.)

121. C. tenuiflòra, Wahl. Very slender and diffuse, 1--1½° high, in tufts; leaves very narrow and lax, shorter than the filiform culm; spikes 2--4, all loosely few-flowered and silvery-green, and aggregated into a small globular head; perigynium elliptic, obscurely nerved, smooth, beakless, spreading, about the length of the white thin scale.--Bogs, N. New Eng. to N. Minn.; local. (Eu.)

[b.] Bracts much prolonged, the lowest 2--3´ long.

122. C. trispérma, Dewey. (Pl. 6, fig. 1--5.) Exceedingly slender, in small and loose tufts, the weak reclining culms 1--2° long; leaves soft and narrow, shorter than the culm; spikes 2--3, 1--3´ apart, silvery-green, 2--3-flowered; perigynium very thin, finely nerved, the beak entire or nearly so; scale acute, very thin, usually shorter than the perigynium.--Cold bogs, throughout; common northward.

[=][=] Perigynium ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate.

123. C. Deweyàna, Schwein. Weak, 1--1½° high; leaves flat and soft, shorter than the culm, yellowish-green; spikes 3--6, mostly oblong or sometimes but 2--3-flowered, loose, the upper ones contiguous but the lower 1 or 2 usually considerably separated on the zigzag rhachis and mostly subtended by a bract, all silvery-green; perigynium ovate-lanceolate or narrower, very thin in texture, nerveless, somewhat thickened below on the outer face, the long beak rough; scale very thin, acute or cuspidate, about the length of the perigynium.--Dry woods; common.

124. C. bromoìdes, Schkuhr. Lax, 1--2° high, in dense stools; leaves very narrow, about as long as the culm; staminate flowers variously situated in the head, sometimes a few spikes wholly sterile, rarely the plants diœcious; spikes 3--6, oblong or short-cylindric, erect, silvery-tawny or brown; perigynium linear-lanceolate, firm especially at the base, prominently nerved, the long and roughened beak toothed; scale sharp, shorter than the perigynium.--Open bogs; common.

[*] 12.--[+] 2. Ovàles.

[++] Perigynium ovate-lanceolate, with winged margins.

125. C. siccàta, Dewey. Extensively creeping, 1--2° high, erect; leaves firm, narrow, about the length of the culm; staminate flowers variously situated, usually some of the spikes wholly sterile; spikes 3--5, aggregated or separated, ovoid or short-oblong, silvery-brown; perigynium firm, nerved on both faces, the long beak rough and toothed, the margins prominent or sometimes very narrow; scale acute, about the length of the perigynium.--Sandy fields and banks, N. Eng. to Ohio, west and northward; frequent.

[++][++] Perigynium ovate-lanceolate or narrower, scale-like, with little distinction between body and margin.

126. C. Muskinguménsis, Schwein. Robust, erect, 2--3° high; leaves many and lax, loosely sheathing, those on the sterile shoots crowded near the top, all flat and long-pointed; spikes 6--12, contiguous, erect, narrowly cylindric (often 1´ long), becoming light brown and presenting a dried appearance, very densely flowered; perigynium linear-lanceolate (3´´ long), prominently nerved, ciliate on the white margins above, appressed, twice the length of the scale or more. (C. arida, Schwein. & Torr.)--Woods and copses, Mich. and Ohio to Ill. and Wisc.; local.

127. C. tribuloìdes, Wahl. Stout and erect, 2--3° high; leaves narrower than in the last, loosely sheathing; spikes 6--15, aggregated into an oblong or somewhat interrupted heavy head, short-oblong or sometimes nearly globular, green or tawny-green, compact, not narrowed above; perigynium linear-lanceolate (3´´ long), obscurely nerved, erect but the points conspicuous, rough-margined, nearly twice the length of the scale. (C. lagopodioides, Schkuhr.)--Open swales; frequent.--Var. TURBÀTA, Bailey. Culm softer and often lax; the leaves broader; spikes more loosely disposed, forming a head 1--2´ long, which is slender and more or less interrupted but always erect, green, becoming tawny, if at all, only when the perigynia begin to fall, obovate-oblong (¼ to rarely ½´ long), contracted below; perigynium ascending and more appressed, the points therefore not conspicuous. Woods, throughout; rare.--Var. REDÚCTA, Bailey. Very slender, 1--2° high, the culm projecting beyond the leaves; spikes 2--10, small and nearly globular (usually less than 3´´ broad), all usually distinct, the lowest separated, brown, especially at maturity, the head often flexuose; perigynium small, the points spreading and conspicuous. Copses, N. Eng. to Dak.; infrequent.

Var. Bébbii, Bailey. Stiff or rather slender, erect, 1--2½° high; head dense, ovoid or oblong (¼--¾´ or very seldom 1´ long), the lowest spike only rarely distinct, straw-colored; spikes small (3´´ long or less), their axes ascending; bracts at the base of the head small or none; points of the small perigynium conspicuous. (C. Bebbii, Olney.)--Dry low grounds, throughout; common.

Var. cristàta, Bailey. Stout and stiff, 1½--3° high; head more or less open or at least the lower 1 or 2 spikes commonly distinct, 1´ long or more, green; spikes larger than in the last and almost exactly globular, their axes more divergent or fully horizontal; bracts usually conspicuous, sometimes one of them foliaceous; perigynium spreading, the points more conspicuous. (C. cristata, Schwein.)--Moist ground, throughout from Penn. northward; common.

128. C. scopària, Schkuhr. Rather slender but erect, 1--2½° high; leaves very narrow, shorter than the culm; head short and comparatively thick, always tawny or brown, bractless or nearly so; spikes 3--8, all contiguous or bunched, ovate-oblong, always prominently narrowed or cone-shaped above, ascending; perigynium as in n. 127, but erect or ascending.--Open swales, throughout; common eastward.

Var. mìnor, Boott. Much smaller, 6--10´ high, the leaves very narrow; head very small and darker brown; spikes very small (2--4´´ long).--Rocky and sterile places, northward; frequent.

[++][++][++] Perigynium ovate or broader, thickened in the middle, wing-margined (in n. 129 marginless).

[=] Head silvery-brown, silvery-green, or silvery-whitish.

129. C. adústa, Boott. Very stiff and stout, 1½--2½° high, in dense tufts; head very heavy, erect, varying from globular to oblong, silvery-brown; spikes 5--10, globular and heavy, all aggregated or sometimes distinct, the lowest 1 or 2 subtended by a short and very broad-based, nerved and pointed bract; perigynium broadly ovate, wingless or very nearly so, plump, shining, nerved on the outer face but nerveless on the inner, filled by the large achene; scale acute, about the length of the perigynium. (C. pinguis, Bailey.)--Dry and mostly hard soils, Mt. Desert, Maine (Greenleaf), and northward, and Crawford Co., Mich. (Bailey), to N. Minn., and far northwestward; local.

130. C. fœ̀nea, Willd. Slender, erect or the top of the culm flexuose, 1--2° high; head long and weak, often nodding; spikes 5--8, small, nearly globular and much contracted below, silvery-green, alternately disposed; perigynium varying from ovate to long-ovate, very thin, much longer than the small achene, prominently rough-margined, strongly many-nerved on both faces, especially on the small inner face; bracts entirely wanting or inconspicuous. (C. adusta, last ed.)--Dryish copses, N. Eng. to Penn. and Minn.; not common.--Var. PERPLÉXA, Bailey. Mostly taller and stouter; spikes larger and less attenuated or even truncate below, approximate or even aggregated, the head erect or nearly so and the lowest bract occasionally prominent; perigynium thicker and firmer in texture. N. Eng. to Minn.; infrequent.

131. C. silícea, Olney. Stiff, 1--2° high, in clumps; leaves very narrow, becoming involute, not exceeding the culm; head 1--3´ long, usually flexuose or nodding above the middle at maturity; spikes 5--8, silvery-white or silvery-tawny at full maturity, all more or less separated, ovate, conspicuously contracted below and cone-shaped above, erect on the culm; perigynium very broad-ovate and very thin, obscurely nerved, appressed, about as long as the acute colorless scale. (C. fœnea, var. sabulonum, last ed.; C. straminea, var. moniliformis, Tuckerm.)--Sands of the sea-shore, Maine to N. J.; frequent.

[=][=] Head dull brown or green (usually somewhat silvery in var. fœnea of n. 132).

132. C. stramínea, Willd. Very slender, erect, but the top of the culm often flexuose, 1--3° high; leaves narrow and long-pointed, stiff, shorter than the culm; spikes 3--8, tawny, very small (2--3´´ broad), globular or sometimes a little tapering below from the presence of many staminate flowers, usually all entirely distinct on the very slender, often zigzag or flexuose rhachis; bracts none, or only the lowest conspicuous; perigynium small and ovate, nerved on both faces but never unusually prominently nerved on the inner face (as is the perigynium of n. 130), the points spreading and rather conspicuous; scale acute, about the length of the perigynium. (C. straminea, var. tenera, last ed.)--Dryish copses and fields; common. Immensely variable.

Var. mirábilis, Tuckerm. Culm long and mostly weak, often 4° high, much longer than the loose leaves; spikes 4--8, larger, usually all contiguous or occasionally the lowest 1 or 2 separate, spreading, loosely flowered, tawny or frequently greenish; perigynium narrowly ovate, thin, longer than the scale, the points much spreading and very conspicuous. (C. mirabilis, Dewey.)--Shady places, throughout; frequent.

Var. brèvior, Dewey. (Pl. 6, fig. 6--10.) Culm always stiff, 1½--2½° high, longer than the stiff long-pointed leaves; spikes 3--8, all distinct, contiguous or more or less separated, large (3--5´´ broad), globular, the head always short and erect; perigynium orbicular or ovate-orbicular, often cordate at base, mostly very broadly winged. (C. straminea, and vars. typica, hyalina, and Meadii, last ed.)--Dry soils, throughout; common.

Var. apérta, Boott. Culm slender but strict below the head, 1--2° high, growing in dense tufts; leaves very narrow, usually much shorter than the culm; spikes 4--6, large, heavy, much contracted below, usually all separated, becoming rusty, disposed in a weak or nodding head; perigynium narrowly ovate.--Bogs, throughout; rare westward. Transition to n. 128, from which the ovate perigynia distinguish it.

Var. invìsa, W. Boott. Culm very slender, weak above; leaves very narrow with exceedingly long thin points, about the length of the culm; spikes small (3´´ broad or less), ovate, variously disposed in dense or open heads or sometimes the lowest remote or even subradical, rusty, the lower ones subtended by filiform bracts 2--5´ long.--Swales near the sea-board, Maine to Del.; infrequent. Apt to be confounded with n. 128.

Var. alàta, Bailey. Culm very stiff, 1½--3° high, longer than the stiff leaves; spikes very large, oblong or conical, always pointed, usually all contiguous, green or sometimes becoming tawny; perigynium orbicular or orbicular-obovate, very abruptly contracted into a short beak which is prominent in the spike. (C. alata, Torr.)--Swales, Mass. to Ill., and southward; rare and uncharacteristic far inland.

Var. cumulàta, Bailey. Culm very stiff, 2--3° high, greatly exceeding the firm leaves; spikes 5--30, all aggregated or densely capitate, green, widely divergent, pointed above, very abruptly contracted or even truncate at base, very densely flowered; perigynium small, broad, very obscurely nerved, the points inconspicuous.--Dry grounds, Penn. to N. Eng., and northward; rare.

Var. fœ̀nea, Torr. Culm very stiff, longer than the leaves, 1--2° high; spikes 4--8, contiguous or separated, never densely aggregated, prominently contracted both above and below, very densely flowered, green, or often silvery-green. (C. fœnea, last ed., excl. vars.; not Willd.)--Near the sea-coast; frequent.

C. LEPORÌNA, L. Distinguished from C. straminea, var. brevior, as follows:--Usually lower; spikes rusty-brown, ovoid or oblong, erect or appressed, more or less contracted both above and below, contiguous in an interrupted head 1´ long or less; perigynium lance-ovate, thin, very narrowly margined, erect and appressed, obscurely nerved.--About Boston (W. Boott, Morong). (Adv. from Eu.)

[*] 12.--[+] 3. Cyperoídeæ.

133. C. sychnocéphala, Carey. Erect, 3--18´ high, leafy; head ½--1´ long; perigynium very slender, faintly nerved, 5--6 times longer than the exceedingly small achene, mostly a little longer than the sharp scale.--Glades, central N. Y. to Minn., and far westward; rare.

ORDER 129. GRAMÍNEÆ. (GRASS FAMILY.)

Grasses, with usually hollow stems (culms) closed at the joints, alternate 2-ranked leaves, their sheaths split or open on the side opposite the blade; the hypogynous flowers solitary in the axils of imbricated 2-ranked glumes, forming a 1--many-flowered spikelet; the lower glumes (1 or usually 2) empty, the succeeding flowering glumes enclosing each a somewhat smaller and usually thinner scale (called the palet) and 2 or 3 very minute hyaline scales (lodicules) at the base of the flower. Stamens 1--6, commonly 3; anthers versatile, 2-celled, the cells distinct. Styles mostly 2 or 2-parted; stigmas hairy or feathery. Ovary 1-celled, 1-ovuled, forming a seed-like grain (caryopsis) in fruit. Embryo small, on the outside and at the base of the floury albumen.--Roots fibrous. Sheath of the leaves usually more or less extended above the base of the blade into a scarious appendage (ligule). Spikelets panicled or spiked. Palet usually 2-nerved or 2-keeled, enclosed or partly covered by the glume. Grain sometimes free from, sometimes permanently adherent to, the palet.--A vast and most important family, as it furnishes the cereal grains, and the principal food of cattle, etc. The terms flowering glume and palet are now adopted in place of the outer and inner palets of previous editions, while for convenience the term flower is often retained for the flower proper together with the enclosing flowering glume. (See Plates 7--15.)

SERIES A. Spikelets jointed upon the pedicel below the glumes, of one terminal perfect flower (sometimes a lower staminate or neutral flower in n. 5), or some or all of the 1-flowered spikelets unisexual in n. 10--12. Glumes 4 (rarely only 2 or 3).

Tribe I. PANICEÆ. Spikelets of one perfect flower, in spikes or panicles. Flowering glume awnless, in fruit more rigid than the empty glumes.

[*] Spikelets in 2--4 ranks on a more or less flattened rhachis.--See also n. 5 (§ Digitaria).

[+] Rhachis produced beyond the upper spikelet; glumes 3.

1. Spartina. Spikelets much flattened laterally in 2 close ranks.

[+][+] Rhachis not produced above the upper spikelet (rarely in n. 3).

2. Beckmannia. Spikelets obovate, in 2 close rows. Glumes 3 (or 4), strongly concave, carinate.

3. Paspalum. Spikelets plano-convex, sessile or nearly so. Glumes 3 (rarely 2).

4. Eriochloa. Spikelets plano-convex, lanceolate, with a basal callus, short-pedicelled.

[*][*] Spikelets irregularly paniculate or spicate.

5. Panicum. Spikelets ovate, not involucrate nor the pedicels bristly. Glumes 4, the lowest usually small or minute.

6. Setaria. Spikelets in dense cylindrical spikes or panicles, the pedicels bristle-bearing.

7. Cenchrus. Spikelets (1--5) enclosed in a globular spiny bur-like involucre.

8. Amphicarpum. Spikelets of 2 kinds, one in a terminal panicle, the other subterranean on radical peduncles.

Tribe II. ORYZEÆ. Spikelets unisexual or perfect, in loose panicles, with only 2 glumes (in our genera) and palet none. Stamens often 6.

9. Leersia. Flowers perfect. Spikelets much flattened. Glumes carinate.

10. Zizania. Spikelets unisexual. Glumes convex, narrow.

Tribe III. MAYDEÆ. Spikelets of a single perfect or unisexual or rudimentary flower, in jointed spikes, in pairs at each joint, mostly imbedded in the thick rhachis.

11. Tripsacum. Spikelets monœcious, the staminate above in the spike.

12. Rottbœllia. One spikelet of each pair sterile and shortly pedicelled, the other fertile, sessile and sunk in the rhachis.

Tribe IV. ANDROPOGONEÆ. Spikelets in pairs or threes on the (usually jointed and bearded) rhachis of a spike or branches of a panicle, one sessile and fertile, the lateral pedicelled and often sterile or rudimentary; 2 upper glumes smaller and hyaline, that of the fertile flower mostly awned.

13. Erianthus. Spikelets in pairs, spicate, all alike fertile, involucrate with a silky tuft.

14. Andropogon. Spikelets spicate, in pairs, the pedicellate sterile or rudimentary; rhachis bearded.

15. Chrysopogon. Spikelets in open panicles, in pairs or threes, only the sessile fertile.

SERIES B. Rhachis of the spikelet usually jointed above the persistent lower glumes (jointed below the glumes only in n. 19, 31, and 36). Spikelets 1--many-flowered, the uppermost flowers often imperfect or rudimentary.

Tribe V. PHALARIDEÆ. Glumes 5, only the uppermost fertile, the 2 middle ones rudimentary or empty or staminate; palet 1-nerved. Panicle mostly contracted and spike-like.

16. Phalaris. Middle glumes mere rudiments each side of the shining triandrous flower.

17. Anthoxanthum. Middle glumes empty, awned on the back. Stamens 2.

18. Hierochloe. Middle glumes triandrous. Fertile flower diandrous.

Tribe VI. AGROSTIDEÆ. Glumes 3; flower solitary, perfect (rarely a rudimentary or perfect second flower in n. 23 and 32--34), palet 2-nerved.

[*] Flowering glume with a terminal awn (none in n. 22), closely embracing the grain in fruit; spikelets in panicles or loose spikes, the rhachis not produced beyond the flower (except in n. 24 and a single species of n. 23).--STIPEÆ.

[+] Fruiting glume firm and indurated, with a callus at base (none in n. 22).

19. Aristida. Awn 3-fid, the branches divaricate. Callus acute.

20. Stipa. Awn simple, twisted. Callus mostly acute.

21. Oryzopsis. Awn simple, straight, deciduous. Flower oblong; callus short, obtuse.

22. Milium. Awn none. Flower small, ovoid, without callus.

[+][+] Fruiting glume thin and membranous; outer glume smaller or minute.

23. Muhlenbergia. Flower mostly hairy at base, the glume mucronate or awned.

24. Brachyelytrum. Rhachis produced into a bristle above. Outer glumes very small, the flowering one long-awned. Stamens 2.

[*][*] Flowering glume awnless or short-awned, loosely embracing the grain, thin, the lower glumes complicate carinate; spikelets in dense spike-like panicles, the rhachis not produced.--PHLEOIDEÆ.

25. Heleochloa. Awns none. Spikes short and scarcely exserted.

26. Phleum. Glumes somewhat truncate, mucronate or short awned. Spike cylindric.

27. Alopecurus. Lower glumes united at base, the flowering awned on the back. Palet none. Spike cylindric.

[*][*][*] Glumes membranous, the lower rarely strongly complicate, the flowering with a dorsal awn or awnless; spikelets variously panicled.--AGROSTEÆ.

[+] Flowering glume 1- (rarely 3-) nerved, awnless; grain loosely enclosed or naked.

28. Sporobolus. Culms wiry or rigid. Leaves involute.

[+][+] Flowering glume 3--5 nerved, mostly awned; grain enclosed.

[++] Rhachis not reduced above the single flower.

29. Agrostis. Spikelets in an open panicle.

30. Polypogon. Empty glumes long-awned. Panicle spike-like.

31. Cinna. Spikelets flattened, in a loose panicle. Palet 1-nerved. Stamen 1

[++][++] Rhachis bearing a rudimentary second flower or short bristle (except in species of n. 33).

32. Apera. Flowering glume bifid, awned. Panicle very loose and delicate.

33. Calamagrostis. Flowers hairy-tufted at base. Glumes membranaceous. Palet thin.

34. Ammophila. Spikelets large. Flowers hairy tufted at base. Glumes and palet chartaceous.

Tribe VII. AVENEÆ. Spikelets 2--several-flowered, panicled, the rhachis or base of the flowers often bearded; upper flower imperfect or rudimentary (except in n. 37). Flowering glume bearing a twisted, bent or straight awn on its back or below the apex.

[*] One of the flowers staminate only.

35. Arrhenatherum. Lower flower staminate, long awned; middle flower perfect, nearly awnless; the upper rudimentary.

36. Holcus. Flowers 2, the lower perfect, awnless, the upper staminate, awned.

[*][*] Flowers all perfect or the uppermost usually rudimentary.

37. Aira. Spikelets very small, in a diffuse panicle. Flowers 2, perfect, awned toward the base.

38. Deschampsia. Spikelets 2-flowered, with a hairy rudiment. Glumes thin-scarious, the flowering one erose-truncate awned near the middle.

39. Trisetum. Spikelets 2--several-flowered. Flowering glume thin, compressed, carinate, 2-toothed, awned above by the excurrent mid nerve.

40. Avena. Spikelets 2--several-flowered. Flowering glume hard and firm, rounded on the back, 5--9 nerved, the mid-nerve long-excurrent at or below the 2-toothed apex.

41. Danthonia. As Avena, but the 3 middle nerves of the flowering glume running into a flattish twisted awn from between the teeth.

Tribe VIII. CHLORIDEÆ. Spikelets 2--several-flowered with one or more of the upper flowers imperfect (flower 1 and perfect in n. 45) arranged in 2 rows upon the rhachis of a 1-sided spike.

[*] Spikelets with one perfect flower.

42. Cynodon. Spikes 3--5, slender, digitate. Flower and the rudiment awnless.

43. Ctenium. Spike solitary, terminal. Flowers 4--6, the middle one perfect.

44. Gymnopogon. Spikes filiform, racemose. Spikelets remote, of a perfect flower and an awned rudiment.

45. Schedonnardus. Spikes 3--9, slender, scattered, distant. Spikelets small, 1-flowered awnless.

46. Bouteloua. Spikes scattered (rarely 1 and terminal), dense. Glume of perfect flower 3-toothed. Rudimentary flowers 1--3 awned.

[*][*] Spikelets with two or more perfect flowers; awns none.

47. Eleusine. Spikes digitate, dense.

48. Leptochloa. Spikes racemose, slender. Spikelets small, alternate.

[*][*][*] Spikelets diœcious; spikes small, very dissimilar.

49. Buchloe. Pistillate spikes capitate, sessile, the spikelets 1-flowered; staminate spikes (2 or 3) on a peduncle, the spikelets 2--3-flowered.

Tribe IX. FESTUCEÆ. Spikelets few--many-flowered, panicled, the uppermost flowers often imperfect or abortive. Glumes pointless or the flowering ones tipped with a straight awn or bristle.

[*] Flowering glume 1--3 nerved, 2--3-toothed. Rhachis short-bearded or glabrous.

50. Triodia. Rhachis of the spikelet bearded. Nerves of the flowering glume 3, villous, at least the middle one more or less excurrent.

51. Diplachne. Rhachis glabrous. Glume 1--3-nerved, with 2 small teeth, and a short awn in the cleft.

[*][*] Glume 3-nerved, entire or 2-toothed and mucronate between the teeth. Rhachis and flowers long-villous. Tall reeds with ample panicles.

52. Phragmites. Spikelets 3--7-flowered, lowest flower naked, staminate or neutral. Glume entire.

53. Arundo. As n. 52, but flowers all perfect. Glume bifid.

[*][*][*] Glume 3-nerved, the nerves (at least the mid-nerve) excurrent; spikelets few, in the axils of floral leaves.

54. Munroa. Low or prostrate much-branched annual.

[*][*][*][*] Glume 3- (rarely 1-) nerved, obtuse or acute, awnless; rhachis and flower naked.

55. Kœleria. Panicle contracted. Spikelets 2--4-flowered. Glumes compressed-keeled, acute or mucronate.

56. Eatonia. Panicle slender, more or less dense. Spikelets 2-flowered. Glumes very dissimilar, usually obtuse, the upper empty one enclosing the flowers.

57. Eragrostis. Spikelets flattened, 2--many-flowered. Glumes acute or acutish. Palet persistent.

[*][*][*][*][*] Glume 3--5-nerved, obtuse or abrupt-cuspidate; spikelet 3--5-flowered; upper sterile flowers convolute around each other.

58. Melica. Glumes 5-nerved or more, scarious, obtuse. Panicle simple or nearly so.

59. Diarrhena. Glumes 3-nerved, coriaceous, the flowering one abruptly cuspidate. Panicle loosely few-flowered.

[*][*][*][*][*][*] Flowering glume 5-nerved or more (sometimes obscurely so). Only the terminal flower abortive, or none.

[+] Glumes more or less strongly compressed and carinate (ventricose in n. 63).

60. Uniola. Spikelets broad, flat and 2-edged, in usually loose panicles. Glumes coriaceous, acute, the 3--6 lower ones empty.

61. Distichlis. Diœcious. Spikelets large, flattened, in a close panicle. Empty glumes 2, acute.

62. Dactylis. Panicle contracted in 1-sided clusters. Glumes herbaceous, awn-pointed, rough-ciliate on the keel.

63. Briza. Spikelets heart-shaped, in lax panicles. Glumes roundish, ventricose, scarious-margined.

64. Poa. Spikelets small, flattened, ovate to lance-ovate, in a loose panicle. Flowering glumes membranous and scarious-margined, pointless, usually webby or pubescent toward the base.

65. Graphephorum. Spikelets compressed, in a loose panicle, the hairy jointed rhachis produced into a hairy pedicel. Glumes thin-membranous, faintly nerved, entire.

[+][+] Glumes convex on the back, not carinate (or somewhat so in n. 70).

66. Scolochloa. Spikelets subterete, in a lax panicle, the rhachis villous at the base of the flowers, ending in a naked pedicel. Glumes coriaceous, prominently 7-nerved, toothed at the apex. In water.

67. Glyceria. Spikelets terete or flattish. Flowering glumes scarious at the usually blunt summit, prominently 5--7-nerved.

68. Puccinellia. Mainly as Glyceria, but the glumes obsoletely 5-nerved.

69. Festuca. Spikelets terete or flattish. Flowering glume acute, pointed or awned at the tip, few-nerved. Styles terminal.

70. Bromus. Glume rounded or keeled on the back, mostly awned below the 2-cleft tip, 5--9-nerved. Styles scarcely terminal.

Tribe X. HORDEÆ. Spikelets 1--several-flowered, sessile on opposite sides of a zigzag jointed channelled rhachis, forming a spike. Empty glumes sometimes abortive or wanting. Uppermost flower imperfect or abortive.

[*] Spikelets single at each joint of the solitary spike.

71. Lolium. Spikelets many-flowered, placed edgewise on the rhachis of the spike, with one empty glume.

72. Agropyrum. Spikelets 3--several-flowered, placed flatwise on the rhachis. Empty glumes 2, right and left.

73. Lepturus. Spikelets small, 1--2-flowered; empty glumes 1 or 2. Spike very slender.

[*][*] Spikelets 2 or more at each joint of the solitary spike; the empty glumes side by side in front of the spikelets (none or rudimentary in n. 76.)

74. Hordeum. Spikelets 1-flowered, 3 at each joint, the lateral ones usually sterile.

75. Elymus. Spikelets 1--several-flowered, all perfect and similar.

76. Asprella. Spikelets few-flowered, somewhat pedicelled, 1--3 at each joint. Glumes none or small and deciduous.

Tribe XI. BAMBUSEÆ. Tall woody reeds, the flat leaves with a short petiole jointed upon the sheath. Spikelets few--many-flowered, flattened, in panicles or racemes.

77. Arundinaria. Flowering glumes rounded on the back, many-nerved, acuminate or bristle-pointed; empty glumes very small.

1. SPARTÌNA, Schreber. CORD or MARSH GRASS. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, very much flattened laterally, jointed and sessile in 2 ranks on the outer side of a triangular rhachis. Glumes 3, unequal, lanceolate, strongly compressed-keeled, acute or bristle-pointed, mostly rough-bristly on the keel; palet thin, equalling or longer than the flowering glume. Stamens 3. Styles long, more or less united.--Perennials, with simple and rigid often reed-like culms, from extensively creeping scaly rootstocks, racemed spikes, very smooth sheaths, and long tough leaves (whence the name, from σπαρτίνη, a cord, such as was made from the bark of the Spartium or Broom).

[*] Spikelets compactly imbricated, very rough-hispid on the keels; spikes (2--4´ long) more or less peduncled; culm and elongated leaves rigid.

1. S. cynosuroìdes, Willd. (FRESH-WATER CORD-GRASS.) Culm rather slender (2--6° high); leaves narrow (2--4° long, ½´ wide below or less), tapering to a very slender point, keeled, flat, but quickly involute in drying, smooth except the margins; spikes 5--20, scattered, spreading; rhachis rough on the margins; glumes awn-pointed, especially the middle one (its awn about ¼´ long), strongly serrulate-hispid on the keel, the lower equalling the upper, whose strong midrib abruptly terminates below the membranous apex.--Banks of rivers and lakes, or in rich soil, especially northward. Aug.

2. S. polystàchya, Willd. (SALT REED-GRASS.) Culm tall and stout (4--9° high, often 1´ in diameter near the base); leaves broad (½--1´), roughish underneath, as well as the margins; spikes 20--50, forming a dense oblong raceme (purplish); glumes barely mucronate, the lower half the length of the flowering one, of which the rough-hispid midrib reaches to the apex.--Salt or brackish marshes, within tide-water, especially southward.

3. S. júncea, Willd. (RUSH SALT-GRASS.) Culms low (1--2° high) and slender; leaves narrow and rush-like, strongly involute, very smooth; spikes 1--5, on very short peduncles, the rhachis smooth; glumes acute, the lower scarcely half the length of the middle one, not half the length of the upper.--Salt marshes and sea-beaches. Aug. (Eu.)

[*][*] Spikelets loosely imbricated, or somewhat remote and alternate, the keels only slightly hairy or roughish under a lens; spikes sessile and erect, soft; leaves, rhachis, etc., very smooth; culm rather succulent.

4. S. strícta, Roth. (SALT MARSH-GRASS.) (Pl. 9, fig. 1--3.) Culm 1--4° high, leafy to the top; leaves soon convolute, narrow; spikes few (2--4), the rhachis slightly projecting beyond the crowded or imbricated spikelets; glumes acute, very unequal, the larger 1-nerved, a little longer than the flower.--Salt marshes, Penn., etc.--Odor strong and rancid. (Eu.)

Var. glàbra, Gray. Culm and leaves longer; spikes 5--12 (2--3´ long); Spikelets imbricate-crowded.--Common on the coast.

Var. alterniflòra, Gray. Spikes more slender (3--5´ long), and the spikelets remotish, barely overlapping, the rhachis continued into a more conspicuous bract-like appendage; larger glume indistinctly 5-nerved; otherwise as in the preceding form, into which it passes.--Common with the last; also Onondaga Lake, J. A. Paine.

2. BECKMÁNNIA, Host. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets jointed upon the pedicels, 1--2-flowered (only one fertile), obovate and laterally compressed, imbricated in 2 rows upon one side of the angled rhachis of a spike. Glumes 3 or 4, the 2 lower strongly concave and carinate, obtuse or acutish, the 1 or 2 flowering glumes narrower, lanceolate, acute or acuminate and a little exserted, becoming rather rigid and with the thin palet enclosing the oblong grain.--A stout erect subaquatic perennial, with the short spikes erect and simply spicate or in a strict narrow panicle. (Named for John Beckmann, professor of botany at Goettingen.)

1. B. erucæfórmis, Host, var. uniflòra, Scribn. Glumes 3 and spikelets 1-flowered; spikes (6´´ long or less) panicled.--N. W. Iowa, W. Minn., and westward. The Old World form, which also is found in the far northwest, has 2-flowered spikelets.

3. PÁSPALUM, L. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets spiked or somewhat racemed, in 2--4 rows on one side of a flattened or filiform continuous rhachis, jointed upon very short pedicels, plano-convex, awnless, 1-flowered. Glumes 3 (rarely only 2), the terminal one flowering. Flower coriaceous, mostly orbicular or ovate, flat on the inner side, convex on the outer. Stamens 3. Spikes one or more, at or toward the summit of an elongated peduncle. (Πασπάλος, a Greek name for Millet.)

[*] Spikes with a (1´´) broad and thin membranaceous or foliaceous and keeled rhachis, the incurved margins partly enclosing the small two-rowed spikelets. (Smooth, aquatic, or nearly so, decumbent or floating.)

1. P. flùitans, Kunth. Annual; leaves lanceolate, flat (3--8´´), broad; spikes numerous in a raceme, the rhachis somewhat projecting beyond the minute and slightly pubescent spikelets into a tapering point, scabrous on the back.--River-swamps, Va. to S. Ill., Mo., and southward. Sept., Oct.

2. P. Walteriànum, Schultes. Perennial; leaves linear, short; spikes 3--7, the lowest partly included in the sheath of the uppermost leaf, the rhachis blunt; spikelets glabrous.--Low or wet grounds, N. J. (Cape May, Nuttall), Del., and southward.

[*][*] Spikes with a narrow wingless rhachis; perennials, or mostly so.

[+] Spikelets very obtuse, orbicular; spikes one terminal and often 1--5 lateral.

3. P. setàceum, Michx. Culm ascending or decumbent (1--2° long), slender; leaves (2´´ wide, flat) and sheaths clothed with soft spreading hairs; spikes very slender (2--4´ long), smooth, mostly solitary on a long peduncle, and usually one from the sheaths of each of the upper leaves on short peduncles or included; spikelets (½´´ wide) narrowly 2-rowed.--Sandy fields; common from E. Mass. to Ill., and southward. Aug.

4. P. læ̀ve, Michx. (Pl. 13, fig. 1--3.) Bright green, sparingly villous, rather stout; stems somewhat decumbent; leaves and spikes widely spreading; spikes (2--4) approximate, 2--4´ long, smooth or nearly so; spikelets about 1´´ wide, 2-rowed.--Moist soil, S. New Eng. to Ky., and southward.

5. P. Floridànum, Michx. Stout, erect, 3--6° high, glaucous; sheaths and leaves more or less villous, the latter and the spikes erect or ascending; spikes (2--5) broader, 2--5´ long, the smooth spikelets nearly 2´´ broad, in 2 rows.--Moist soil; Del. to Fla., Ark., and Tex.

[+][+] Spikelets acute; spikes several, racemose.

6. P. dilatàtum, Poir. Stout, erect, 2--5° high, villous at the top of the sheath; spikes few on a naked peduncle, erect, 2--3´ long; spikelets 1´´ long or more, the lower glume soft-villous on the margin.--Va. to Tex.

[+][+][+] Spikelets acute; spikes always a pair at the summit of the naked peduncle.

7. P. dístichum, L. (JOINT-GRASS.) Nearly glabrous, rather glaucous; culms ascending (about 1° high) from a long creeping base; leaves linear-lanceolate (2--3´ long); peduncle usually short; spikes short and closely-flowered (9´´--2´ long), often slightly separated; rhachis flat on the back; spikelets ovate, slightly pointed (barely 1½´´ long), approximate on one side of the rhachis.--Wet fields, Va. and southward. July--Sept.

8. P. Ellióttii, Watson. Culms ascending (1--2½° high) from a creeping base; leaves lanceolate (3--6´ long, 4--6´´ wide); spikes slender, rather sparsely flowered (1--4´ long), both sessile upon the long slender peduncle; spikelets ovate-lanceolate (2´´ long), on nearly opposite sides of the rhachis. (Milium paspalòdes, Ell. P. Digitaria, Chapm.; not Poir.)--Va. and southward.

4. ERIÓCHLOA, HBK. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets ovate, subsessile or shortly pedicelled upon one side of the rhachis of a spike, with a callus at base and jointed on the pedicel, 1-flowered. Glumes 3, the 2 empty ones slightly unequal, membranaceous, acute, the flowering one shorter, indurated, obtuse, enclosing the free grain.--Coarse tufted grasses, with flat leaves, the spikes more or less scattered along a common peduncle, and the pedicels and rhachis of the spike usually pubescent or hairy (hence the name, from ἔριον, wool, and χλόα, grass).

1. E. polystàchya, HBK. Culms erect or decumbent, 2° high; spikes 6--12, erect or ascending, 1--2´ long, forming a compound spike 3--6´ long; spikelets glabrous, very shortly pedicelled, oblong-lanceolate, nearly 2´´ long.--S. Kan. to Tex. and Mex.

5. PÁNICUM, L. PANIC-GRASS. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets jointed upon the pedicels, ovate, panicled, racemed, or sometimes spiked, not involucrate, with one perfect and sometimes a second lower rudimentary or staminate flower. Glumes 4, but the lower one usually short or minute (rarely even wanting), and the third empty or sterile, membranaceo-herbaceous. Upper flower perfect, closed, coriaceous or cartilaginous, usually flattish parallel with the glumes, awnless (except in § 3), enclosing the free and grooveless grain. Stamens 3. Stigmas plumose, usually purple. (An ancient Latin name of the Italian Millet, P. Italicum (now Setaria Italica), of uncertain origin and meaning.)

§ 1. DIGITÀRIA. Spikelets crowded 2--3 together in simple and mostly 1-sided clustered spikes or spike-like racemes, wholly awnless and pointless, 1-flowered; lower glume minute or obsolete or wanting; annual, often purplish.

[*] Spikes erect; the rhachis filiform and nearly terete.

1. P. filifórme, L. Culms very slender (1--2° high), upright; lower sheaths hairy; spikes 2--8, alternate, approximate, filiform; spikelets oblong, acute (½´´ long); lower glume almost wanting.--Dry sandy soil, Mass. to N. J. along the coast, to Iowa, Neb., and southward. Aug.

[*][*] Spikes spreading; the rhachis flat and thin.

P. GLÀBRUM, Gaudin. Culms spreading, prostrate, or sometimes erect (5--12´ long), glabrous; spikes 2--6, widely diverging, nearly digitate; spikelets ovoid (about 1´´ long); upper empty glume equalling the flower, the lower almost wanting.--Cultivated grounds and waste places; common, especially southward; sometimes appearing indigenous. Aug., Sept. (Nat. from Eu.)

P. SANGUINÀLE, L. (COMMON CRAB- or FINGER-GRASS.) (Pl. 13, fig. 1--3.) Culms erect or spreading (1--2° high); leaves and sheaths glabrous or hairy; spikes 4--15, spreading, digitate; spikelets oblong (1½´´ long); second glume half the length of the flower, the lower one small.--Cultivated and waste grounds. Aug.--Oct. (Nat. from Eu.)

§ 2. PANICUM proper. Spikelets scattered, in panicles, awnless.

[*] Panicle elongated and racemose, wand-like or pyramidal; the numerous and usually pointed spikelets short-pedicelled, excepting n. 3 and 4.

[+] Sterile flower none; lower glume short; spikelets ½--1½´´ long; annuals except n. 4; leaves flat; sheaths flattened.

[++] Glabrous and smooth throughout; spikelets appressed, short-pedicelled.

2. P. prolíferum, Lam. Culms usually thickish and rather succulent, branched, geniculate and ascending from a procumbent base; sheaths flattened; ligule ciliate; panicles terminal and lateral, compound, pyramidal, the slender primary branches at length spreading; spikelets pale green, rarely purplish; lower glume broad, {1/3} to ¼ the length of the upper, which is little longer than the flowering one.--Marshy river-banks and shores, especially if brackish, but also in the interior, from Mass. to Iowa, and southward. Aug.

[++][++] Hispid or hairy on the sheaths, at least the lower; spikelets mostly scattered on slender pedicels in an ample, loose, at length very effuse panicle; culms mostly branched from the base, erect or ascending (10--20´ high).

3. P. capillàre, L. (OLD-WITCH GRASS.) (Pl. 13, fig. 4, 5.) All the sheaths and usually the leaves copiously hairy or hispid; panicle mostly very compound, the branches divaricate when old; spikelets from ovoid to narrowly oblong, pointed; lower glume half the length of the upper empty one, which is longer than the elliptical obtuse perfect flower.--Sandy soil and cultivated fields everywhere. Aug.--Oct.--Varies extremely in size and appearance, the culms erect and simple, or decumbent, geniculate and branched; in depauperate forms the spikelets only ¾´´, in the larger forms 1½´´ in length.

4. P. autumnàle, Bosc. Root perennial (?), lower sheaths and margins of the small narrow leaves more or less hairy, otherwise glabrous, except some bristly hairs in the main axils of the very effuse capillary panicle, its much elongated divisions sparingly branched, or even simple and terminated with solitary spindle-shaped spikelets; lower glume minute; perfect flower lanceolate-oblong and pointed, nearly equalling the lance-oblong obtusish empty glumes.--Sand-hills, Ill. to Minn., Mo., and southward.

[+][+] Sterile flower rudimentary (staminate in n. 7), its glume fully twice the length of the lower glume; spikelets small (1 or 1½´´ long); root perennial.

5. P. ánceps, Michx. Culms flat, upright (2--4° high); leaves rather broadly linear (1--2° long, 4--5´´ wide), smooth; panicle contracted-pyramidal; spikelets ovate-lanceolate, pointed, a little curved; second glume 5--7-nerved; neutral flower one third longer than the perfect one.--Wet sandy soil, N. J. and Penn. to S. Ill., and southward. Aug.--Spikelets larger and branches of the panicle longer and narrower than in the next.

6. P. agrostoìdes, Muhl. Culms flattened, upright (2--4° high); leaves long, and with the sheaths smooth; panicles terminal and often lateral, pyramidal (4--8´ long); spikelets racemose, crowded and one-sided on the spreading branches, ovate-oblong, acute (purplish); second glume 5-nerved, longer than the neutral flower; perfect flower shorter, bearded at the apex.--Wet meadows and shores, E. Mass. to Minn., Neb., and common southward. Aug.

7. P. Curtísii, Chapm. Culms stout, 3--4° high, often rooting below; mostly glabrous; panicle slender, simple, spike-like (6--8´ long), the spikes appressed; spikelets lanceolate, acute; lower glume half the length of the 5-nerved second one.--Ponds, Del. to Fl. and Tex.

[+][+][+] Sterile flower staminate; lower glume more than half the length of the next; spikelets large (2--2½´´ long), ovate, pointed, as are the glumes, etc.; perennials, glabrous, with tall or stout and rigid upright culms.

8. P. virgàtum, L. (Pl. 13, fig. 8, 9.) Tall (3--5° high); leaves very long, flat; ligule silky-bearded; branches of the compound loose and large panicle (9´--2° long) at length spreading or drooping; spikelets scattered, usually purplish.--Moist sandy soil; common. Aug.

9. P. amàrum, Ell. Culms (1½° high or more) sheathed to the top; leaves involute, glaucous, coriaceous, the uppermost exceeding the contracted panicle, the simple racemose branches of which are appressed; spikelets pale.--Sandy shores, Conn., Va., and southward. Aug., Sept.--The northern form (var. MÌNUS, Vasey & Scribn.) somewhat smaller than the southern.

[*][*] Panicle short or small, loosely spreading or diffuse; perennials.

[+] Sterile flower none; spikelets warty roughened.

10. P. verrucòsum, Muhl. Smooth; culms branching and spreading, very slender (1--2° long), naked above; leaves linear-lanceolate (2--3´´ wide), shining; branches of the diffuse panicle capillary, few-flowered; spikelets dark green, oval, acute, ¾´´ long; lower glume ¼ as long as the faintly nerved second.--Sandy swamps, N. Eng. to Va., near the coast, and southward.

[+][+] Lower (sterile) flower neutral, or in n. 12 and sometimes in n. 11 staminate, the palet scarious and sometimes small and inconspicuous.

[++] Culm-leaves broadly lanceolate or wider, with 9--15 principal nerves (obscure or none in n. 17).

[=] Spikelets 1--1½´´ long.

11. P. xanthophỳsum, Gray. Culm simple, or at length branched near the base (9--15´ high); sheaths hairy; leaves lanceolate, very acute (4--6´ long by ½´ wide), not dilated at the ciliate-bearded clasping base, smooth except the margins, strongly 9--11-nerved; panicle long-peduncled, very simple, the appressed branches bearing a few roundish-obovate spikelets (about 1½´´ long); lower glume ovate, acutish, {1/3}--½ the length of the 9-nerved second.--Dry sandy soil, Maine to Penn., Wisc., Iowa, and northward; rare. June.--Yellowish-green; spikelets minutely downy; sterile flower sometimes staminate.

12. P. latifòlium, L. Culm (1--2° high) smooth; the joints and the throat or margins of the otherwise smooth sheaths often bearded with soft woolly hairs; leaves broadly oblong-lanceolate from a heart-clasping base (often 1´ wide), taper-pointed, 11--15-nerved, smooth, or sparingly downy-hairy; panicle more or less exserted (2--3´ long), usually long-peduncled, the branches spreading; spikelets obovate, 1½´´ long, downy; lower glume ovate, not half the length of the many-nerved second; sterile flower often (not always) with 3 stamens.--Moist thickets; common. June--Aug.

13. P. clandestìnum, L. (Pl. 13, fig. 6, 7.) Culm rigid (1--3° high), very leafy to the top, at length producing appressed branches, the joints naked; sheaths rough with papillæ bearing very stiff and spreading bristly hairs; leaves oblong-lanceolate from a heart-clasping base, very taper-pointed; lateral and usually also the terminal panicle more or less enclosed in the sheaths, or with the terminal one at length long-peduncled;--otherwise resembling n. 12; but the spikelets more ovoid, often smooth; the lower flower (always?) neutral.--Low thickets and river-banks, N. Eng. to Mich., Mo., and southward. June--Sept.

14. P. víscidum, Ell. Culms stout, upright or ascending, at length much branched, leafy to the top, densely velvety-downy all over, as also the sheaths, with reflexed soft and often clammy hairs, except a ring below each joint; leaves likewise velvety, lanceolate (½´ wide), 11--13-nerved; panicle spreading, the lateral ones included; spikelets obovate, 1 or 1½´´ long, downy; the roundish lower glume scarcely one fourth the length of the 7-nerved second one.--Damp soil, N. J. to Va., and southward. Aug.

15. P. scopàrium, Lam. Culms upright, at length much branched and reclining (1--2° long), roughish; leaves lanceolate (3--5´ long by {1/3}--½´ wide), rather faintly 9-nerved, hairy or smooth, fringed on the whole margin or next the base with long and stiff spreading hairs, the sheaths bristly throughout with similar hairs; panicle open, nearly simple, bearing few tumid-obovate hairy or smoothish spikelets about 1½´´ long; lower glume roundish, about half or a quarter of the length of the upper one. (P. pauciflorum, Ell.)--Wet meadows and copses, E. Mass. to Minn., west and southward. June, July.

16. P. commutàtum, Schultes. Rather slender, erect, 1--2° high, nearly glabrous; leaves lanceolate, acuminate (3--6´ long), the margins toward the base and the sheaths sparsely ciliate; panicle spreading, often short-peduncled; spikelets scattered, glabrous, oblong, acutish, little more than 1´´ long; lower glume ovate, often acute.--N. Y. to Fla.--A frequent variety with smaller spikelets (not 1´´ long) approaches the next, and has also been confused with P. dichotomum.--Ont. to Va. and southward.

[=][=] Spikelets less than 1´´ long.

17. P. nítidum, Michx. (Lam.?) Resembles the last; leaves rather thick and the principal nerves very obscure or none except at the base; panicle broad, more slender; spikelets smaller ({2/3}´´ long), broadly ovate and very obtuse; lower glume very obtuse. (P. sphærocarpon, Ell.)--N. Y. to Ga., and westward.

18. P. microcárpon, Muhl. Like the last; the broadly lanceolate leaves nearly similar, but usually longer (8´ long or less), distinctly nerved; panicle soon exserted on a slender peduncle, rather narrower, with numerous slender branches and very many-flowered (3--7´ long); spikelets about ½´´ long, ovoid, smooth or smoothish; lower glume orbicular and very small.--Dry or moist thickets, Penn. to Mich., Neb., and southward. July--Sept.

[++][++] Culm-leaves linear or sometimes narrowly lanceolate (basal often lanceolate); primary nerves often indistinct or none; spikelets small.

19. P. depauperàtum, Muhl. Culms simple or branched from the base, forming close tufts (6--12´ high), terminated by a simple and few-flowered contracted panicle, often much overtopped by the narrowly linear and elongated (4--7´) upper leaves; spikelets ¾--1½´´ long, oval-obovate, commonly pointed when young; lower glume ovate.--Varies, with the leaves involute, at least when dry (P. involutum, Torr.), and with the sheaths either beset with long hairs or nearly smooth; the panicle either partly included, or on a long and slender peduncle.--Dry woods and hills; rather common. June.

20. P. consanguíneum, Kunth. Culms slender, 1--2° high, often decumbent and rooting below; nearly glabrous or the sheaths and leaves somewhat pubescent or villous; panicle small, with rather few spreading few-flowered branches; spikelets 1--1½´´ long, oblong-obovate, acutish.--Dry woods, Norfolk, Va., and south to Fl. and Tex.

21. P. dichótomum, L.! Culms (8´--2° high) at first mostly simple, bearing a more or less exserted spreading compound panicle (1--3´ long), and linear to linear-lanceolate flat leaves (those tufted at the root usually ovate-lanceolate and very short, thickish); but commonly branching later in the season, the branches often clustered, and bearing nearly simple and included small panicles; spikelets ½--{2/3}´´ long, elliptical, obtuse, downy or smooth; lower glume roundish.--Common everywhere. Very variable both in habit and in the amount of villosity (depending upon the soil, exposure, season, etc.), so that it is difficult to specify any well defined varieties. The more conspicuous forms are (a) commùne, with simple culms erect or ascending, and leaves suberect, usually pale green--(b) fasciculàtum, with clustered leafy branches and short peduncles, a common autumnal state--and (c) grácile, the culms lax, very slender and elongated, with rather distant spreading leaves (usually bright green), and mostly long-pedunculate panicles.

22. P. laxiflòrum, Lam.! Closely resembling the last species, in its several forms; distinguished by the larger acutish spikelets (nearly or quite 1´´ long).--Common.

§ 3. ECHINÓCHLOA. Spikelets imbricated-spiked on the branches of the simple or compound raceme or panicle, usually rough with appressed stiff hairs; lower palet of the sterile flower awl-pointed or awned.

P. CRUS-GÁLLI, L. (BARNYARD-GRASS.) Root annual; culms stout, branching from the base (1--4° high); leaves lanceolate (½´ wide or more), rough-margined, otherwise with the sheaths smooth; spikes alternate (1--3´ long), crowded in a dense panicle; glumes ovate, abruptly pointed; glume of the neutral flower bearing a rough awn of variable length.--Varies greatly; sometimes awnless or nearly so; sometimes long-awned, especially in the var. HÍSPIDUM, a very large and coarse form with the sheaths of the leaves very bristly.--Moist, chiefly manured soil; the variety in ditches, especially of brackish water; possibly indigenous. Aug.--Oct. (Nat. from Eu.)

6. SETÀRIA, Beauv. BRISTLY FOXTAIL GRASS. (Pl. 13)

Spikelets altogether as in Panicum proper, and awnless, but with the short peduncles bearing below the joint of the spikelet solitary or clustered bristles resembling awns (but not forming an involucre). Inflorescence a dense spiked panicle, or apparently a cylindrical spike.--Annuals, in cultivated or manured grounds, with linear or lanceolate flat leaves. (Name from seta, a bristle.)

[*] Bristles single or in pairs, roughened or barbed downward.

S. VERTICILLÀTA, Beauv. Spike cylindrical (2--3´ long, pale green), composed of apparently whorled short clusters; bristles short, adhesive.--Near dwellings. (Adv. from Eu.)

[*][*] Bristles in clusters, roughened or barbed upward.

S. GLAÙCA, Beauv. (FOXTAIL. PIGEON-GRASS.) (Pl. 13, fig. 1, 2.) Spike cylindrical, dense, tawny yellow (2--4´ long); bristles 6--11 in a cluster, much longer than the spikelets; perfect flower transversely wrinkled.--Very common, in stubble, etc. (Adv. from Eu.)

S. VÍRIDIS, Beauv. (GREEN FOXTAIL. BOTTLE-GRASS.) Spike nearly cylindrical, more or less compound, green; bristles few, longer than the spikelets; flower striate lengthwise and dotted.--Cultivated grounds. (Adv. from Eu.)

S. ITÁLICA, Kunth. Spike compound, interrupted at base, thick, nodding (6--9´ long), yellowish or purplish; bristles 2 or 3 in a cluster, either much longer or else shorter than the spikelets.--Cultivated under the name of MILLET, or HUNGARIAN or BENGAL GRASS; rarely spontaneous. (Adv. from Eu.)

7. CÉNCHRUS, L. HEDGEHOG- or BUR-GRASS. (Pl. 14.)

Spikelets as in Panicum, awnless, but enclosed 1 to 5 together in a globular and bristly or spiny involucre, which becomes coriaceous and forms a deciduous hard and rigid bur; the involucres sessile in a terminal spike. Styles united below. (An ancient Greek name of Setaria Italica.)

1. C. tribuloìdes, L. Annual; culms branched and ascending (1° high or less); leaves flat; spike oblong, of 8--20 spherical heads; involucre prickly all over with spreading and barbed short spines, more or less downy, enclosing 2 or 3 spikelets.--Sandy soil, on river banks, etc. Aug.--A vile weed.

8. AMPHICÁRPUM, Kunth. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets jointed upon the pedicels, 1-flowered, oblong or ovoid, of two kinds; one kind in a terminal panicle, deciduous from the joint without fruit, although the flower is perfect; the other kind solitary at the extremity of slender runner-like radical peduncles (more or less sheathed toward the base), much larger than the others, perfect and fertile, subterranean, fertilized in the bud. Glumes 3, nearly equal, 5-nerved in the panicle, many nerved in the fertile spikelets; palet a little shorter; all becoming indurated and enclosing the very large grain. Stamens 3 (small in the radical flowers). Stigmas plumose, deep purple. (Name from ἀμφίκαρπος, doubly fruit-bearing.)

1. A. Púrshii, Kunth. Annual or biennial(?), erect, 1--4° high; leaves lanceolate, copious on the lower part of the culm, hispid, especially on the sheaths; panicle strict, naked; grain ovoid or oblong (2--3´´ long), terete.--Moist sandy pine-barrens, N. J. to Fla. Sept.

9. LEÉRSIA, Swartz. WHITE GRASS. (Pl. 7.)

Flowers crowded in one-sided panicled spikes or racemes, perfect, but those in the open panicles usually sterile by the abortion of the ovary, those enclosed in the sheaths of the leaves close-fertilized in the bud and prolific. Spikelets 1-flowered, flat, more or less imbricated over each other, jointed upon the short pedicels. Glumes 2, chartaceous, strongly flattened laterally or conduplicate, awnless, bristly-ciliate on the keels, closed, nearly equal in length, but the lower much broader, enclosing the flat grain. Palet none. Stamens 1--6. Stigmas feathery, the hairs branching.--Perennial marsh grasses; the flat leaves, sheaths, etc., rough upward, being clothed with very minute hooked prickles. (Named after John Daniel Leers, a German botanist.)

[*] Spikelets narrowly oblong, rather loosely crowded.

1. L. Virgínica, Willd. (WHITE GRASS.) Panicle simple; the spikelets closely appressed on the slender branches, around which they are partly curved (1½´´ long); stamens 2 (a third imperfect or wanting); glumes sparingly ciliate (greenish-white).--Wet woods; Maine to Minn., and southward. Aug.

2. L. oryzoìdes, Swartz. (RICE CUT-GRASS.) (Pl. 7, fig. 1--3.) Panicle diffusely branched; spikelets flat, rather spreading (2½--3´´ long); stamens 3; glumes strongly bristly-ciliate (whitish).--Very wet places; Mass, to Minn., and southward; common. Aug. (Eu.)

[*][*] Spikelets broadly oval, imbricately covering each other (2½--3´´ long).

3. L. lenticulàris, Michx. (CATCH-FLY GRASS.) Smoothish; panicle simple; glumes very flat, strongly bristly-ciliate (said to close and catch flies); stamens 2; otherwise like the preceding.--Low grounds, Va., Ill., and southward.

10. ZIZÀNIA, Gronov. WATER or INDIAN RICE. (Pl. 7.)

Flowers monœcious; the staminate and pistillate both in 1-flowered spikelets in the same panicle. Glumes 2, subtended by a small cartilaginous ring, herbaceo-membranaceous, convex, awnless in the sterile, the lower one tipped with a straight awn in the fertile spikelets. Palet none. Stamens 6. Stigmas pencil-form.--Large, often reed-like water-grasses. Spikelets jointed upon the club-shaped pedicels, very deciduous. (Adopted from ζιζάνιον, the ancient name of some wild grain.)

1. Z. aquática, L. (INDIAN RICE. WATER OATS.) (Pl. 7, fig. 1--4.) Annual; culms 3--9° high; leaves flat, 2--3° long, linear-lanceolate; lower branches of the ample pyramidal panicle staminate, spreading; the upper erect, pistillate; lower glume long-awned, rough; styles distinct; grain linear, slender, 6´´ long.--Swampy borders of streams and in shallow water; common, especially northwestward. Aug.

2. Z. miliàcea, Michx. Perennial; panicle diffuse, ample, the staminate and pistillate flowers intermixed; awns short; styles united; grain ovate.--Penn. (?), Ohio, and southward. Aug.--Leaves involute.

11. TRÍPSACUM, L. GAMA-GRASS. SESAME-GRASS. (Pl. 14.)

Spikelets monœcious, in jointed unilateral spikes, staminate above and fertile below. Staminate spikelets in pairs, sessile at each triangular joint of the narrow rhachis, both alike, 2-flowered, longer than the joints; glumes 4, coriaceous, the lower (outer) one nerved, the second boat-shaped, the upper with the palets very thin and membranaceous, awnless; anthers opening by 2 pores at the apex. Pistillate spikelets 2-flowered (the lower flower neutral), single and deeply imbedded in each oblong joint of the cartilaginous thickened rhachis, occupying a boat-shaped recess which is closed by the polished and cartilaginous ovate outer glume, the inner glume much thinner and pointed, the upper with the palets very thin and scarious, pointless. Styles united; stigmas very long (purple), hispid. Grain ovoid, free.--Culms stout and tall, solid, from very thick creeping rootstocks. Leaves broad and flat. Spikes axillary and terminal, separating spontaneously into joints at maturity. (Name from τρίβω, to rub, perhaps in allusion to the polished fertile spike.)

1. T. dactyloìdes, L. Spikes (4--8´ long) 2--3 together at the summit (when their contiguous sides are more or less flattened), and also solitary from some of the upper sheaths (when the fertile part is cylindrical); in var. MONOSTÀCHYUM, the terminal spike also solitary.--Moist soil, from Conn. to Penn. and Fla., near the coast, and from Ill. southward. Aug.--Culm 4--7° high; leaves like those of Indian Corn. This is one of our largest and most remarkable Grasses; sometimes used for fodder at the South.

12. ROTTBŒ́LLIA, L. f. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets in pairs at each joint of a terete slender spike, awnless; one imperfect or rudimentary on a short and thick appressed pedicel; the other sessile and imbedded in an excavation of the joint of the rhachis, 1-flowered or rarely with a second staminate flower. Glumes 4, obtuse, the outer hard and cartilaginous, with a transverse depression next the base, the inner one boat-shaped and membranaceous, the 2 upper thin and delicate. Stamens 3. Styles 2.--Tall or coarse perennials, with rigid stems, and single cartilaginous spikes terminating the stem and axillary branches, chiefly subtropical. (Named for Prof. C. F. Rottboell, an excellent Danish botanist, who wrote much upon Gramineæ, Cyperaceæ, etc.)

1. R. rugòsa, Nutt. Culm flattish, 2--4° high; leaves linear; spikes 1--2´ long, the lateral ones on short clustered branches in the axils, often partly included in the sheaths of the leaves; sterile flower neutral; lower glume transversely rugose.--Low pine-barrens, from S. Del. (W. M. Canby) southward near the coast. Sept.--Oct.

13. ERIÁNTHUS, Michx. WOOLLY BEARD-GRASS. (Pl. 14.)

Spikelets spiked, in pairs upon each joint of the slender rhachis, one sessile, the other pedicelled, both 1-flowered, alike. Glumes 4, the 2 lower nearly equal, one 4--5-nerved, the other many-nerved; the 2 upper hyaline, one empty, the upper awned from the tip. Stamens 3. Grain free.--Tall and stout reed-like perennials, with the spikes crowded in a panicle, and clothed with long silky hairs, especially in a tuft around the base of each spikelet (whence the name, from ἔριον, wool, and ἄνθος, flower).

1. E. saccharoìdes, Michx. (Pl. 14, fig. 1, 2.) Culm (4--6° high) woolly-bearded at the joints; panicle contracted; the silky hairs longer than the spikelets, shorter than the awn; stamens 2. (E. alopecuroides, Ell.)--Wet pine-barrens, from N. J. and Ill. southward; rare. Sept., Oct.

2. E. brevibárbis, Michx. Culm (2--5° high), somewhat bearded at the upper joints; panicle rather open; silky hairs shorter than the spikelets.--Low grounds, Va., and southward.

14. ANDROPÒGON, Royen. BEARD-GRASS. (Pl. 14.)

Spikelets in pairs upon each joint of the slender rhachis, spiked or racemed, one of them pedicelled and sterile (staminate, pistillate or neutral), often a mere vestige, the other sessile, 1-flowered and fertile; lower glume the larger, coriaceous and nerved, blunt, the second carinate and acute, the 2 upper hyaline, the flowering glume awned from the tip. Stamens 1--3. Grain free.--Coarse, mostly rigid perennials, mostly in sterile or sandy soil; with lateral or terminal spikes commonly clustered or digitate; the rhachis hairy or plumose-bearded, and often the sterile or staminate flowers also (whence the name, composed of ἀνήρ, man, and πώγων, beard).

[*] Spikes digitate, thickish, short-bearded, the sterile spikelet staminate; stamens 3.

1. A. furcàtus, Muhl. (Pl. 14, fig. 1--3.) Tall, 3--4° high, rigid, the naked summit of the culm (and usually some lateral branches) terminated by 2--5 rigid spikes; spikelets approximate, appressed; hairs at the base of the fertile spikelet, on the rhachis and on the stout pedicel of the awnless staminate spikelet short and rather sparse; awn of fertile flower long and bent; leaves flat, roughish, the lower ones long. ("A. provincialis, Lam.")--Common in dry sterile soil. Aug.--Oct.

[*][*] Spikes with slender often zigzag rhachis, silky-villous.

[+] Single and scattered along the branches, with the silky hairs shorter than the flowers; sterile spikelet conspicuous but mostly neutral; the fertile triandrous.

2. A. scopàrius, Michx. Culms slender (1--3° high), with numerous paniculate branches; lower sheaths and narrow leaves hairy; spikes slender, scattered, mostly peduncled (1--2´ long), very loose, often purplish, silky with lax dull-white hairs; sterile spikelet awn-pointed or awnless; the fertile about half the length of its twisted or bent awn.--Dry ground. July--Sept.

3. A. marítimus, Chapm. Smooth and glaucous; culms ascending from creeping rootstocks, 1--1½° high; leaves rather rigid, divaricate, their compressed sheaths imbricated; panicle short; peduncles included within the conspicuous bracts; rhachis and pedicels copiously ciliate with spreading hairs; glumes larger, 3--4´´ long.--Sandy sea-coast; Cape May, and south to Fla.

[+][+] In pairs or clustered; the copious soft-silky hairs much longer than the flowers; sterile spikelet a small neutral rudiment (in n. 4 and 5), or altogether wanting on the very plumose-hairy pedicel; fertile flower monandrous, its awn capillary; leaves narrow, the lower or their sheaths often rather hairy.

4. A. argénteus, Ell. Smooth; culms rather slender (1--3° high); spikes in pairs (rarely in fours) on short mostly exserted and loosely paniculate peduncles, densely flowered (1--2´ long), very silky with long bright white hairs. (A. argyræus, Schultes.)--Md. to Va., near the coast, and southward.

5. A. Ellióttii, Chapm. Closely resembling the last; sheaths and leaves villous; upper nodes of the branches densely bearded.--Md. to Fla. and Tex.

6. A. Virgínicus, L. Culm flattish below, slender (2--3° high) sparingly short-branched above, sheaths smooth; spikes 2 or 3 together in distant appressed clusters, shorter than their sheathing bracts, weak (1´ long), the spikelets loose on the filiform rhachis, the soft hairs dull white. (A. dissitiflorus, Michx. A. vaginàtus, Ell., a form with larger and inflated sheaths.)--Sandy soil, E. Mass. to Va., Ill., and southward. Sept., Oct.

7. A. macroùrus, Michx. Culm stout (2--3° high), bushy-branched at the summit, loaded with very numerous spikes forming thick leafy clusters; sheaths rough, the uppermost hairy; flowers nearly as in the preceding; the sterile spikelet of each pair wholly wanting, its pedicel slender and very plumose.--Low and sandy grounds, N. Y. to Va., near the coast, and southward.

8. A. laguroìdes, DC. Culms slender, tall, the elongated peduncle bearing numerous sessile spikes in a spike-like panicle 2--4´ long; spikes slender, 1´ long or more, very silky; spikelets glabrous, the sterile a narrow convolute empty glume.--Central Kan. to Tex. and Mex.

[+][+][+] Spikes digitate-clustered, very silky; sterile spikelet larger than the fertile one.

9. A. Hàllii, Hackel. Culm stout, 2--3° high; lateral peduncles few, scarcely exserted from the sheaths; spikes 2--5, 1--3´ long, dense; spikelets 3--4´´ long.--Central Kan. to Dak., and westward.

15. CHRYSOPÒGON, Trin. (Pl. 14.)

Spikelets in pairs on the ramifications of an open panicle (those at the ends of the branches in threes), the lateral ones pedicellate, sterile or often reduced merely to their pedicels; only the sessile middle or terminal one fertile, its glumes coriaceous or indurated, sometimes awnless; otherwise nearly as in Andropogon. Stamens 3. (Name composed of χρυσός, gold, and πώγων, beard.)

1. C. nùtans, Benth. (INDIAN GRASS. WOOD-GRASS.) Root perennial; culm simple (3--5° high), terete; leaves linear-lanceolate, glaucous; sheaths smooth; panicle narrowly oblong, crowded or loose (6--12´ long); the perfect spikelets at length drooping (yellowish or russet-brown and shining), clothed especially toward the base with fawn-colored hairs, lanceolate, shorter than the twisted awn; sterile spikelets small and imperfect, deciduous, or reduced to a mere plumose-hairy pedicel. (Andropogon avenaceus, Michx. Sorghum nutans, Gray.)--Dry soil; common, especially southward.

16. PHÁLARIS, L. CANARY-GRASS. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets crowded in a clustered or spiked panicle, 1-flowered. Glumes 5, the third and fourth reduced to mere rudiments (a scale or a pedicel), one on each side, at the base of the flowering glume and palet, which are flattish, awnless and shining, shorter than the equal boat-shaped and keeled persistent empty glumes, finally coriaceous or cartilaginous, and closely enclosing the flattened free and smooth grain. Stamens 3.--Leaves broad, mostly flat. (The ancient name, from φαλός, shining, alluding to the shining seed.)

§ 1. PHALARIS proper. Panicle very dense, spike-like; glumes wing-keeled.

P. CANARIÉNSIS, L. (CANARY-GRASS.) Annual, 1--2° high; spike oval; empty glumes white with green veins, the rudimentary ones small lanceolate scales.--Waste places and roadsides; rare. (Adv. from Eu.)

§ 2. DÍGRAPHIS. Panicle branched, the clusters open in anthesis; glumes not winged on the back.

1. P. arundinàcea, L. (REED C.) (Pl. 13, fig. 1, 2.) Perennial, 2--4° high; leaves flat (3--5´´ wide); glumes open at flowering, 3-nerved, thrice the length of the fertile flower; rudimentary glumes reduced to a minute hairy scale or pedicel.--Wet grounds; common, especially northward. June, July.--Var. PÍCTA, the leaves striped with white, is the familiar RIBBON-GRASS of the gardens. (Eu.)

17. ANTHOXÁNTHUM, L. SWEET VERNAL-GRASS. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets spiked-panicled, 1-flowered. Glumes 5, the third and fourth empty, hairy, 2-lobed and awned on the hack, the flowering glume and palet small, hyaline and obtuse; basal glumes persistent, very thin, acute, keeled, the lower half as long as the upper. Squamulæ none. Stamens 2. Grain ovate, adherent. (Name compounded of ἄνθος, flower, and ἄνθων, of flowers. L.)

A. ODORÀTUM, L. Spikelets (brownish or tinged with green) spreading at flowering-time; one middle glume bearing a bent awn from near its base, the other short-awned below the tip.--Meadows, pastures, etc. Low slender perennial; very sweet-scented in drying. May--July. (Nat. from Eu.)

18. HIERÓCHLOE, Gmelin. HOLY GRASS. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets 3-flowered, open-panicled, the two lower (lateral) flowers staminate only, 3-androus, sessile, the carinate glumes often awned on the middle of the back or near the tip, the uppermost flower perfect, short-pedicelled, scarcely as long as the others, 2-androus, awnless. Basal glumes persistent, carinate, acute, somewhat 3-nerved, equalling or exceeding the spikelet.--Perennials; leaves flat. (Name composed of ἱερός, sacred, and χλόη, grass; these sweet-scented grasses being strewn before the church-doors on saints' days, in the North of Europe.)

1. H. boreàlis, Roem. & Schultes. (VANILLA or SENECA GRASS.) (Pl. 13, fig. 1, 2.) Panicle somewhat one-sided, pyramidal (2--5´ long); peduncles smooth; staminate flowers with the glume mucronate or bristle-pointed at or near the tip; rootstock creeping.--Moist meadows, chiefly northward near the coast and along the Great Lakes. May.--Culm 1--2° high, with short, lanceolate leaves. Spikelets chestnut-color; the staminate flowers strongly hairy-fringed on the margins, and the fertile one at the tip. (Eu.)

2. H. alpìna, Roem. & Schultes. Panicle contracted (1--2´ long); one of the staminate flowers with its glume barely pointed or short-awned near the tip, the other long-awned from below the middle; lowest leaves very narrow.--Alpine mountain-tops, N. Eng., N. Y., and northward. July. (Eu.)

19. ARÍSTIDA, L. TRIPLE-AWNED GRASS. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, not jointed on the pedicels. Outer glumes unequal, often bristle-pointed; the flowering glume tipped with three awns; the palet much smaller. Otherwise much as in Stipa.--Culms branching; leaves narrow, often involute. Spikelets in simple or panicled racemes or spikes. Grain linear. All grow in sterile, dry soil, and all ours have the awns naked and persistent, and flower late. (Name from arista, a beard or awn.)

[*] Awns separate to the base, not jointed with the glume.

[+] Awns very unequal; the much shorter or minute lateral ones erect, the elongated middle one horizontal or turned downward; low (5--18´ high) and branching, mostly tufted annuals, and the spikelets in nearly simple spikes.

[++] Middle awn more or less coiled.

1. A. ramosíssima, Engelm. Culms much branched; spikes loose, usually exserted; lower glumes 6--10´´ long, exceeding the upper, usually rather strongly 3--5-nerved; middle awn 1´ long, soon abruptly hooked-recurved, the lateral ones 1--3´´ long.--Dry prairies of Ill., Ky., and Mo.--Also var. UNIARISTÀTA, Engelm., with the lateral awns wanting.

2. A. basiràmea, Engelm. Spikes closer, mostly enclosed at base, at all the lower nodes (even to the base of the culm) very short and sessile; lower glumes 4--8´´ long, mostly thin and 1-nerved or rather faintly 3-nerved; middle awn very slender, 6´´ long, the lateral 2´´ long.--Ill. to Neb. and Minn.

3. A. dichótoma, Michx. (POVERTY GRASS.) Culms low, very slender, much branched throughout, ascending; spikelets in narrow strict simple or compound spikes; lower glumes nearly equal (3--4´´ long), longer than the flowering glume and fully equalling its minute lateral awns (or unequal and shorter, in var. CURTÍSSII, Gray), the soon reflexed middle awn about as long.--Dry, sandy or gravelly fields; common, Maine to Ill., and southward.

[++][++] Middle awn nearly straight (not coiled).

4. A. grácilis, Ell. Culms slender, erect (6--18´ high), naked above and terminating in a slender raceme- or spike-like virgate panicle; lower glumes 1-nerved, about the length of the upper, the exserted lateral awns varying from one third to fully half the length of the horizontally bent middle one: or in var. DEPAUPERÀTA, from one fifth to one third its length.--Sandy soil, coast of Mass., and from Ill. southward.--Middle awn 3--9´´ long in the ordinary forms, but not rarely shorter, and very variable often on the same plant.

[+][+] Awns all diverging and alike, or the lateral ones moderately shorter, rarely at all coiled.

[++] Glumes equal or the middle one longer.

5. A. strícta, Michx. Culms (2--3° high) densely tufted from a perennial root, bearing a (1°) long spiked panicle; leaves involute-thread-form, long, rigid, sometimes downy; awns about the length of the glumes (6´´) or the lateral one third shorter.--Va. and southward.

6. A. oligántha, Michx. Culms (6--20´ high) tufted from an annual root, bearing a loosely few-flowered raceme; leaves short, somewhat involute when dry; lower glume 3--5-nerved (nearly 1´ long); awns capillary, 1½--3´ long, much exceeding the slender spikelet.--Va. to Ill., and common southwestward.

7. A. purpùrea, Nutt. Perennial; culms (1° high or less) densely tufted, spreading; leaves revolute and filiform, short; panicle loose, of rather few slender-pedicellate spikelets; lower glumes thin, 1-nerved, loose, the outer about half the length of the inner, which is 8--10´´ long; awns 2--4´´ long.--Minn. and Dak. to Tex.--Very variable.

[++][++] Middle glume shorter than the lower; perennials, simple-stemmed, 2--4° high.

8. A. purpuráscens, Poir. (Pl. 8.) Glabrous; leaves long, rather involute; spikelets in a (10--18´) long spiked panicle; lower glumes 1-nerved; awns much longer than the spikelet, the middle one about 1´ long.--Mass. to Mich., Minn., and southward; common.

9. A. lanàta, Poir. Tall and stout; leaves tardily involute, rough above, rigid; sheaths woolly; panicle (1--2° long) spike-like or more compound and open; glumes 1-nerved, 6--8´´ long; middle awn 1´ long.--Del. to Fla.

[*][*] Awns united below into one, jointed with the apex of the glume; root annual.

10. A. tuberculòsa, Nutt. Culm branched below (6--18´ high), tumid at the joints; panicles rigid, loose, the branches in pairs, one of them short and about 2-flowered, the other elongated and several-flowered; lower glumes (1´ long, including their slender-awned tips) longer than the upper, which is tipped with the common stalk (about its own length) of the 3 equal divergently-bent awns (1½--2´ long) twisting together at the base.--Sandy soil, E. Mass. to N. J.; also Wisc., Minn., and southward.

20. STÌPA, L. FEATHER-GRASS. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, terete; the flower falling away at maturity (with the conspicuous obconical bearded and often sharp-pointed callus) from the membranaceous persistent lower glumes. Fertile glumes coriaceous, cylindrical-involute and closely embracing the smaller palet and the cylindrical grain, having a long and twisted or tortuous simple awn jointed with its apex. Stamens mostly 3. Stigmas plumose.--Perennials, with narrow involute leaves and a loose panicle. (Name from στύπη, tow, in allusion to the flaxen appearance of the feathery awns of the original species. In our species the awn is naked.)

[*] Callus or base of the flower short and blunt; lower glumes pointless.

1. S. Richardsònii, Link. Culm (1½--2° high) and leaves slender; panicle loose (4--5´ long), with slender few-flowered branches; lower glumes nearly equal, oblong, acutish (2½--4´´ long), about equalling the pubescent linear-oblong fertile one, which bears a tortuous awn 6--9´´ long.--Pleasant Mountain, near Sebago Lake, Maine, Mt. Marcy, N. Y., north shore of L. Superior, Mont., and northward.

[*][*] Callus pungently pointed, at maturity villous-bearded; flowering glume slender and minutely bearded at the tip; empty glumes taper-pointed.

2. S. avenàcea, L. (BLACK OAT-GRASS.) (Pl. 8.) Culm slender (1--2° high); leaves almost bristle-form; panicle open; fertile glume blackish, nearly as long as the lower ones (about 4´´ long); the awn bent above, twisted below (2--3´ long).--Dry woods, S. New Eng. to Wisc., and southward.

3. S. spàrtea, Trin. (PORCUPINE GRASS.) Culm rather stout (1½--3° high); panicle contracted; fertile glume linear, ¾--1´ long (including the long callus), pubescent below, shorter than the lanceolate slender subulate pointed greenish lower glumes; the twisted strong awn (3½--7´ long), pubescent below, rough above.--Plains and prairies, from Ill. and N. Mich. northwestward.

4. S. virídula, Trin. Culms clustered, 1--3° high or more; panicle narrow and usually dense, 6--18´ long; glumes very thin, 3--4´´ long; fertile glume usually somewhat silky, with a short callus; awn 1´ long, slender, glabrous or a little pubescent below.--W. Minn., Dak., and southwestward.

21. ORYZÓPSIS, Michx. MOUNTAIN RICE. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, nearly terete. Lower glumes herbaceous or thin-membranaceous, several-nerved, nearly equal, commonly rather longer than the oblong flower, which is deciduous at maturity, and with a very short obtuse callus or scar-like base. Flowering glume coriaceous, at length involute so as closely to enclose the equal palet and the oblong grain; a simple untwisted and deciduous awn jointed on its apex. Stamens 3. Squamulæ 2 or 3, conspicuous. Stigmas plumose.--Perennials, with rigid leaves and a narrow raceme or panicle. Spikelets greenish, rather large. (Name composed of ὄρυζα, rice, and ὄψις, likeness, from a fancied resemblance to that grain.)

[*] Styles distinct, short; culm leafy to the summit; leaves broad and flat.

1. O. melanocárpa, Muhl. Leaves lanceolate, taper-pointed; sheaths bearded in the throat; panicle simple or sparingly branched; awn thrice the length of the blackish glume (nearly 1´ long).--Rocky woods, N. Eng. to Penn., Minn., Mo., and westward. Aug.--Culm 2--3° high.

[*][*] Styles united below, slender; culms tufted, naked; leaves concave or involute.

2. O. asperifòlia, Michx. (Pl. 8, fig. 1, 2.) Culms (9--18´ high), with sheaths bearing a mere rudimentary blade, overtopped by the long and rigid linear leaf from the base; very simple panicle or raceme few-flowered; awn 2--3 times the length of the rather hairy whitish glume.--Hillsides, etc., in rich woods; common, N. Eng. to Minn., and northward. May.--Leaves without keels, rough-edged, pale beneath, lasting through the winter. Squamulæ lanceolate, almost as long as the palet!

3. O. Canadénsis, Torr. Culms slender (6--15´ high), the lowest sheaths leaf-bearing; leaves involute-thread-shaped; panicle contracted (1--2´ long), the branches usually in pairs; glume pubescent, whitish; awn short and very deciduous, or wanting.--Rocky hills and dry plains, Maine to W. New Eng., the mountains of Penn., Wisc., Minn., and northward; rare. May.--Glumes 1--2´´ long, sometimes purplish.

22. MÍLIUM, Tourn. MILLET-GRASS. (Pl. 13.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, diffusely panicled, not jointed with their pedicels, consisting of 2 equal membranaceous convex and awnless persistent glumes, with a coriaceous awnless flowering glume and narrow palet. Stamens 3. Stigmas branched-plumose. Grain not grooved, enclosed in its glume and palet, all deciduous together. (The ancient Latin name of the Millet, which however belongs to a different genus, of uncertain meaning.)

1. M. effùsum, L. Smooth perennial, 3--6° high; leaves broad and flat, thin; panicle spreading (6--9´ long); flower ovoid-oblong.--Cold damp woods and mountain meadows, N. Eng. to Ill., and northward. June. (Eu.)

23. MUHLENBÉRGIA, Schreber. DROP-SEED G. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, in contracted or rarely in open panicles. Empty glumes mostly acute or bristle-pointed, persistent, usually thin; the lower rather smaller or minute. Flower very short-stalked or sessile, the glume and palet usually minutely bearded at base, herbaceous, deciduous with the enclosed grain, often equal, the glume 3-nerved, mucronate or awned at the apex. Stamens 3. (Dedicated to the Rev. Dr. Henry Muhlenberg, a distinguished American botanist of the early part of this century.)

§ 1. MUHLENBERGIA proper. Panicles contracted or glomerate, on branching rigid culms from scaly creeping rootstocks; leaves short and narrow.

[*] Flowering glume barely mucronate or sharp-pointed.

1. M. sobolífera, Trin. Culms ascending (1--2° high), rarely branching; the simple contracted panicle very slender or filiform; lower glumes barely pointed, almost equal, one third shorter than the flower; flowering glume abruptly short-mucronate, equalling the palet.--Open rocky woods, Mass. to Mich., Minn., and southward. Aug.--Spikelets less than 1´´ long.

2. M. glomeràta, Trin. Culms upright (1--3° high), sparingly branched or simple; panicle (2--3´ long) oblong-linear, contracted into an interrupted glomerate spike, long-peduncled, the branches sessile; glumes awned, nearly equal, and (with the bristle-like awn) about twice the length of the unequal very acute flowering glume and palet.--Bogs and wet rocks, common, especially northward. Aug.--Var. RAMÒSA, Vasey. A stout strict much-branched leafy form, the lower glumes but little longer than the flower. Ill. to Dak.

3. M. Mexicàna, Trin. Culms ascending, much branched (2--3° high); panicles lateral and terminal, often included at the base, contracted, the branches densely spiked-clustered, linear (green and purplish); lower glumes awnless, sharp-pointed, unequal, the upper about the length of the very acute flowering one.--Low grounds; common. Aug. Varies with more slender panicles.

[*][*] Flowering glume bristle-awned from the tip; flowers short-pedicelled.

[+] Lower glumes long and bristle-pointed.

4. M. sylvática, Torr. & Gray. (Pl. 8, fig. 1, 2.) Culms ascending, much branched and diffusely spreading (2--4° long); contracted panicles densely many-flowered; lower glumes almost equal, bristle-pointed, nearly as long as the flowering one, which bears an awn twice or thrice the length of the spikelet.--Low or rocky woods; common. Aug., Sept.

5. M. ambígua, Torr. Culms ascending, clustered and branching, 1° high; panicles contracted, densely many-flowered; spikelet 2-flowered, the upper flower like the lower and perfect, or more frequently reduced to a mere awn at the base of the lower flower; lower glumes nearly equal, long-pointed; flowering glume villous, as long as the lower and equalling the palet, its awn nearly twice longer.--Minn. (shore of Elysian Lake, Waseca Co., Geyer).--A remarkable species, approaching Brachyelytrum in the structure of the spikelet, but with wholly the habit of Muhlenbergia.

[+][+] Lower glumes short or minute, not or scarcely pointed.

6. M. Willdenòvii, Trin. Culms upright (3° high), slender, simple or sparingly branched; contracted panicle slender, loosely flowered; lower glumes slightly unequal, short-pointed, half the length of the flowering one, which bears an awn 3--4 times the length of the spikelet.--Rocky woods; rather common. Aug.

7. M. diffùsa, Schreber. (DROP-SEED. NIMBLE WILL.) (Pl. 8, fig. 3--5.) Culms diffusely much branched (8--18´ high); contracted panicles slender, rather loosely many-flowered, terminal and lateral; empty glumes extremely minute, the lower obsolete, the upper truncate; awn once or twice longer than the flowering glume.--Dry hills and woods, from S. New Eng. to Mich., Iowa, and southward. Aug., Sept.--Spikelets only 1´´ long.

§ 2. TRICHÓCHLOA. Panicle very loose and open, the long branches and pedicels capillary; leaves narrow, often convolute-bristle-form.

8. M. capillàris, Kunth. (HAIR-GRASS.) Culm simple, upright (2° high) from a fibrous root; panicle capillary, expanding (6--20´ long, purple); empty glumes unequal, the lower mostly pointless, the upper more or less bristle-pointed, one third or half the length of the long-awned flowering glume.--Sandy soil, W. New Eng. to N. J., Ky., Mo., and southward. Sept.--Pedicels 1--2´ long, scarcely thicker than the awns, which are about 1´ long.

24. BRACHYÉLYTRUM, Beauv. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, with a conspicuous filiform pedicel of an abortive second flower about half its length, nearly terete, few, in a simple appressed racemed panicle. Lower glumes unequal, persistent, usually minute, or the lower one almost obsolete. Flowering glume and palet chartaceo-herbaceous, involute, enclosing the linear-oblong grain, somewhat equal, rough with scattered short bristles, the first 5-nerved, extended into a long straight awn, the palet 2-pointed; the awn-like sterile pedicel partly lodged in the groove on its back. Stamens 2; anthers and stigmas very long.--Perennial, with simple culms (1--3° high) from creeping rootstocks, downy sheaths, broad and flat lanceolate pointed leaves, and spikelets ½´ long without the awn. (Name composed of βραχύς, short, and ἔλυτρον, husk, from the minute glumes.)

1. B. aristàtum, Beauv. Rocky woods; common. June.--Var. ENGELMÁNNI, Gray, is a western form, with the second glume awn-pointed, nearly half the length of the flowering one.

25. HELEÓCHLOA, Host. (Pl. 7.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, crowded in a dense spike or spike-like panicle. Lower glumes persistent, membranaceous, acute, ciliate-carinate, awnless; flowering glume similar, a little longer, and a little exceeding the palet. Stamens 3.--Low cespitose annuals; spike often scarcely exserted from the upper sheath. (Name from ἕλος, a meadow, and χλόα, grass.)

H. SCHŒNOÌDES, Host. Usually nearly prostrate and tufted; leaves rather rigid, tapering to a sharp point; spike oblong, thick, 7--20´´ long. (Crypsis schœnoides, Lam.)--Waste places, N. J. to Del. (Nat. from Eu.)

26. PHLÈUM, L. CAT'S-TAIL GRASS. (Pl. 7.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, in a very dense cylindrical spike-like panicle. Lower glumes persistent, membranaceous, folded-carinate, subtruncate, mucronate or short-awned; flowering glume hyaline, shorter, truncate. Stamens 3. Styles distinct.--Perennials. (From φλέως, a Greek name for a kind of reed.)

P. PRATÉNSE, L. (TIMOTHY. HERD'S-GRASS in New Eng. and N. Y.) Tall; spike long-cylindrical; lower glumes ciliate on the back, tipped with a short bristle.--Meadows, commonly cultivated for hay. (Nat. from Eu.)

1. P. alpìnum, L. Low; spike ovate-oblong; lower glumes strongly ciliate on the back, tipped with a rough awn about their own length.--Alpine tops of the White Mountains, N. H., and high northward. (Eu.)

27. ALOPECÙRUS, L. FOXTAIL GRASS. (Pl. 7.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, jointed on the pedicel. Lower glumes boat-shaped, strongly compressed and keeled, nearly equal, united at base, equalling or exceeding the flowering glume, which is awned on the back below the middle; palet mostly wanting! Stamens 3. Styles mostly united. Stigmas long and feathered.--Clusters contracted into a cylindrical and soft dense spike; perennial. (Name from ἀλώπηξ, fox, and οὐρά, tail, from the shape of the spike.)

A. PRATÉNSIS, L. (MEADOW FOXTAIL.) Culm upright, smooth (2° high); the upper leaf much shorter than its inflated sheath; spike stout, 1½--2½´ long; flowering glume equalling the acute lower glumes; awn exserted more than half its length, twisted.--Meadows and pastures, eastward. May. (Nat. from Eu.)

A. GENICULÀTUS, L. (FLOATING F.) (Pl. 7, fig. 1--4.) Culm ascending, often bent at the lower joints; upper leaf as long as its sheath; spike slender, 1--2´ long; flowering glume rather shorter than the obtuse lower glumes, the awn from near its base and projecting front half to twice its length beyond it.--Moist meadows, eastward. June--Aug. (Nat. from Eu.)

Var. aristulàtus, Torr. The awn very slender and scarcely exserted. (A. aristulatus, Michx.)--In water and wet places; common. June--Aug.

28. SPORÓBOLUS, R. Br. DROP-SEED GRASS. RUSH-GRASS. (Pl. 7.)

Spikelets small, 1- (rarely 2-) flowered, in an open or contracted or spiked panicle. Lower glumes persistent, 1--3-nerved, not awned or pointed, the lower smaller; flowering glume of the same texture as the lower ones (membranaceo-chartaceous) and usually longer than they, naked, awnless and mostly pointless, 1-nerved (rarely somewhat 3-nerved); palet similar, 2-nerved. Stamens chiefly 3. Stigmas simply feathery. Grain globular to oblong or cylindrical, deciduous, often very thin, containing the loose seed.--Culms wiry or rigid. Leaves involute, the throat usually bearded, and sheaths often enclosing the panicles. (Name from σπορά, seed, and βάλλω, to cast forth.)

[*] Panicle contracted, often simple; grain oval or oblong; perennial, except n. 2.

1. S. ásper, Kunth. Culms tufted (2--4° high); lowest leaves very long, rigid, rough on the edges, tapering to a long involute and thread-like point, the upper short, involute; sheaths partly or at first wholly enclosing the contracted panicle; flower much longer than the unequal lower glumes; grain oval or oblong. (Vilfa aspera, Beauv.)--Sandy fields and dry hills, especially southward. Sept.--Spikelets 2--3´´ long. Flowering glume and palet rough above, smooth or hairy below, the palet tapering upward, acute, and one half to twice longer than the glume, or else obtuse and equalled or even considerably exceeded by the glume!

2. S. vaginæflòrus, Vasey. (Pl. 7, fig. 4, 5.) Culms slender (6--12´ high), ascending; leaves involute-awl-shaped (1--4´ long); panicles simple and spiked, the lateral and often the terminal concealed in the sheaths; flowering glume and palet somewhat equal, acute, about the length of the nearly equal lower glumes, only {1/3} longer than the oval grain. (Vilfa vaginæflora, Torr.)--Barren and sandy dry fields; common, especially southward. Sept.

3. S. cuspidàtus, Torr. Erect culms and appressed leaves more slender than in the preceding; panicle exserted, very simple and narrow; spikelets smaller, the lower glumes acuminate, little shorter than the cuspidate upper one. (Vilfa cuspidata, Torr.)--Maine (on the St. John's River, G. L. Goodale); also Iowa, Minn., and common westward.

4. S. depauperàtus, Vasey. Resembling n. 3, but the culms decumbent at base and matted, the leaves short and usually widely spreading, and the lower glumes barely acute, not half the length of the upper one.--W. Minn. to Kan., and southwestward.

5. S. Virgínicus, Kunth. Culms tufted, slender (5--12´ long), often procumbent, branched; leaves convolute, rigid; palets rather shorter than the nearly equal acute glumes. (Vilfa Virginica, Beauv.)--Sandy seashore, Virginia (Clayton) and southward.--Spikelets much smaller and more numerous than in the others.

6. S. mìnor, Vasey. Culms tufted, very slender, geniculate and ascending, simple, 1° high; leaves short and narrow; peduncles little exserted from the sheaths; spikelets (1½--2´´ long) in a very narrow simple compressed panicle (1--2´ long), not crowded; glumes and palet nearly equal, acute or somewhat acuminate.--Va. to N. C., Tenn. and Tex.

S. ÍNDICUS, R. Br. Culms stout, erect, 2--3° high; leaves elongated, attenuate; panicle very narrow, 6--18´ long, the densely crowded spikelets ½´´ long.--On ballast, and naturalized southward. (From Trop. Am.)

[*][*] Panicle pyramidal, open; glumes very unequal; grain globose, utricular; perennials.

7. S. júnceus, Kunth. Leaves involute, narrow, rigid, the lowest elongated; culm (1--2° high) naked above, bearing a narrow loose panicle; empty glumes ovate, rather obtuse, the lower one half as long as, the upper equalling, the nearly equal flowering glume and palet.--Dry soil, Penn. to Wisc. and Minn., and (chiefly) south to Fla. Aug.--Spikelets 1--2´´ long, shining.

8. S. heterólepis, Gray. Leaves involute-thread-form, rigid, the lowest as long as the culm (1--2°) which is naked above; panicle very loose; empty glumes very unequal; the lower awl-shaped (or bristle-pointed from a broad base) and somewhat shorter, the upper ovate-oblong and taper-pointed and longer, than the equal flowering glume and palet.--Dry soil, Conn. and N. Y. to Minn., Neb., and Mo. Aug.--Plant exhaling an unpleasant scent (Sullivant), stouter than the last, the spikelets thrice larger. Utricle 1´´ in diameter, shining, thick and coriaceous!

9. S. cryptándrus, Gray. (Pl. 7, fig. 1--3.) Culm 2--3° high; leaves flat, pale (2´´ wide); the pyramidal lead-colored panicle bursting from the upper sheath which usually encloses its base, its spreading branches hairy in the axils; spikelets 1´´ long; upper empty glume lanceolate, rather acute, twice the length of the lower one, as long as the nearly equal flowering glume and palet; sheaths strongly bearded at the throat.--Sandy shores, coast of New Eng. and of the Great Lakes, Minn. to Kan., and westward. Aug., Sept.

10. S. airoìdes, Torr. Culm tufted, often stout, erect, ½--3° high; leaves strongly revolute and attenuate, rather rigid; panicle open and diffuse, broadly pyramidal, glabrous; spikelets solitary on slender pedicels, 1´´ long; lower glumes unequal, rather obtuse.--Neb. to Tex., and westward.

S. ASPERIFÒLUS, Thurb., a similar but smaller species, with thinner and shorter leaves very rough on the margin, the inflorescence scabrous, and spikelets smaller, with the glumes nearly equal, is very common westward, and probably occurs within our limits--as also S. CONFÙSUS, Vasey (S. ramulosus of authors, not Kunth), a low slender annual, with very short culms and a delicate diffuse panicle, the very small spikelets (½´´ long) on filiform-clavate pedicels.

[*][*][*] Empty glumes almost equal; panicle racemose-elongated, open, the pedicels capillary; sheaths naked at the throat; spikelets not unfrequently two-flowered; perennial.

11. S. compréssus, Kunth. Very smooth, leafy to the top; culms tufted, stout, very flat; sheaths flattened, much longer than the internodes; leaves erect, narrow, conduplicate-channelled; empty glumes acutish, about one third shorter than the obtuse flowering one.--Bogs, on Long Island and in the pine-barrens of N. J. Sept.--Forming strong tussocks, 1--2° high. Panicle 8--12´ long; spikelets 1´´ long, purplish.

12. S. serótinus, Gray. Smooth; culms very slender, flattish (8--15´ high), few-leaved; leaves very slender, channelled; panicle soon much exserted, the diffuse capillary branches scattered; glumes ovate, obtuse, about half the length of the flower.--Sandy wet places, Maine to N. J. and Mich. Sept.--A very delicate grass; the spikelets half a line long.

29. AGRÓSTIS, L. BENT-GRASS. (Pl. 7.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, in an open panicle. Empty glumes somewhat equal, or the lower rather longer, usually longer than the flowering one, pointless. Flowering glume and palet very thin, pointless, naked; the first 3--5-nerved, frequently awned on the back; the palet often minute or none. Stamens chiefly 3. Grain (caryopsis) free.--Culms usually tufted, slender; root commonly perennial. (Name from ἀγρός, a field, the place of growth.)

§ 1. AGROSTIS proper. Palet manifest, but shorter than the glume.

A. ÁLBA, L. (FIORIN or WHITE BENT-GRASS.) Rootstocks creeping or stoloniferous; culms 1--2° high, often decumbent at base; leaves short, flat, the ligule long and acute; panicle contracted after flowering, greenish, purplish or brownish, the branches slightly rough; flowering glume nearly equalling the empty ones, 3-nerved, rarely short-awned, the palet about half as long.--Meadows and fields, a valuable grass; naturalized from Eu. and cultivated, and perhaps native north and westward.

Var. VULGÀRIS, Thurb. (RED TOP. HERD'S-GRASS of Penn., etc.) (Pl. 7, fig. 1, 2.) Panicle more or less spreading after flowering; ligule short and truncate. (A. vulgaris, With.)--Low meadows and pastures; nat. from Eu. and cultivated, also perhaps indigenous.

1. A. arachnoìdes, Ell. Culms (1° high) and leaves very slender; panicle open, weak and drooping; glumes nearly equal, roughish on the keel and margins, the flowering glume shorter, with 2 minute bristles at the truncate apex and a long exceedingly delicate awn on the back above the middle; palet minute.--Mo. to Ky., Tenn., and S. Car.

2. A. exaràta, Trin. Culms erect, 1--2° high; leaves mostly erect; panicle narrow, crowded, greenish, the rays mostly flower-bearing to the base; spikelets 1½--2´´ long; glumes nearly equal, acute, the flowering ones shorter, sometimes awned above the middle.--Wisc. (Vasey) to Sask., and far westward.

§ 2. TRICHÒDIUM. Palet abortive, minute, or none.

3. A. elàta, Trin. Culms firm or stout (2--3° high); leaves flat (1--2´´ wide); upper ligules elongated (2--3´´ long); spikelets crowded on the branches of the spreading panicle above the middle (1½´´ long); flowering glume awnless, slightly shorter than the rather unequal lower ones; the palet wanting.--Swamps, N. J. and southward. Oct.

4. A. perénnans, Tuckerm. (THIN-GRASS.) Culms slender, erect from a decumbent base (1--2° high); leaves flat (the upper 4--6´ long, 1--2´´ wide); panicle at length diffusely spreading, pale green; the branches short, divided and flower-bearing from or below the middle; flowering glume awnless (rarely short-awned), shorter than the unequal lower ones; the palet minute or obsolete.--Damp shaded places. July, Aug.--Spikelets, etc., as in n. 5, into which it seems to vary.

5. A. scàbra, Willd. (HAIR-GRASS.) (Pl. 7, fig. 3.) Culms very slender, erect (1--2° high); leaves short and narrow, the lower soon involute (the upper 1--3´ long, less than 1´´ wide); panicle very loose and divergent, purplish, the long capillary branches flower-bearing at and near the apex; flowering glume awnless or occasionally short-awned on the back, shorter than the rather unequal very acute empty ones; the palet minute or obsolete; root biennial?--Exsiccated places; common. June--Aug.--Remarkable for the long and divergent capillary branches of the extremely loose panicle; these are whorled, rough with very minute bristles (under a lens), as also the keel of the glumes. Spikelets 1´´ long. A dwarf mountain form occurs, growing in tufts in hollows of rocks, etc.--A variety (?) from about the White Mountains, etc. (var. montana, Tuckerm.), has a more or less exserted awn.

6. A. canìna, L. (BROWN BENT-GRASS.) Culms 8´--2° high; root-leaves involute-bristle-form, those of the culm flat and broader; panicle loose; lower glumes slightly unequal, ovate-lanceolate, very acute, the flowering one exsertly awned on the back at or below the middle; spikelets brownish or purplish, rarely pale or greenish (1--1½´´ long).--Meadows, sparingly naturalized eastward. A mountain form with shorter and more spreading panicle (A. Pickeríngii & A. concinna, Tuckerm., A. canina, var. alpina, Oakes, & Ed. 2, and essentially A. rubra, L. ex Wahl., and A. borealis, Hartm.) is indigenous on mountain-tops, Maine to N. Y.; also an ampler form in the Alleghanies of Penn. and southward (A. rupéstris, Chapman, etc.). July--Aug. (Eu.)

30. POLYPÒGON, Desf. BEARD-GRASS. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, in a contracted, mostly spike-like panicle. Empty glumes nearly equal, long-awned, much longer than the membranaceous flowering one which is commonly short-awned below the apex. Stamens 3. Grain free. (Name composed of πολύ, much, and πωγών, beard.)

P. MONSPELIÉNSIS, Desf. Panicle interrupted; lower glumes oblong, the awn from a notch at the summit, the flowering one also awned; root annual.--Isles of Shoals (Robbins), ballast heaps, and southward. (Nat. from Eu.)

31. CÍNNA, L. WOOD REED-GRASS. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, much flattened, crowded in an open flaccid panicle. Empty glumes persistent, lanceolate, acute, strongly keeled, rough-serrulate on the keel; the lower rather smaller, the upper a little exceeding the flower, which is manifestly stalked, smooth and naked; flowering glume much like the lower, longer than the palet, usually short awned or mucronate on the back below the pointless apex. Stamen one, opposite the 1-nerved palet! Grain linear-oblong, free.--A perennial, rather sweet-scented grass, with simple and upright somewhat reed-like culms (2--7° high), bearing an ample compound terminal panicle, its branches in fours or fives; the broadly linear-lanceolate flat leaves (4--6´´ wide) with conspicuous ligules. Spikelets green, often purplish-tinged. (From κίννα, a name in Dioscorides for a kind of grass.)

1. C. arundinàcea, L. (Pl. 8, fig. 1, 2.) Panicle 6--15´ long, rather dense, the branches and pedicels spreading in flower, afterward erect; spikelets 2½--3´´ long.; awn of the glume either obsolete or manifest.--Moist woods and shaded swamps; rather common. July, Aug.

2. C. péndula, Trin. Panicle loose and more slender, the branches nearly capillary and drooping in flower; pedicels very rough; glumes thinner, the lower less unequal; spikelets 1½--2´´ long; palet obtuse. (C. arundinacea, var. pendula, Gray.)--Deep damp woods, N. New Eng. to Lake Superior and northward, and on mountains southward. (Eu.)

32. APÈRA, Adans.

With the characters of Agrostis; distinguished by the presence of a second rudimentary flower in the form of a short bristle, and by the 2-toothed palet little shorter than the flowering bifid glume, which is dorsally awned.--A rather late annual, with narrow flat leaves, and a contracted or spreading panicle with numerous filiform branches and very numerous small shining spikelets. (Name from ἄπηρος, unmaimed; application obscure.)

A. SPÌCA-VÉNTI, Beauv. Spikelets ½--1´´ long.--Sparingly naturalized. (Nat. from Eu.)

33. CALAMAGRÓSTIS, Adans. REED BENT-G. (Pl. 8.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, and (in our species) often with a pedicel or rudiment of a second abortive flower (rarely 2-flowered), in an open or spiked panicle. Lower glumes mostly membranaceous, keeled or boat-shaped, often acute, commonly nearly equal, and exceeding the flower, which bears at the base copious white bristly hairs; flowering glume thin, bearing a slender awn on the back or below the tip, or sometimes awnless; the palet mostly shorter. Stamens 3. Grain free.--Perennials, with running rootstocks, and mostly tall and simple rigid culms. (Name compounded of κάλαμος, a reed, and ἀγρόστις, a grass.)

§ 1. DEYEÙXIA. Rudiment of a second flower present in the form of a plumose or hairy small pedicel behind the palet (very rarely more developed and having a glume or even stamens); glumes membranaceous, or the flowering one thin and delicate, the latter 3--5-nerved and awn-bearing.

[*] Panicle loose and open, even after flowering; the mostly purple-tinged or lead-colored strigose-scabrous glumes not closing in fruit; copious hairs of the rhachis about equalling the flowering glume, not surpassed by those of the rudiment; awn delicate, straight.

1. C. Canadénsis, Beauv. (BLUE-JOINT GRASS.) (Pl. 8, fig. 1, 2.) Culm tall (3--5° high); leaves flat when fresh, glaucous; panicle oblong; glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute, 1¼--1½´´ long; awn from near the middle of the upper glume, not exceeding and scarcely stouter than the basal hairs. (Deyeuxia Canadensis, Hook. f.)--Wet grounds; common northward. July.

2. C. Langsdórffii, Trin. Spikelets larger, 2½--3´´ long; glumes lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate and gradually taper-pointed; awn stouter; otherwise like the preceding, (Deyeuxia Langsdorffii, Kunth.)--Mountains of N. New Eng., L. Superior, and northward. (Eu.)

[*][*] Panicle strict, its short branches appressed or erect after flowering, and the glumes mostly closed; flowering glume less delicate, roughish, sometimes of as firm texture as the lower; awn stouter.

[+] Leaves narrow, inclined to be involute; awn straight.

3. C. strícta, Trin. Panicle glomerate and lobed, strict, 2--4´ long; glumes 1½--2´´ long, ovate-oblong, not acuminate; hairs scarcely or little shorter than the flower, and as long as those of the rudiment; awn from the middle of the thin flowering glume or lower, and barely exceeding it. (Deyeuxia neglecta, Kunth?)--Mountains of N. New Eng., Lake Superior, and north and westward. (Eu.)

4. C. Lappónica, Trin. Culm and rootstocks stouter than in C. stricta; the narrow panicle less dense, and purplish spikelets larger; glumes fully 2´´ long, tapering to a point; awn from much below the middle of the glume, stout. (Deyeuxia Lapponica, Kunth.)--Isle Royale, Lake Superior, to Lab., north and westward. Aug. (Eu.)

[+][+] Leaves broader, flat; awn stouter, bent, divergent, or twisted when dry.

5. C. confìnis, Nutt. Tall; panicle elongated (4--6´), its rather slender branches spreading at flowering-time, afterward appressed; glumes lance-oblong, very acute, 2´´ long, pale; hairs of the flower copious, equal, slightly or one third shorter than the thin flowering glume and than those of the rudiment; awn borne much below the middle of the glume, somewhat surpassing it; grain glabrous. (Deyeuxia confinis, Kunth.)--Swamps, N. and W. New York (especially Penn Yan, Sartwell) and Penn.; Minn., and westward. July.

6. C. Nuttalliàna, Steud. Culm stout (3--5° high); panicle contracted and spike-like; glumes lanceolate and tapering into slender awl-shaped tips, 3´´ long; hairs on the lower side scanty and barely half the length of the firm and keeled flowering glume, on the other side longer and equalling the copious tuft on the summit of the rudiment; awn borne half-way between the middle and the tapering tip of the glume, stout, not twisted; grain bearded at the top. (Deyeuxia Nuttalliana, Vasey.)--Moist grounds, E. New Eng. to Penn., Va., and southward. Aug.

7. C. Pórteri, Gray. Culm slender (2--4° high); a woolly-bearded ring at the junction of the broadly linear leaves with the sheath; panicle long and narrow, with the branches appressed; glumes lanceolate, acute, pale, 2--2½´´ long; hairs of the flower and of the short rudiment scanty, and both reaching about to the middle of the flower behind the palet, but very short or none at the base of the firm-membranaceous flowering glume, which bears near its base a twisted awn of its own length. (Deyeuxia Porteri, Vasey.)--Dry woods, Pulpit Rocks and vicinity, Huntingdon Co., Penn., Prof. T. C. Porter.

8. C. Pickeríngii, Gray. Culm 1--1½° high; leaves short; panicle pyramidal, purplish; glumes ovate-oblong, bluntish or bluntly pointed (1½--2´´ long); hairs both of the flower and of the rudiment very short and scanty, one fourth or fifth the length of the flower, none behind the obtuse flowering glume, which bears between its middle and base a short stout (straight or bent, not twisted) awn. (Deyeuxia Pickeringii, Vasey.)--White Mts., in the alpine region of Mt. Washington, and a more luxuriant form with smaller spikelets at Echo Lake, Franconia; Andover, Mass. (J. Robinson); Cape Breton.

§ 2. CALAMOVÍLFA. Rudiment of second flower wanting; glumes and palet rather chartaceous, compressed-keeled; flowering glume 1-nerved, entirely awnless; palet strongly 2-keeled; panicle at length open and loose.

9. C. brevípilis, Gray. Branches of the diffuse pyramidal panicle capillary (purplish); empty glumes orate, mucronate; the upper slightly, the lower nearly one half shorter than the flowering glume and palet, which are more than twice the length of the hairs and bristly-bearded along the keels. (Ammophila brevipilis, Benth.)--Sandy swamps, pine-barrens of N. J.; rare. Sept.--Culm 2--4° high; leaves nearly flat; spikelets 2´´ long.

10. C. longifòlia, Hook. Culm (1--4° high) stout, from thick running rootstocks; leaves rigid, elongated, involute above and tapering into a long thread-like point; panicle at first close, becoming open and pyramidal, the branches smooth; glumes lanceolate, the upper as long as the flower, the lower ¼ shorter; the copious hairs more than half the length of the naked flower. (Ammophila longifolia, Benth.)--Sands, along the upper Great Lakes, from Ill. and Mich. to Dak., Kan., and westward. Aug.--Spikelets 2½--3´´ long.

34. AMMÓPHILA, Host. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets large, in a contracted spike-like panicle, 1-flowered, with a pedicel-like rudiment of a second flower (plumose above), the flower hairy-tufted at base. Empty glumes scarious-chartaceous, lanceolate, compressed-keeled, nearly equal; flowering glume and palet similar, a little shorter, the glume 5-nerved, slightly mucronate or obscurely awned near the tip, the palet 2-keeled.--A coarse perennial maritime species, with running rootstocks. (Name from ἄμμος, sand, and φιλέω, to love.)

1. A. arundinàcea, Host. (SEA SAND-REED.) Culm stout and rigid (2--3° high) from firm running rootstocks; leaves long, soon involute; panicle contracted into a dense cylindrical spike (5--9´ long); spikelets 5--6´´ long; hairs only one third of the length of the flower. (Calamagrostis arenaria, Roth.)--Sandy beaches, N. J. to Maine and northward, and on the Great Lakes. Aug. (Eu.)

35. ARRHENATHÈRUM, Beauv. OAT-GRASS. (Pl. 12.)

Spikelets open-panicled, 2-flowered, with the rudiment of a third flower; the middle flower perfect, its glume barely bristle-pointed from near the tip; the lowest flower staminate only, bearing a long bent awn below the middle of the back (whence the name, from ἄῤῥην, masculine, and ἀθήρ, awn);--otherwise as in Avena, of which it is only a peculiar modification.

A. AVENÀCEUM, Beauv. Root perennial; culm 2--4° high; leaves broad, flat; panicle elongated; glumes scarious, very unequal.--Meadows and lots; absurdly called Grass of the Andes. May--July. (Nat from Eu.)

36. HÓLCUS, L. (partly). MEADOW SOFT-GRASS. (Pl. 12.)

Spikelets crowded in an open panicle, 2-flowered; the boat-shaped membranaceous glumes enclosing and much exceeding the remotish flowers. Lower flower perfect, its papery or thin-coriaceous glume awnless and pointless; the upper flower staminate, otherwise similar, but bearing a stout bent awn below the apex. Stamens 3. Styles plumose to the base. Grain free. (A name in Pliny for a kind of grass, from ὁλκός, attractive, of obscure application.)

H. LANÀTUS, L. (VELVET-GRASS.) Perennial, soft-downy and pale; panicle oblong; upper empty glume mucronate-awned under the apex; awn of the staminate flower curved.--Moist meadows. June. (Nat. from Eu.)

37. AÌRA, L. HAIR-GRASS.

Spikelets very small, in an open diffuse panicle, of 2 perfect contiguous flowers. Glumes thin-membranaceous, the two lower persistent, nearly equal, acute, keeled; the flowering ones obscurely nerved, acutely 2-cleft at the apex, bearing a slender twisted awn below the middle. Stamens 3. Styles plumose to the base. Grain oblong, adnate.--Low annuals, with short setaceous leaves. (An ancient Greek name for Darnel.)

A. CARYOPHÝLLEA, L. Culms 5--10´ high, bearing a very diffuse panicle of purplish and at length silvery scarious spikelets.--Dry fields, Nantucket; also Newcastle, Del., W. M. Canby. (Nat. from Eu.)

A. PRÆ̀COX, L. Culms tufted, 3--4´ high; branches of the small and dense panicle appressed; awn from below the middle of the glume.--Sandy fields, N. J. to Va.; rare. (Nat. from Eu.)

38. DESCHÁMPSIA, Beauv. (Pl. 12.)

Spikelets small, panicled, of 2 perfect flowers and the hairy pedicel or rudiment of a third (rarely staminate); rhachis hairy. Empty glumes persistent, membranaceous and shining, carinate, acute, nearly equal; flowering glumes toothed or erose-denticulate at the truncate summit, usually delicately 3--5-nerved, with a slender twisted awn near or below the middle. Grain oblong, free.--Root perennial. (Named for Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, a French botanist.)

[*] Empty glumes somewhat shorter than the flowers.

1. D. flexuòsa, Trin. (COMMON HAIR-GRASS.) (Pl. 12, fig. 1--3.) Culms slender, nearly naked (1--3° high) above the small tufts of involute bristle-form root-leaves (1--6´ long); branches of the small spreading panicle capillary; awn longer than the palet, at length bent and twisted. (Aira flexuosa, L.)--Dry places; common. June. (Eu.)

2. D. cæspitòsa, Beauv. Culm tufted (2--4° high); leaves flat, linear; panicle pyramidal or oblong (6´ long); awn straight, barely equalling the glume. (Aira cæspitosa, L.)--Shores of lakes and streams; N. Eng. to Penn., Mich., and northward. June, July. (Eu.)

[*][*] Empty glumes longer than the flowers, 2--2½´´ long.

3. D. atropurpùrea, Scheele. Culms 8--15´ high, weak; leaves flat, rather wide; panicle of few spreading branches; awn stout, twice longer than the nerveless truncate ciliolate-denticulate glume. (Aira atropurpurea, Wahl.)--Alpine summits of N. H. and N. Y., to Lab. and northward. Aug. (Eu.)

39. TRISÈTUM, Persoon. (Pl. 12.)

Spikelets 2--several-flowered, often in a contracted panicle; the flowering glume compressed-keeled, of about the same thin-membranaceous texture as the empty glumes, bearing a bent or flexuous (rarely twisted) awn at or below the sharply 2-toothed or 2-pointed apex (whence the name, from tris, three, and seta, a bristle); otherwise nearly as in Avena. Ours are perennials.

1. T. subspicàtum, Beauv., var. mólle, Gray. (Pl. 12, fig. 1, 2.) Minutely soft-downy; panicle dense, much contracted, oblong or linear (2--3´ long); glumes about the length of the 2--3 smooth flowers; awn dorsal, diverging, much exserted.--Mountains and rocky river-banks, N. New Eng. to L. Superior, and northward. July.--About 1° high; leaves flat, short. (Eu.) (Addendum)--Trisetum subspicatum, var. molle, is reported from Roan Mt., N. C. (Scribner), and probably occurs on the higher Alleghanies northward.

2. T. palústre, Torr. Smooth; panicle rather long and narrow (5´ long), loose, the branches capillary; spikelets flat (3´´ long); lower glumes shorter than the two smooth lanceolate flowers; the upper flower on a slightly hairy joint of the rhachis, with a slender spreading or bent awn next the short 2-pointed tip, the lower commonly awnless or only mucronate-pointed.--Low grounds, southern N. Y. to Ill., and southward. June.--Culm slender, 2--3° high; leases flat, short; spikelets yellowish-white, tinged with green.

40. AVÈNA, Tourn. OAT. (Pl. 12.)

Spikelets 2--many-flowered, panicled; the flowers herbaceo-chartaceous, or becoming harder, of firmer texture than the large and mostly unequal empty glumes; the uppermost flower imperfect; rhachis and base of the flower often bearded. Flowering glume rounded on the back, mostly 5--11-nerved, bearing a long usually bent or twisted awn on the back or between the two acute teeth at the apex, proceeding from the mid-nerve only. Stamens 3. Grain oblong-linear, grooved on one side, usually hairy at least at the top, free, but invested by the palet. (The classical Latin name.)

[*] Spikelets large (1´ long); annual.

A. FÁTUA, L. Resembling the common oat (A. sativa), the few spikelets in a loose panicle, mostly pendulous; flowering glumes covered with long brownish hairs and bearing a bent awn 1--2´ long.--Wisc., Minn. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*][*] Smaller-flowered perennials.

1. A. striàta, Michx. (Pl. 12, fig. 1, 2.) Glabrous and smooth throughout, slender (1--2° high); leaves narrow; ligule short, truncate; panicle simple, loose; spikelets (6´´ long) on capillary pedicels, 3--6-flowered, much exceeding the scarious-margined purple acute empty glumes; lower glume 1-, upper 3-nerved; rhachis smooth; flowers short-bearded at base; flowering glume 7-nerved, much longer than the ciliate-fringed palet (4´´ long), mostly shorter than its soon bent or divergent awn, which rises just below the tapering very sharply cuspidate 2-cleft tip.--Rocky, shaded hills, N. New Eng., N. Y., and northwestward. June.

2. A. Smíthii, Porter. Taller (2½--4½° high), rather stout; leaves broadly linear (3--6´´ wide) and taper-pointed, flat, and with the sheaths and culm retrorsely scabrous; ligule elongated, acute; panicle larger (6--12´ long), the few branches at length spreading; empty glumes slightly purplish, the lower 3-nerved, the upper 5-nerved, scabrous on the nerves; rhachis minutely hispid; flowers (3--5) naked at base; awn straight, {1/3}--½ the length of the 7-nerved glume.--N. Mich. and Isle Royale, L. Superior. April, May.

41. DANTHÒNIA, DC. WILD OAT-GRASS. (Pl. 12.)

Flowering glume (oblong or ovate, rounded-cylindraceous, 7--9-nerved) bearing between the sharp-pointed or awn-like teeth of the tip an awn usually composed of the 3 middle nerves, which is flattish and spirally twisting at base; otherwise nearly as in Avena. Empty glumes longer than the imbricated flowers. Ours perennials, 1--2° high, with narrow and soon involute leaves, hairy sheaths bearded at the throat, and a small simple panicle or raceme of about 7-flowered spikelets. (Named for Danthoine, a French botanist.)

1. D. spicàta, Beauv. (Pl. 12, fig. 1--3.) Culms tufted, low; leaves short, very narrow; spikelets few, 3--5´´ long, subspicate; flowering glume loosely hairy, its teeth short and pointless.--Dry and sterile or rocky soil.

2. D. serícea, Nutt. Culms taller and not tufted (1--3° high), terete; leaves larger, at least the sheaths silky-villous; spikelets more numerous and panicled, 6--9´´ long; flowering glume very silky-villous, tipped with slender awn-pointed teeth.--Dry or moist sandy soil, southern Mass., N. J., and southward; rare. June.

3. D. compréssa, Aust. Culms slender, 2° high, somewhat compressed, paler and subcaniculate on the narrower side; leaves elongated, very narrow, villous only at the summit of the sheath; spikelets 6--12, loosely panicled, 5´´ long; flowering glume loosely hairy or pubescent, the teeth very long-awned.--Dry banks; Vt. (Pringle); E. Mass., N. Y., Penn., and mountains of N. C.

42. CÝNODON, Richard. BERMUDA or SCUTCH-GRASS. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, with a mere naked short-pedicelled rudiment of a second flower, imbricate-spiked on one side of a flattish rhachis; the spikes usually digitate at the naked summit of the flowering culms. Empty glumes keeled, pointless, rather unequal; flowering glume and palet pointless and awnless, the glume larger, boat-shaped. Stamens 3.--Low diffusely branched and extensively creeping perennials, with short flattish leaves. (Name composed of κύων, a dog, and ὀδούς, a tooth.)

C. DÁCTYLON, Pers. Spikes 3--5; flowering glume smooth, longer than the blunt rudiment.--Penn., and southward, where it is cultivated for pasturage. (Nat. from Eu.)

43. CTÉNIUM, Panzer. TOOTHACHE-GRASS. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets densely imbricated in two rows on one side of the flat curved rhachis of the solitary terminal spike. Glumes persistent; the lower (interior) much smaller; the other concave below, bearing a stout recurved awn, like a horn, on the middle of the back. Flowers 4--6, all but one neutral; the one or two lower consisting of empty awned glumes, and the one or two uppermost of empty awnless glumes; the perfect flower intermediate, its glume membranaceous, awned or mucronate below the apex and densely ciliate toward the base, 3-nerved. Stamens 3. Stigmas plumose. (Name κτενίον, a small comb, from the pectinate appearance of the spike.)

1. C. Americànum, Spreng. Culm (3--4° high from a perennial root) simple, pubescent or roughish; larger glume warty-glandular outside, conspicuously awned.--Wet pine-barrens, S. Va. and southward.--Taste very pungent.

44. GYMNOPÒGON, Beauv. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets of one perfect flower, and the rudiment of a second (consisting of an awn-like pedicel mostly bearing a naked bristle), sessile and remotely alternate on long filiform rays or spikes, which form a crowded naked raceme. Glumes lance-awl-shaped, keeled, almost equal, rather longer than the membranaceous flowering glume, which is cylindrical-involute, with the midrib produced from just below the 2-cleft apex into a straight and slender bristle-like awn; palet nearly as long, with the abortive rudiment at its base. Stamens 3. Stigmas pencil-form, purple.--Root perennial. Leaves short and flat, thickish, 1--3´ long. (Name composed of γυμνός, naked, and πώγων, a beard, alluding to the reduction of the abortive flower to a bare awn.)

1. G. racemòsus, Beauv. (Pl. 9, fig. 1, 2.) Culms clustered from a short rootstock (1° high), wiry, leafy; leaves oblong-lanceolate; spikes flower-bearing to the base (5--8´ long), soon divergent; awn of the abortive flower shorter than its stalk, equalling the pointed glumes, not more than half the length of the awn of the fertile flower.--Sandy pine-barrens, N. J. to Va., and southward. Aug., Sept.

2. G. brevifòlius, Trin. Filiform spikes long-peduncled, i.e. flower-bearing only above the middle; flowering glume ciliate near the base, short-awned; awn of the abortive flower obsolete or minute; glumes acute.--Sussex Co., Del., and southward.

45. SCHEDONNÁRDUS, Steud. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets small, acuminate, 1-flowered, appressed-sessile and scattered along one side of the slender rhachis of the distant sessile and divaricately spreading spikes. Empty glumes persistent, narrow, acuminate, more or less unequal, the longer usually a little shorter than the rather rigid acuminate flowering one. Stamens 3. Styles distinct. Grain linear.--A low slender annual, branching from the base, with short narrow leaves. (Name from σχεδόν, near, and Nardus, from its resemblance to that genus.)

1. S. Texànus, Steud. Stem (6--20´ long) naked and curved above, bearing 3--9 racemosely disposed thread-like and triangular spikes 1--3´ long; spikelets 1½´´ long. (Lepturus paniculatus, Nutt.)--Open grounds and salt-licks, Ill. to Mont., Col., and Tex. Aug.

46. BOUTELOÙA, Lagasca. MUSKÍT-GRASS. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets crowded and closely sessile in 2 rows on one side of a flattened rhachis, comprising one perfect flower below and one or more sterile (mostly neutral) or rudimentary flowers. Glumes convex-keeled, the lower one shorter. Perfect flower with the 3-nerved glume 3-toothed or cleft at the apex, the 2-nerved palet 2-toothed; the teeth, at least of the former, pointed or subulate-awned. Stamens 3; anthers orange-colored or red.--Rudimentary flowers mostly 1--3-awned. Spikes solitary, racemed or spiked; the rhachis somewhat extended beyond the spikelets. (Named for Claudius Boutelou, a Spanish writer upon floriculture and agriculture.)

§ 1. CHONDRÒSIUM. Spikes pectinate, of very many spikelets, oblong or linear, very dense, solitary and terminal or few in a raceme; sterile flowers 1--3 on a short pedicel, neutral, consisting of 1--3 scales and awns.

1. B. oligostàchya, Torr. Glabrous, perennial (6--12´ high); leaves very narrow; spikes 1--5, the rhachis glabrous; glumes all sparingly soft-hairy, the lobes awl-pointed; sterile flower copiously villous-tufted at the summit of the naked pedicel, its 3 awns equalling the larger glume.--N. W. Wisc. to Dak., and south to Tex. and Mex.--Glumes obscurely if at all papillose along the keel, the middle lobe of the flowering one 2-cleft at the tip. Sterile flowers often 2, the second mostly a large awnless scale, becoming hood-like and coriaceous.

2. B. hirsùta, Lag. Tufted (8--20´ high), perennial; leaves flat, lance-linear, papillose-hairy or glabrous; spikes 1--4; upper empty glume hispid with strong bristles from dark warty glands; flowering glume pubescent, 3-cleft into awl-pointed lobes; sterile flower and its pedicel glabrous, the 3 awns longer than the glumes and fertile flower.--Sandy plains, Ill., Wisc., Minn., and southwestward to Mex.

§ 2. ATHEROPÒGON. Spikes short, numerous in a long and virgate one-sided spike or raceme, spreading or reflexed, each of few (4--12) spikelets; sterile flowers neutral, rudimentary.

3. B. racemòsa, Lag. (Pl. 9, fig. 1, 2.) Culms tufted from perennial rootstocks (1--3° high); sheaths often hairy; leaves narrow; spikes ½´ or less in length, nearly sessile, 20--60 in number in a loose general spike (8--15´ long); flowers scabrous; glume of the fertile with 3 short awl pointed teeth; sterile flower reduced to a single small awn, or mostly to 3 awns shorter than the fertile flower, and 1 or 2 small or minute scales. (B. curtipendula, Gray.)--Dry hills and plains, southern N. Y. to Minn., and south to Tex. and Mex. July--Sept.--Passes by transitions into var. ARISTÒSA, with spikes shorter; sterile flower of a large saccate glume, awned at the 2-cleft tip and from the lateral nerves, the middle awn exserted, and with a rudiment of a palet.--Ill. (Geyer), and southward.

47. ELEUSÌNE, Gaertn. CRAB-GRASS. YARD-GRASS. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets 2--6-flowered, with a terminal imperfect flower or naked rudiment, closely imbricate-spiked on one side of a flattish rhachis; the spikes digitate. Glumes membranaceous, shorter than the flowers; flowering glume and palet awnless, the glume ovate, keeled, larger than the palet. Stamens 3. Pericarp (utricle) containing a loose wrinkled seed.--Low annuals, with flat leaves, and flowers much as in Poa. (Name from Ἐλευσίν, the town where Ceres, the goddess of harvests, was worshipped.)

E. ÍNDICA, Gaertn. (DOG'S-TAIL or WIRE GRASS.) (Pl. 9, fig. 1--6.) Culms ascending, flattened; spikes 2--5 (about 2´ long, greenish); glumes pointless; terminal flower a mere rudiment.--Yards, etc., chiefly southward. (Nat. from Ind.?)

E. ÆGYPTÌACA, Pers. (Pl. 9, fig. 1--4, as Dactyloctenium.) Culms often creeping at base; leaves ciliate at base; spikes 4--5; lower glume awned and the flowering one pointed. (Dactyloctenium Ægyptiacum, Willd.)--Cultivated fields and yards, Va., Ill., and southward. (Adv. from Afr.?)

48. LEPTÓCHLOA, Beauv. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets 3--many-flowered (the uppermost flower imperfect), loosely spiked on one side of a long filiform rhachis; the spikes racemed. Glumes menbranaceous, keeled, rarely awned, nearly equal; flowering glume 3-nerved, sometimes simply awned, larger than the palet. Stamens 2 or 3. Seed closely enclosed.--Ours annuals. Leaves flat. (Name composed of λεπτός, slender, and χλόα, grass, from the long attenuated spikes.)

1. L. mucronàta, Kunth. Sheaths hairy; spikes numerous (20--40, 2--4´ in length), in a long panicle-like raceme; spikelets small; glumes more or less mucronate, nearly equalling or exceeding the 3--4 awnless flowers.--Fields, Va. to Ill., Mo., and southward. Aug.

49. BÙCHLOË, Engelm. BUFFALO GRASS. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets diœcious (rarely monœcious), very unlike; the staminate 2--3-flowered, sessile in 2 rows in short 1-sided spikes, the empty glumes blunt, 1-nerved, very unequal, the flowering larger, 3-nerved, a little exceeding the 2-nerved palet; fertile spikelets 1-flowered, in a contracted, capitate, 1-sided spike, the large outer glumes indurated, 3-fid at the apex, united at base and resembling an involucre, the inner (lower) much smaller and membranaceous, or in the lowest spikelet resembling the outer; flowering glume narrow, hyaline, bifid or nearly entire, enclosing the 2-nerved palet. Styles distinct. Grain ovate, free.--A perennial, creeping or stoloniferous, with narrow flat leaves; staminate spikes (2--3) in a pedunculate spike, the pistillate pair sessile in the broad sheaths of the upper leaves. (Name a contraction of Bubalochloë, from βούβαλος, buffalo, and χλόη, grass.)

1. B. dactyloìdes, Engelm. Low (3--8´ high) and broadly tufted; sterile spikes 3--6´´ long, the fertile heads 3´´ long.--Plains of the Sask. to Minn., Kan., and Tex. One of the most valuable grasses of the plains.

50. TRIÒDIA, R. Br. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 3--12-flowered, somewhat terete, the rhachis with bearded joints; terminal flower abortive. Empty glumes unequal; flowering glumes membranaceous or somewhat chartaceous, much larger than the 2-toothed palet, convex, 2--3-toothed or cleft at the apex, conspicuously hairy-bearded or villous on the 3 strong nerves, of which the lateral are marginal or nearly so and usually excurrent, as is the mid-nerve especially, into a short cusp or awn. Stamens 3. Stigmas dark purple, plumose. Grain oblong, nearly gibbous.--Leaves taper-pointed; sheaths bearded at the throat. Panicle simple or compound; the spikelets often racemose, purplish. (Name from τρι-, three, and ὀδούς, a tooth, alluding to the flowering glume.)

§ 1. TRIODIA proper. Glumes shorter than the crowded flowers, the flowering one 3-cuspidate by the projection of the nerves, and usually with intermediate membranaceous teeth; palet naked.

1. T. cùprea, Jacq. (TALL RED-TOP.) Perennial; culm upright (3--5° high), very smooth, as are the flat leaves; panicle large and compound, the rigid capillary branches spreading, naked below; spikelets very numerous, 5--7-flowered, shining, purple (4´´ long); the flowering glumes hairy toward the base, their points almost equal, scarcely exceeding the intermediate teeth, thus appearing 5-toothed. (Tricuspis seslerioides, Torr.)--Dry or sandy fields, southern N. Y. to Mo., and southward. Aug.--A showy grass, with the spreading panicle sometimes 1° wide.

§ 2. TRIPLÀSIS. Glumes much shorter than the somewhat remote flowers; flowering glume and palet strongly fringe-bearded, the glume 2-cleft at the summit, its mid-nerve produced into an awn between the truncate or awn-pointed divisions.

2. T. purpùrea, Hack. (SAND-GRASS.) Culms many in a tuft from the same annual root, ascending (6--12´ high), with numerous bearded joints; leaves involute-awl-shaped, mostly short; panicles very simple, bearing few 2--5-flowered spikelets, the terminal one usually exserted, the axillary ones included in the commonly hairy sheaths; awn much shorter than the glume, seldom exceeding its eroded-truncate or obtuse lateral lobes. (Tricuspis purpurea, Gray.)--In sand, Mass. to Va. along the coast, and southward; also L. Erie, near Buffalo, and Ill. Aug., Sept.--Plant acid to the taste.

51. DIPLÁCHNE, Beauv. (Pl. 9.)

Spikelets several-flowered, narrow, erect and scattered along the slender rhachis of the long spicate spikes; flowers all perfect or the uppermost staminate. Empty glumes membranaceous, carinate, acute, unequal; flowering glume slightly longer, 1--3-nerved, 2-toothed, and mucronate or shortly awned between the teeth. Stamens 3. Styles distinct. Grain free.--Coarse grasses, with narrow flat leaves, and several or many slender spikes sessile upon an elongated peduncle. (Name from διπλόος, double, and ἄχνη, in the sense of chaff, with reference to the 2-lobed glume.)

1. D. fasciculàris, Beauv. Smooth; leaves longer than the geniculate-decumbent and branching culms, the upper sheathing the base of the panicle-like spike, which is composed of many strict spikes (3--5´ long); spikelets slightly pedicelled, 7--11-flowered, much longer than the lanceolate glumes; flowers hairy-margined toward the base, the glume with 2 small lateral teeth and a short awn in the cleft of the apex. (Leptochloa fascicularis, Gray.)--Brackish meadows, from R. I. southward along the coast, and from Ill. southward on the Mississippi. Aug.--Sept.

52. PHRAGMÌTES, Trin. REED. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets 3--7-flowered; the flowers rather distant, silky-villous at base, and with a conspicuous silky-bearded rhachis, all perfect and 3-androus, except the lowest, which is either neutral or with 1--3 stamens, and naked. Glumes membranaceous, shorter than the flowers, lanceolate, keeled, sharp-pointed, very unequal; flowering glume and palet membranaceous, slender, the glume narrowly awl-shaped, thrice the length of the palet. Squamulæ 2, large. Styles long. Grain free.--Tall and stout perennials, with long running root-stocks, numerous broad leaves, and a large terminal panicle. (Φραγμίτες, growing in hedges, which this aquatic grass does not.)

1. P. commùnis, Trin. Panicle loose, nodding; spikelets 3--5-flowered; flowers equalling the beard.--Edges of ponds. Sept.--Looks like Broom-Corn at a distance, 5--12° high; leaves 2´ wide. (Eu.)

53. ARÚNDO, L.

Flowers all perfect; flowering glume bifid, short-awned between the teeth. Otherwise as Phragmites. (The Latin name of the species.)

A. DÒNAX, L. Very tall (10--18°); spikelets 3--4-flowered.--Closely resembling Phragmites communis. Cultivated for ornament, and naturalized in Bedford Co., Va. (A. H. Curtiss.) (Nat. from Eu.)

54. MÚNROA, Torr. (Pl. 16.)

Spikelets usually 3-flowered, few (2--4) and nearly sessile in the axils of floral leaves; flowers perfect, or the uppermost abortive. Empty glumes lanceolate, acute, hyaline and 1-nerved; flowering glumes larger, 3-nerved, rather rigid, the mid-nerve stout, excurrent, the lateral ones scarcely so.--Low or prostrate many-stemmed annuals, fasciculately branched, with crowded short flat rigid or pungent leaves, the short sheaths strongly striate. (Named for the English agrostologist, Maj.-Gen. William Munro.)

1. M. squarròsa, Torr. Glaucous, somewhat pubescent and villous at the nodes or glabrous; leaves 3--12´´ long.--Dry plains, central Kan. to Dak., west to Mont., Utah, and New Mex.

55. KŒLÈRIA, Pers. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 3--7-flowered, crowded in a dense and narrow spike-like panicle. Glumes membranaceous, compressed-keeled, obscurely 3-nerved, barely acute, or the flowering glume often mucronate or bristle-pointed; the empty ones moderately unequal, nearly as long as the spikelet. Stamens 3. Grain free.--Tufted with simple upright culms, the sheaths often downy; allied to Dactylis and Poa. (Named for Prof. G. L. Koeler, an early writer on Grasses.)

1. K. cristàta, Pers. Culms 1--2° high; leaves flat, the lower sparingly hairy or ciliate; panicle narrowly spiked, interrupted or lobed at base; spikelets 2--4-flowered; flowering glume acute or mucronate.--Var. GRÁCILIS, Gray, with a long and narrow spike, the flowers usually barely acute.--Dry hills, Penn. to Ill. and Kan., thence north and westward. (Eu.)

56. EATÒNIA, Raf. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets usually 2-flowered, with an abortive rudiment or pedicel, numerous, in a contracted or slender panicle, very smooth. Empty glumes somewhat equal in length, but very dissimilar, a little shorter than the flowers; the lower narrowly linear, keeled, 1-nerved; the upper broadly obovate, folded round the flowers, 3-nerved on the back, not keeled, scarious-margined. Flowering glume oblong, obtuse, compressed-boat-shaped, naked, chartaceous; the palet very thin and hyaline. Stamens 3. Grain linear-oblong, not grooved.--Perennial, tall and slender grasses, with simple tufted culms, and often sparsely downy sheaths, flat lower leaves, and small greenish (rarely purplish) spikelets. (Named for Prof. Amos Eaton, author of a popular Manual of the Botany of the United States, which was for a long time the only general work available for students in this country, and of other popular treatises.)

[*] Upper empty glume rounded-obovate and very obtuse; panicle usually dense.

1. E. obtusàta, Gray. (Pl. 10.) Panicle dense and contracted, somewhat interrupted, rarely slender; the spikelets crowded on the short erect branches; upper glume rough on the back; flowers lance-oblong.--Dry soil, N. Penn. to Fla., Mich., and far westward. June, July.

[*][*] Glume narrower, sometimes acutish; panicle more loose and slender.

2. E. Pennsylvánica, Gray. Leaves mostly 3--6´ long; panicle long and slender, loose, the racemose branches lax and somewhat elongated; glumes thin and broadly scarious, the lowest half the length of the flower, very narrow, the upper obtuse or bluntly somewhat pointed; the 2 (rarely 3) flowers lanceolate, with pointed glumes.--Varies, with a fuller panicle, 6--8´ long, with the aspect of Cinna (var. MÀJOR, Torr.); and, rarely, with the lower palet minutely mucronate-pointed!--Moist woods and meadows; common.

3. E. Dudlèyi, Vasey. Culms very slender; leaves shorter, 1--2´ long; panicle very slender, the branches few, short and mostly appressed; empty glumes nearly equal, the lower oblong, the upper broadly elliptical, apiculate; flowering glumes shorter than in n. 2, acutish.--Long Island to central N. Y., south to S. C.

57. ERAGRÓSTIS, Beauv. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 2--70-flowered, nearly as in Poa, except that the flowering glume is but 3- (rarely 1-) nerved, not webby-haired at the base, and is deciduous; palet persistent on the rhachis after the rest of the flower has fallen.--Culms often branching. Leaves linear, frequently involute, and the ligule or throat of the sheath bearded with long villous hairs. Panicle various. (Name from ἦρ, spring, and ἄγροστις, a grass.)

[*] Prostrate and creeping, much branched; root annual; spikelets flat, imperfectly diœcious, clustered, almost sessile, in the more fertile plant almost capitate.

1. E. réptans, Nees. Spikelets linear-lanceolate, 10--30-flowered; flowers lance-ovate, acute; leaves short, almost awl-shaped.--Gravelly river-borders; common. Aug.--Flowering branches 2--5´ high.

[*][*] Diffusely spreading, or the flowering culms ascending, low (6--15´ high), annual; spikelets often large, flat, forming a narrow crowded panicle.

E. MÌNOR, Host. Sheaths often hairy; leaves flat, smooth; spikelets short-pedicelled, lance- or oblong-linear, 8--20-flowered, lead-colored (2--5´´ long); flowers ovate, obtuse, the lateral nerves becoming evident, and keel smooth. (E. poæoides, Beauv.)--Sandy waste places, eastward; rare. (Nat. from Eu.)

E. MÀJOR, Host. Sheaths mostly glabrous; spikelets larger (3--10´´ long), becoming linear, whitish when old, 10--50-flowered; flowers more spreading, their glumes larger, with very strong lateral nerves and rough on the keel. (E. poæoides, var. megastachya, Gray.)--Similar situations, and more common. Aug.--Emits a sharp, unpleasant odor. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*][*][*] Erect, or in group [+] diffusely spreading and ascending; panicle open, its branches capillary; spikelets proportionally small, sometimes minute. (Number of flowers in the spikelet very variable, according to age, etc.)

[+] Annual; culms slender, branching and decumbent or spreading at base; leaves narrow, flat, soft; branches of the narrow panicle rather short and thickly-flowered, not bearded in the axils, or sometimes the lowest sparingly.

E. PILÒSA, Beauv. (Pl. 10, fig. 1--4.) Panicle elongated-oblong, with rather erect branches (except at flowering-time); spikelets 5--12-flowered (2--4´´ long, purplish-lead-color), becoming linear, about equalling their pedicels; empty glumes (small) and flowering ones obtuse, the latter broadly ovate, 1-nerved (lateral nerves obsolete).--Sandy or gravelly waste places, S. New Eng. to Ill., and southward. Aug.--Plant 6--12´ high. (Nat. from Eu.)

2. E. Fránkii, Meyer. Much branched and diffuse (3--8´ high); panicle ovate-oblong, rather dense, spreading; spikelets 2--5-flowered (1--1½´´ long), on slender pedicels; glumes very acute; the flowering one ovate, acute, rather obscurely 3-nerved.--Low or sandy ground, S. Penn. to Kan., and southwestward. Aug.

3. E. Púrshii, Schrader. Sparingly branched at the decumbent base, then erect (½--2° high); panicle elongated, the branches widely spreading, very loose; spikelets 5--18-flowered, oblong-lanceolate, at length linear (2--4½´´ long), mostly much shorter than their capillary pedicels; glumes all ovate and acute, or the flowering ones acutish, 3-nerved.--Sandy or sterile open grounds, Penn. to Mo., and southwestward; also introduced northward.

[++] Culms simple, or branching only at the very base, firm, erect, mostly forming thick tufts; leaves very long; panicle very large, compound, often longer than the culm, with elongated loosely-flowered branches, their axils often bearded. (Doubtful perennials, or n. 5 annual.)

4. E. ténuis, Gray. Panicle virgately elongated (1--2½° long), very loose, the spreading branches bearded in some of the lower axils, their remote divisions and long diverging pedicels capillary; spikelets 2--6- (sometimes 7--12-) flowered, pale or greenish; lower glumes lanceolate or awl-shaped, very acute (1½--2´´ long), membranaceous, as are the oblong-lanceolate acute flowers; flowering glume distinctly 3-nerved; the upper ciliate-scabrous.--Sandy soil, Ohio to Ill., Kan., and southward. Aug.--Oct.--Leaves rather rigid, 1½--2° long, glabrous or sparingly hairy; the sheaths hairy or glabrous; the throat strongly bearded; flowers much larger than in the next, fully 1½´´ long.

5. E. capillàris, Nees. Panicle widely expanding, usually much longer than the culm, its spreading branches (mostly naked in the axils) and long diverging pedicels capillary; spikelets rather terete, very small, 2--4-flowered, greenish or purplish; glumes and flowers ovate, acute (less than 1´´ long); flowering glume obscurely 3-nerved, scarcely keeled; the palet rough-ciliate.--Sandy dry soil and fields; common, especially southward. Aug., Sept.--Leaves and sheaths very hairy, or nearly glabrous; the former about 1° long, not rigid; panicle 1--2° long, soon diffuse.

6. E. pectinàcea, Gray. Panicle widely diffuse, its rigid divergent main branches bearded in the axils; the capillary pedicels more or less appressed on the secondary branches; spikelets flat, 5--15-flowered, becoming linear, purple or purplish; glumes and flowers ovate or oblong-ovate, acutish; flowering glume strongly 3-nerved; palet hirsute-ciliate.--Leaves long, rigid, mostly hairy, the sheaths especially so; plant 1--3° high; spikelets 2--3´´ long, 1´´ wide, closely flowered.--Var. SPECTÁBILIS, Gray. Leaves and sheaths mostly glabrous; branches of the panicle (the lower reflexed with age) and pedicels shorter; spikelets rather larger.--Sandy dry ground, from E. Mass. near the coast, and from Ohio and Ill., southward. Aug.--Oct.

7. E. campéstris, Trin. Glabrous or the sheaths villous at the throat; culm short, bearing an elongated and very open panicle with divaricate branches bearded at base; spikelets linear, flat, 8--12-flowered, sessile or nearly so along the branchlets; glumes very acute or acuminate, 3-nerved, roughish on the keel; palet minutely ciliate. (E. pectinacea, var. refracta, Chapm. Poa refracta, Ell.)--Del. and Md. to Fla. and Ala.

58. MÉLICA, L. MELIC-GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 2--8-flowered; the 1--3 upper flowers imperfect and dissimilar, convolute around each other, and enwrapped by the upper fertile flower. Empty glumes usually large, scarious-margined, convex, obtuse; the upper 7--9-nerved. Flowering glume papery-membranaceous, dry and sometimes indurating with age, rounded or flattish on the back, 5--many-nerved, scarious at the entire blunt summit. Stamens 3.--Perennials with soft flat leaves. Panicle simple or sparingly branched; the rather large spikelets racemose-one-sided. (An old Italian name for Sorghum, from mel, honey.)

1. M. mùtica, Walt. (Pl. 10.) Slender, with usually narrow leaves, the panicle often reduced to a simple raceme; lower glumes nearly equal and almost equalling the spikelet; fertile flowers usually 2; flowering glumes broad, smooth, obtuse.--Rich soil, Penn. to Fla., west to Wisc., Iowa, and Tex.

2. M. diffùsa, Pursh. Taller, 2½--4° high, with mostly broader leaves and a more usually compound and many-flowered panicle; lower glumes more unequal, the outer very broad; fertile flowers usually 3; flowering glumes somewhat scabrous and more acute. (M. mutica, var. diffusa, Gray.)--Penn. to Ill., and southward.

(Addendum) 3. M. Pórteri, Scribn. Tall and slender; panicle very narrow, the slender branches erect or the lower slightly divergent; pedicels flexuous or recurved, pubescent; glumes very unequal and shorter than the spikelet; fertile flowers 3--5, the glumes scabrous.--Mountains of Col. and southward; reported from Cass Co., Neb. (J. G. Smith).

59. DIARRHÈNA, Raf. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets several-flowered, smooth and shining, one or two of the uppermost flowers sterile. Empty glumes ovate, much shorter than the flowers, coriaceous; the lower much smaller; flowering glume ovate, convex on the back, rigidly coriaceous, its 3 nerves terminating in a strong and abrupt cuspidate or awl-shaped tip. Squamulæ ovate, ciliate. Stamens 2. Grain very large, obliquely ovoid, obtusely pointed, rather longer than the glume, the cartilaginous shining pericarp not adherent to the seed.--A nearly smooth perennial, with running rootstocks, producing simple culms (2--3° high) with long linear-lanceolate flat leaves toward the base, naked above, bearing a few short-pedicelled spikelets (2--3´´ long) in a very simple panicle. (Name composed of δίς, two, and ἄῤῥην, man, from the two stamens.)

1. D. Americàna, Beauv. Shaded river-banks and woods, Ohio to Ill., and southward. Aug.

60. UNÌOLA, L. SPIKE-GRASS. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets closely many-flowered, very flat and 2-edged; 3--6 of the lowest glumes empty, lanceolate, compressed-keeled; flowering glume coriaceo-membranaceous, strongly laterally compressed and keeled, striate-nerved, usually acute or pointed, entire, enclosing the much smaller compressed 2-keeled palet and the free laterally flattened smooth grain. Stamen 1 (or in U. paniculata 3).--Upright smooth perennials, growing in tufts from strong creeping rootstocks, with broad leaves and large spikelets in an open or spiked panicle. (Ancient name of some plant, a diminutive of unio, unity.)

[*] Spikelets large (½--2´ long), ovate or oblong, 9--30-flowered; panicle open.

1. U. paniculàta, L. (SEA OATS.) Culm and panicle elongated (4--8° high); leaves narrow, when dry convolute; spikelets ovate, short-pedicelled; glumes glabrous, bluntish, several of the lower sterile; stamens 3.--Sand-hills on the sea shore, S. Va. and southward.

2. U. latifòlia, Michx. (Pl. 11, fig. 1--3) Culm 2--4° high; panicle loose; leaves broad and flat (nearly 1´ wide); spikelets at length oblong, hanging on long pedicels; glumes acute, ciliate on the keel, all but the lowest with perfect monandrous flowers.--Shaded slopes, S. Penn. to Ill., and southward.

[*][*] Spikelets small; panicle contracted, wand-like; perfect flowers long-pointed.

3. U. grácilis, Michx. Culm 3° high, slender; spikelets short-pedicelled (2--3´´ long), broadly wedge-shaped, acute at base, 4--8-flowered; glumes ovate and divergently beaked, long, the 3 lowest empty.--Sandy soil, from Long Island to Va., near the coast, and southward. Aug.

61. DISTÍCHLIS, Raf. SPIKE-GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets and numerous flowers compressed, crowded in a densely spiked or capitate panicle. Glumes herbaceous or membranaceous, the lower faintly many-nerved; flowering glumes rather coriaceous, laterally much flattened, faintly many-nerved, acute. Ovary stalked.--Flowers diœcious, rather large. Leaves crowded, involute, usually rigid. (Name from δίστιχος, two-ranked.)

1. D. marítima, Raf. Culms tufted from creeping rootstocks (9--18´ high); spike oblong, flattened (1´ long); spikelets ovate or oblong, 5--10-flowered; glumes smooth and naked; grain pointed. (Brizopyrum spicatum, Hook.)--Salt marshes and shores. Aug.--Glumes of the pistillate flowers more rigid and almost keeled; stigmas very long, plumose; the staminate glumes smaller and somewhat rounded on the back. (Addendum)--Distichlis maritima. On alkaline soil in Neb., and very common in similar localities west and southwestward; chiefly the var. STRÍCTA, Thurb., with setaceously convolute leaves, the many- (10--20-) flowered spikelets in a loose panicle.

62. DÁCTYLIS, L. ORCHARD GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets several-flowered, crowded in one-sided clusters, forming a branching dense panicle. Glumes all herbaceous, keeled, awn-pointed, rough-ciliate on the keel; the flowering one 5-nerved, the upper most commonly smaller and thinner. Stamens 3. Grain lance-oblong, acute, free.--Stout tufted perennial; leaves keeled. (Dactylos, a name in Pliny for a grass with digitate spikes, from δάκτυλος, a finger.)

D. GLOMERÀTA, L. Rough, rather glaucous (3° high); leaves broadly linear; branches of the panicle naked at base; spikelets 3--4-flowered.--Fields and yards, especially in shade. June. (Nat. from Eu.)

63. BRÌZA, L. QUAKING GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets many-flowered, ovate or heart-shaped, flattish-tumid; the flowers closely imbricated. Glumes roundish, unequal, purplish, very concave or ventricose, 3--5-nerved; the flowering ventricose on the back, heart-shaped at the base, papery-membranaceous and becoming dry, scarious-margined, obscurely many-nerved; the palet much smaller, ovate, flat. Stamens 3. Stigmas branched-plumose. Grain flattened parallel with the glumes, adhering to the palet.--Leaves flat; panicle loose, diffuse, with large showy spikelets often drooping on delicate pedicels. (Βρίζα, the Greek name of a kind of grain.)

B. MÈDIA, L. Panicle erect, the branches spreading; spikelets 5--9-flowered (3´´ long); lower glumes shorter than the first flowering one; root perennial.--Pastures; sparingly eastward. June. (Adv. from Eu.)

64. PÒA, L. MEADOW-GRASS. SPEAR-GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets ovate or lance-ovate, laterally compressed, several- (2--10-) flowered, in an open panicle. Empty glumes mostly shorter than the flowers, the lower smaller; flowering glume membranaceo-herbaceous, with a delicate scarious margin, compressed-keeled, pointless, 5-nerved (the intermediate nerves more obscure or obsolete), the principal nerves commonly clothed with soft hairs at and toward the often cobwebby base; palet membranaceous, 2-toothed. Stamens 2 or 3. Stigmas simply plumose. Grain oblong, free.--Culms tufted, from perennial roots, except n. 1. Leaves smooth, usually flat and soft. (Πόα, an ancient Greek name for grass or fodder.)

[*] Low and spreading (3--6´ high) from an annual or biennial root, flaccid; branches of the short panicle single or in pairs.

P. ÁNNUA, L. (LOW SPEAR-GRASS.) Culms flattened; panicle often 1-sided, usually short and pyramidal, sometimes more slender (P. cristata, Chapm.); spikelets crowded, very short-pedicelled, 3--7-flowered.--Cultivated and waste grounds, everywhere. April--Oct. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*][*] Low; the culms (6--20´ long) geniculate-ascending from a running rootstock, rigid, very much flattened; panicle simple and contracted.

P. COMPRÉSSA, L. (WIRE-GRASS. ENGLISH BLUE-GRASS.) (Pl. 10, fig. 1--4.) Pale, as if glaucous; leaves short; panicle dense and narrow, somewhat one-sided (1--3´ long), the short branches mostly in pairs; spikelets almost sessile, 3--10-flowered, flat.--Dry, mostly sterile soil, in waste places; rarely in woods. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*][*][*] Low alpine or alpestrine species, erect, in perennial tufts.

[+] Soft and flaccid, smooth or nearly so, even to the branches of the panicle; leaves short and flat, short-pointed; ligule elongated.

1. P. alpìna, L. Culms rather stout (8--14´ high); leaves broadly linear, especially those of the culm (1½--2´ long, 1½--3´´ wide); panicle short and broad; spikelets broadly ovate, 3--9-flowered (about 3´´ long); flowering glume villous on the midrib and margins.--N. Maine (?), Isle Royale and north shore of Lake Superior, and northward. (Eu.)

2. P. láxa, Haenke. Culms slender (4--9´ high); leaves narrow; panicle somewhat raceme-like, narrow, often one-sided and nodding; spikelets 2--4-flowered, one half smaller.--Alpine mountain-tops of Maine, N. H., and N. New York, and high northward (Eu.)

[+][+] More strict and rigid, roughish, especially the panicle; ligule short.

3. P. nemoràlis, L. Culms 6--20´ high; leaves narrow, short, soon involute; branches of the panicle 2--5 together, very scabrous; spikelets purplish (or sometimes pale), 2--5-flowered; lower glumes ovate-lanceolate and taper-pointed, the flowering lanceolate, somewhat webby at base, villous on the keel and margins below the middle, its nerves obscure. (P. cæsia, Smith.)--The more common form has a usually narrow somewhat nodding panicle, with short ascending branches, the small pale or purplish spikelets 2-flowered. Lab. to N. Maine and N. Vt.; Lake Champlain (Pringle); N. shore of L. Superior to N. Iowa, and westward.--A form with somewhat stouter and stricter habit, the darker or often pale spikelets 3--5-flowered (P. cæsia, var. strictior, Gray), corresponds nearly to the European P. cæsia. High mountains of N. H. and Vt., and Gardner's Island, L. Champlain (C. E. Faxon), Isle Royale and N. shore of L. Superior, and westward.--Also a form with the branches of the short panicle broadly divaricate; N. Wisc. (Lapham). (Eu.)

[*][*][*][*] Taller (1--3°) meadow or woodland grasses; panicle open.

[+] Spikelets mostly very numerous and crowded on the rather short rough branches (usually in fives) of the oblong or pyramidal panicle, green, or sometimes violet-tinged; flowers acute, crowded, more or less webbed at base.

4. P. serótina, Ehrhart. (FALSE RED-TOP. FOWL MEADOW-GRASS.) Culms tufted without running rootstocks; leaves narrowly linear, soft and smooth; ligules elongated; spikelets 2--4- (rarely 5-) flowered (1--2´´ long), all short-pedicelled in an elongated panicle, often tinged with dull purple; flowers and glumes narrow; flowering glume very obscurely nerved.--Wet meadows and low banks of streams; common, especially northward. July, Aug.--A good grass for moist meadows. (Eu.)

5. P. praténsis, L. (JUNE GRASS. SPEAR GRASS. KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS.) Culms sending off copious running rootstocks from the base, and the sheaths smooth; ligule short and blunt; panicle short-pyramidal; spikelets 3--5-flowered, crowded, and mostly almost sessile on the branches, ovate-lanceolate or ovate; flowering glume 5-nerved, hairy on the margins as well as keel.--Common in dry soil; imported for pastures and meadows. Indigenous in mountain regions from N. Penn. to New Eng., and northward. May--July. (Eu.)

P. TRIVIÀLIS, L. (ROUGHISH MEADOW-GRASS.) Culms erect from a somewhat decumbent base, but no distinct running rootstocks; sheaths and leaves more or less rough; ligule oblong, acute; panicle longer or with the branches more distant; spikelets mostly 3-flowered, broader upward; flowering glume prominently 5-nerved, naked at the margins; otherwise nearly as in the preceding.--Moist meadows, etc. July. (Nat. from Eu.)

[+][+] Spikelets fewer and more scattered, on slender pedicels; plants soft and smooth, flowering early. (No running rootstocks, except in n. 10.)

[++] Spikelets small (1--2´´ long), pale green, rather loosely 2--4-flowered; flowers oblong, obtuse; flowering glume scarcely scarious-tipped; culm-leaves lance-linear, acute, 1--3´ long.

6. P. sylvéstris, Gray. Culm flattish, erect; branches of the oblong-pyramidal panicle short, numerous, in fives or more; flowering glumes villous on the keel its whole length, and on the margins below the middle, sparingly webbed at base.--Rocky woods and meadows, western N. Y. to Wisc., Kan., and southward. June.

7. P. débilìs, Torr. Culms terete, weak; branches of the small panicle few and slender (the lower l½--2´ long to the few spikelets), in pairs and threes; flowers very obtuse, smooth and glabrous, except a sparing web at base.--Rocky woodlands, R. I. to Penn. and Wisc. May.

[++][++] Spikelets 2´´ long, light green; oblong-lanceolate flowers and glumes acute.

8. P. alsòdes, Gray. Leaves rather narrowly linear, acute, the uppermost (2½--4´ long) often sheathing the base of the narrow and loose panicle, the capillary branches appressed when young, mostly in threes or fours; flowering glume very obscurely nerved, villous on the keel below, and with a narrow cobwebby tuft at base, otherwise glabrous.--Woods, on hillsides, N. Eng. to Penn. and Va., west to Wisc. May, June.

[++][++][++] Spikelets larger (3--4´´ long), pale green, rarely purple-tinged, few and scattered at the ends of the long capillary branches (mostly in pairs or threes) of the very diffuse panicle; flowers 3--6, loose, oblong and obtuse, as is the larger glume; flowering glume conspicuously scarious at the apex, villous below the middle on the keel and margins; culms flattish, smooth.

9. P. flexuòsa, Muhl. (not of Wahl.) Culms 1--3° high, tufted, its leaves all linear (2--5´ long), gradually taper-pointed; panicle very effuse (its branches 2--4´ long to the 4--6-flowered spikelets or first ramification); flowering glume prominently nerved, no web at the base.--Dry woods, Penn. and Del. to Ky., and southward. Feb.--May.--Near the last.

10. P. brevifòlia, Muhl. Culms 1--1½° high from running rootstocks, 2--3-leaved, the upper leaves very short (½--2´ long), lanceolate, all abruptly cuspidate-tipped; branches of the short panicle mostly in pairs; spikelets 3--4-flowered; flowering glume rather obscurely nerved, cobwebby at base.--Rocky or hilly woodlands, Penn., Va., and sparingly westward to Ky. and Ill. April, May.--Culm scarcely surpassing the long root-leaves.

65. GRAPHÉPHORUM, Desv. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 2--4-flowered, compressed, the rhachis pilose on one side, jointed, produced above the flowers into a hairy pedicel. Empty glumes thin-membranaceous, acute, carinate, mostly nearly equalling the remote flowers; flowering glume thin and membranaceous or scarious, convex, scarcely keeled, faintly nerved, entire, pointless and awnless. Stamens 3. Stigmas plumose. Ovary glabrous.--Perennial, with linear flat leaves, their sheaths closed at base, the spikelets in a loose panicle. (Named from γραφίς, a pencil, and φέρω, to bear, from the terminal hairy pedicel.)

1. G. melicoídeum, Desv. Culm 1--2° high; leaves roughish; panicle open; glumes unequal, lanceolate, their midrib and the pedicels rough.--N. Maine, N. Vt., Upper Mich., and northward; rare.--Var. MÀJUS, Gray, is a luxuriant form, 2--3° high, with ampler panicle; borders of a swamp, Macomb Co., Mich. Aug.

66. SCOLÓCHLOA, Link.

Spikelets 2--4-flowered, subterete. Rhachis hairy at the base of the flowers, ending in a naked pedicel. Empty glumes concave, membranaceous, unequal, the outer 3-nerved, acute, the inner 5-nerved, toothed at the apex, nearly equalling the flowers; flowering glume more rigid, prominently 7-nerved, toothed at the apex; nerves all parallel. Stamens 3. Stigmas plumose. Ovary hairy.--Tall perennials, growing in water, with loosely sheathing leaves, and spikelets in a lax panicle. (Name probably from σκῶλος, a prickle, and χλόα, grass.)

1. S. festucàcea, Link. Stout, 3--4° high, smooth; leaves rough on the margins; panicle suberect; spikelets 3--4´´ long. (Festuca borealis, Hook.)--Emmet Co., Iowa (Cratty), and northward.

67. GLYCÈRIA, R. Br. MANNA-GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets terete or flattish, several--many-flowered; the flowers mostly early deciduous by the breaking up of the rhachis into joints, leaving the short and unequal 1--3-nerved membranaceous lower glumes behind. Flowering glume and palet naked, of a rather firm texture, nearly equal; the glume rounded on the back, scarious (and sometimes obscurely toothed) at the blunt or rarely acute summit, glabrous, prominently 5--7-nerved, the nerves parallel and separate. Squamulæ fleshy and truncate, or none. Stamens commonly 2. Styles present; stigmas compoundly plumose. Ovary smooth. Grain oblong, free, the furrow very narrow or none.--Perennial smooth marsh grasses, mostly with creeping bases or rootstocks; spikelets panicled. (Name from γλυκερός, sweet, in allusion to the taste of the grain.)

[*] Spikelets ovate, oblong, or linear-oblong, 1--3´´ in length,

[+] At length nodding in an open panicle, flattish laterally but turgid.

1. G. Canadénsis, Trin. (RATTLESNAKE-GRASS.) Culm stout, 2--3° high; leaves long, roughish; panicle oblong-pyramidal, at length drooping; spikelets ovate, at length very broad and tumid, Briza-like, 2´´ long, pale, with purplish glumes; flowering glume acute or blunt-pointed, firm, with not very prominent nerves, longer than the rounded palet.--Bogs and wet places; common from Penn. to E. Kan., and northward. July.

[+][+] Erect in a narrow contracted panicle, somewhat flattened and turgid.

2. G. obtùsa, Trin. Culm stout, 1--2° high, very leafy; leaves long, smooth; panicle narrowly oblong, dense (3--5´ long); spikelets 3--7-flowered, 2--3´´ long; flowering glume obtuse.--Bogs, E. New Eng. to Penn. and southward, near the coast.

3. G. elongàta, Trin. Leaves very long (1° or more), rough; panicle narrowly racemose, elongated (1° long), recurving; the branches and 3--4-flowered spikelets appressed; flowering glume obtuse.--Wet woods, N. Eng. to Mich., Minn., and northward; Roan Mt., N. C. (Scribner). July--Aug.

[+][+][+] Diffuse; flower-glume truncate-obtuse, strongly 7-nerved; palet 2-toothed.

4. G. nervàta, Trin. (FOWL MEADOW-GRASS.) (Pl. 10, fig. 1--3.) Culm erect, 1--3° high; leaves rather long; branches of the loose panicle capillary, at length drooping, the numerous small spikelets (1--2´´ long, commonly purplish) ovate-oblong, 3--7-flowered.--Moist meadows; common. June.

5. G. pállida, Trin. Culms slender, 1--3° long, ascending from a creeping base; leaves short, sharp-pointed, pale; branches of the rather simple panicle slender, erect-spreading, rough; the spikelets usually few, somewhat appressed, oblong-linear, 5--9-flowered (pale, 2--3´´ long); flowering glume minutely 5-toothed; the palet lanceolate, conspicuously 2-toothed.--Shallow water; Maine to Va., west to Ky., Ind., and Mich.; common, especially northward. July.

6. G. grándis, Watson. (REED MEADOW-GRASS.) Culm stout, upright, 3--5° high; leaves large (1--2° long, {1/3}--½´ wide); panicle much branched, ample (8--15´ long), the numerous branches ascending, spreading with age; spikelets oblong or linear-oblong, 3--6-flowered (usually purplish, 2--3´´ long); flowering glume entire. (G. aquatica of Amer. authors.)--Wet grounds; N. Eng. to western N. Y., Mich., Minn., and westward.

[*][*] Spikelets linear (½--1´ long), pale, appressed on the branches of the long narrow racemose panicle, terete except during anthesis; palets minutely roughish, the upper 2-toothed; squamulæ unilateral or united; ligule long; culm flattened (1--5° high), ascending from a rooting base. (Glyceria, R. Br.)

7. G. flùitans, R. Br. Panicle 1° long; the simple branches appressed, finally spreading below; leaves short and rather broad, very smooth; spikelets 7--13-flowered; flowering glume oblong, obtuse, or the scarious tip acutish, entire or obscurely 3-lobed, usually rather longer than the blunt palet.--Shallow water; common. June--Aug.

8. G. acutiflòra, Torr. Spikelets 5--12-flowered, few and scattered; flowering glume oblong-lanceolate, acute, shorter than the long tapering point of the palet.--Wet places, Penn. to Maine; rather rare. June.--Resembles the last; but the erect leaves smaller, the separate flowers twice the length (4´´ long), and less nerved.

68. PUCCINÉLLIA, Parl. (Pl. 16.)

Characters as in Glyceria, but the flowering glumes inconspicuously or obsoletely 5-nerved; squamulæ thin and distinct; stigmas sessile and simply plumose; grain compressed, often broadly furrowed.--Mostly saline species; perennial. (Named for Prof. Benedetto Puccinelli, an Italian botanist.)

1. P. marítima, Parl. (GOOSE-GRASS. SEA SPEAR-GRASS.) Root stoloniferous; culms erect, 1--1½° high; leaves involute, acute or pungent; lower branches of the narrow panicle often solitary or in pairs, appressed or more or less spreading; spikelets 3--6´´ long, oblong or linear, 4--9-flowered; flowering glumes rounded at the summit, 1½´´ long. (Glyceria maritima, Wahl. Atropis maritima, Griseb.)--Marshes along the coast; not rare, and somewhat variable in the form of the panicle and size of the glumes. (Eu.)

Var. (?) mìnor, Watson. Culms low and slender, from very slender creeping rootstocks; leaves very narrow and involute; ligule long; panicle short and very narrow; spikelets 2--4-flowered, the flowers 1´´ long or less.--Shore of Mt. Desert Island (E. L. Rand); Labrador (J. A. Allen).--Probably rather a form of the western P. airoides (Poa airoides, Nutt.).

2. P. dístans, Parl. Not stoloniferous; culms rather stout, geniculate below; leaves mostly flat, short; ligule short; lower branches of the panicle in fours or fives, usually more or less naked at base, soon spreading and at length deflexed; spikelets 2--3´´ long, 3--6-flowered; flowering glume truncate-obtuse, ½--1´´ long. (Glyceria distans, Wahl. Atropis distans, Griseb.)--Salt marshes along the coast and on ballast; apparently much rarer than the last, and perhaps not native. (Eu.)

69. FESTÙCA, L. Fescue-grass. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 3--many-flowered, panicled or racemose; the flowers not webby at base. Lower glumes unequal, mostly keeled. Flowering glumes chartaceous or almost coriaceous, roundish (not keeled) on the back, more or less 3--5-nerved, acute, pointed, or often bristle-awned from the tip, rarely blunt; the palet mostly adhering at maturity to the enclosed grain. Stamens 1--3.--Flowers, and often the leaves, rather dry and harsh. (An ancient Latin name of some kind of grass, of uncertain meaning.)

[*] Flowers awl-shaped, bristle-pointed or awned from the tip; panicle contracted.

[+] Annuals or biennials, slender, 5--18´ high; leaves convolute-bristle-form.

F. MYÙRUS, L. Panicle spike-like, one-sided; spikelets about 5-flowered; lower glumes very unequal; awn much longer than the flowering glume, fully 6´´ in length; stamen 1.--Dry fields, Nantucket, Mass., to Del., and southward. July. (Nat. from Eu.)

1. F. tenélla, Willd. Panicle spike-like, one-sided, or more compound and open; spikelets 7--13-flowered; awn 1--3´´ long or more, usually shorter than or about equalling the glume; stamens 2.--Dry sterile soil, especially southward. June, July.

[+][+] Perennial, tufted, 6--24´ high; stamens 3.

2. F. ovìna, L. (SHEEP'S FESCUE.) Glaucous, ½--2° high; leaves mostly radical, very narrow and convolute; panicle somewhat one-sided, short, usually more or less compound, open in flowering; spikelets 3--8-flowered; awn not more than half the length of the flower, often much shorter or almost wanting.--Indigenous in northern New Eng., about Lake Superior, and northward; naturalized farther south as a pasture grass. June.--Varies greatly.--Var. VIVÍPARA, L. (which with us has running rootstocks), a state with the spikelets partially converted into leafy shoots, is found on the alpine summits of the White Mts., and high northward.--Var. DURIÚSCULA, Koch, is a tall form, with spikelets rather larger, usually in a more compound panicle; culm-leaves often flat or less convolute, and the lower with their sheaths either smooth or hairy. New Eng. to Va., and westward, as a naturalized plant, and indigenous northward. A native form of this variety with a lax panicle, 2--4-flowered spikelets, and slender awns nearly as long as the glume (var. rubra, of last ed.), is found on Keweenaw Peninsula (Robbins) and Isle Royale, L. Superior (Gilman). (Eu.)

[*][*] Flowers oblong or lanceolate, awnless or nearly so (1½--4´´ long); grain often free! (Root perennial; culms mostly tall; leaves flat.)

3. F. nùtans, Willd. Culm 2--4° high, naked above; leaves broadly linear, taper-pointed, dark green, often rather hairy; panicle of several long and slender spreading branches, mostly in pairs, drooping when old, rough, naked below, bearing near their extremity a few ovate 3--5-flowered spikelets (3´´ long) on pretty long pedicels; flowers ovate-oblong, rather obtuse, close together, coriaceous, smooth, very obscurely 5-nerved.--Rocky woods and copses. July.--A common form with the panicle more or less contracted and somewhat erect has been distinguished as F. Shortii.

F. ELÀTIOR, L. (TALLER or MEADOW FESCUE.) (Pl. 10, fig. 1--3.) Panicle narrow, contracted before and after flowering, erect, with short branches; spikelets crowded, 5--10-flowered; flowers rather remote, oblong-lanceolate; flowering glume 5-nerved, scarious-margined, blunt, acute, or rarely with a distinct but very short awn.--The type is large, 3--4° high; spikelets about 6´´ long, in an ample and compound panicle. Rich grass-land.--Var. PRATÉNSIS, Gray (F. pratensis, Huds.), is lower (1--3° high), with a simpler or close panicle of smaller or narrower spikelets, and abounds in grass-lands. June--Aug. (Nat. from Eu.)

F. GIGANTÈA, Vill. Erect, glabrous, 3--4° high; leaves bright green, 3--6´´ broad; panicle very loose, nodding; spikelets 3--6-flowered; flowering glumes 3´´ long, with a slender awn of twice the length.--Of rare occurrence near the coast. (Nat. from Eu.)

70. BRÒMUS, L. BROME-GRASS. (Pl. 10.)

Spikelets 5--many-flowered, panicled. Glumes unequal, membranaceous; the lower 1--5-, the upper 3--9-nerved. Flowering glume either convex on the back or compressed-keeled, 5--9-nerved, awned or bristle-pointed from below the mostly 2-cleft tip; palet at length adhering to the groove of the oblong or linear grain. Stamens 3. Styles attached below the apex of the ovary.--Coarse grasses, with large spikelets, at length drooping, on pedicels thickened at the apex. (An ancient name for the Oat, from βρόμος, food.)

§ 1. Flowering glume oblong, turgid, and convex on the back; the flowers imbricated over one another before expansion; lower empty glume distinctly 3--5-nerved, the upper 5--9-nerved.

[*] Perennial; indigenous. Lower glume strongly 3-nerved, the upper 5-nerved.

1. B. Kálmii, Gray. (WILD CHESS.) Culm slender (1½--3° high); leaves and sheaths conspicuously or sparingly hairy; panicle simple, small (3--4´ long); spikelets drooping on capillary peduncles, closely 7--12-flowered, densely silky all over; awn only one third the length of the lance-oblong flower; flowering glume 7--9-nerved, much longer and larger than the palet.--Dry ground, N. Eng. to Penn., Mo., Minn., and northward. June, July.

[*][*] Annuals or biennials, introduced into grain-fields, or rarely in waste grounds.

B. SECÁLINUS, L. (CHEAT or CHESS.) (Pl. 10, fig. 1, 2.) Panicle spreading, even in fruit, the drooping peduncles little branched; spikelets oblong-ovate, turgid, smooth, of 8--10 rather distant flowers; glume rather longer than the palet, short-awned or awnless; sheaths nearly glabrous.--Too common in wheat-fields. June, July. (Adv. from Eu.)

B. MÓLLIS, L. (SOFT CHESS.) Whole plant downy; panicle more erect, contracted in fruit; spikelets conical-ovate, somewhat flattened; flowers closely imbricated; glume acute, equalling the awn.--Wheat-fields, N. Y. to Va.; scarce. June. (Adv. from Eu.)

B. RACEMÒSUS, L. (UPRIGHT CHESS.) Very similar to the last, but nearly glabrous or the sheaths sometimes hairy; glumes glabrous and shining. (Adv. from Eu.)

§ 2. Flowering glume somewhat convex, but keeled and laterally more or less compressed, at least above; flowers soon separating from each other; lower empty glume 1-nerved, the upper 3-nerved, or with an obscure additional pair.

[*] Perennial, tall (3--5° high); flowers oblong or lanceolate.

2. B. ciliàtus, L. Panicle compound, very loose, the elongated branches at length divergent, drooping; spikelets 7--12-flowered; flowering glume tipped with an awn ½--¾ its length, silky with appressed hairs near the margins, at least below (or rarely naked), smooth or smoothish on the back;--or, in var. PÚRGANS, Gray, clothed all over with short and fine appressed hairs.--River-banks and moist woodlands; common. July, Aug.--Culm and large leaves (3--6´´ wide) smooth or somewhat hairy; the sheaths in the larger forms often hairy or densely downy near the top. Variable, comprising several forms.

B. ÁSPER, L. Culm slender and panicle smaller; spikelets 5--9-flowered; glume linear-lanceolate, scarcely keeled, hairy near the margins, rather longer than the awn; sheaths and lower leaves hairy or downy.--N. Brunswick to Mich. and Ky. (Nat. from Eu.)

[*][*] Annual or biennial; flowers slender; palet pectinate-ciliate on the nerves.

B. STÉRILIS, L. Culm glabrous; leaves rather downy; panicle open; spikelets on elongated nearly straight simple peduncles, of 5--9 rather distant 7-nerved roughish linear-awl-shaped long-awned flowers (awn 1´ long).--Waste places and river-banks, E. Mass. to Penn.; rare. June. (Nat. from Eu.)

B. TECTÒRUM, L. Leaves short; panicle lax, somewhat 1-sided, the more numerous pubescent spikelets on very slender curving pedicels.--More common, N. Eng. to Penn. and N. Y. (Adv. from Eu.)

71. LÒLIUM, L. DARNEL. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets many-flowered, solitary on each joint of the continuous rhachis, placed edgewise; empty glumes, except in the terminal spikelet, only one (the upper) and external. Otherwise nearly as in Agropyrum. (Ancient Latin name.)

L. PERÉNNE, L. (COMMON DARNEL, RAY- or RYE-GRASS.) Root perennial; glume shorter than the spikelet; flowers 8--15, awnless or sometimes short-awned.--Fields and lots; eastward. June. (Nat. from Eu.)

L. TEMULÉNTUM, L. (BEARDED DARNEL.) Root annual; culm taller; outer glume fully equalling the 5--7-flowered spikelet; awn longer than the flower (½´ long).--Grain-fields; rare. (Adv. from Eu.)

72. AGROPỲRUM, Gaertn. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets 3--many-flowered, compressed, 2-ranked, alternate on opposite sides of a solitary terminal spike, single at each joint (the lowermost, or all, rarely in pairs) and sessile with the side against the axis. Glumes transverse (i.e. right and left), nearly equal and opposite, lanceolate, herbaceous, nerved. Flowering glumes rigid, convex on the back, 5--7-nerved, pointed or awned from the tip; palet flattened, bristly-ciliate on the nerves, adherent to the groove of the grain. Stamens 3.--Our species rather coarse perennials, of difficult definition. (Name from ἀγρός a field, and πυρός, wheat.)

[*] Multiplying by long running rootstocks; awn shorter than the flower or none.

1. A. rèpens, Beauv. (COUCH-, QUITCH-, or QUICK-GRASS.) Spikelets 4--8-flowered, glabrous or nearly so; glumes 3--7-nerved; rhachis glabrous, but rough on the edges; awns when present straight; leaves flat and often roughish or pubescent above. (Triticum repens, L.)--Nat. from Europe in cultivated grounds, fields, etc., and very troublesome; indigenous in some of its forms northwestward and on the coast.--Varies greatly. The ordinary form has a narrow spike, with 3--5-flowered spikelets, the glumes merely acute and rigid-cuspidate, or acuminate, or short-awned. A tall form, rather bright green, bears awns nearly as long as the glumes. Other forms abound, especially on or near the coast. A maritime variety, much resembling var. glaucum, Boiss. (A. glaucum, R. & S.), with large crowded 5--10-flowered spikelets and glumes very blunt or mucronate, glaucous and the leaves rather rigid and pungent, occurs on the coast of Maine (Cape Elizabeth, Tuckerman). In the more usual form of this variety, with the large spikes often elongated (3--9´) and the leaves less rigid, the glumes are acuminate or rarely short-awned. The rhachis or the whole inflorescence and the lower sheaths are sometimes very pubescent. The glabrous state, or a very similar glabrous variety, is also abundant in the western region, from Kan. and Neb. to Dak., and westward, where it is known as Blue-joint or Blue-stem. (Eu.)

2. A. dasystàchyum, Vasey. Resembling the last; glaucous; leaves narrow and often involute; the 5--9-flowered spikelets densely downy-hairy all over; glumes thinner with scarious margins, mostly long-acuminate. (Triticum dasystachyum, Gray.)--Sandy shores of Lake Huron and Superior, and northward. Aug.

[*][*] No obvious running rootstocks, glabrous, or the flat and roughish leaves sometimes hairy above; glumes as well as flowers mostly awned or awn-pointed.

3. A. violàceum, Lange. Spike short, dense, strict and rigid, usually tinged with violet or purple; spikelets 3--5-flowered; glumes conspicuously 5-nerved, rather abruptly narrowed into a cusp or short awn. (Triticum violaceum, Hornem.)--Alpine region of the White Mts., L. Superior, north and westward. (Eu.)--Passing into a variety with longer usually pale narrow spikes and attenuate often long-awned glumes, which sometimes approaches A. caninum. N. Brunswick, White Mts., N. H., Penn. (Porter), L. Superior, and westward.

4. A. canìnum, R. & S. (AWNED WHEAT-GRASS.) Spike usually more or less nodding, at least in fruit, rather dense (3--6´ long); spikelets 3--5-flowered; glumes 3--5-nerved; awns straight or somewhat bent or spreading, fully twice the length of the palet. (Triticum caninum, L.)--Sparingly naturalized in cultivated ground and meadows. Indigenous along our northern borders, and westward. (Eu.)

5. A. ténerum, Vasey. Culms 1--3° high; leaves narrow; spike very narrow, 2--7´ long; spikelets 3--5-flowered; glumes short-acuminate.--Minn. to Kan., and very common westward.

73. LEPTÙRUS, R. Br.

Spikelets 1--2-flowered, solitary and alternate upon the opposite sides of a narrow spike, sessile and appressed in the concave joints. Empty glumes transverse, narrow, rigid, 5-nerved, the flowering much shorter, thin and hyaline.--Low annuals, branching at the base, with narrow leaves and rigid often curved spikes. (Name from λεπτός, narrow, and οὐρά, tail, or spike.)

L. INCURVÀTUS, Trin. Much branched, decumbent, 6´ high or less; spikes terminal and lateral, 1--4´ long, the base included in the broad sheath.--Borders of brackish marshes, Md. to S. Va., and on ballast northward. (Nat. from Eu.)

74. HÓRDEUM, Tourn. BARLEY. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets 1-flowered, with an awl-shaped rudiment on the inner side, three at each joint of the rhachis of a terminal spike, but the lateral ones usually imperfect or abortive, and short-stalked. Empty glumes side by side in front of the spikelets, 6 in number, forming a kind of involucre, slender and awn-pointed or bristle-form. Flowering glume and palet herbaceous, the former (anterior) convex, long-awned from the apex. Stamens 3. Grain oblong, commonly adherent.--Spike often separating into joints. Ours annuals or biennials, or scarcely perennial. (The ancient Latin name.)

1. H. jubàtum, L. (SQUIRREL-TAIL GRASS.) (Pl. 11, fig. 1, 2.) Low; lateral flowers abortive, on a short pedicel, short-awned; the perfect flower bearing a capillary awn (2´ long) about equalling the similar capillary glumes, all spreading.--Sandy sea-shore, upper Great Lakes, and westward. June.

2. H. praténse, Huds. Low (6--18´ high); lateral flowers imperfect or neutral, awnless or merely pointed; perfect flower with awn as long as those of the glumes (3--6´´); spike linear, 1--2´ long.--Plains, especially in saline soil, Ohio to Ill. and westward; also sparingly introduced, Va., and southward along the coast. May, June. (Eu.)

75. ÉLYMUS, L. LYME-GRASS. WILD RYE. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets 2--4 at each joint of the rhachis of a terminal spike, all fertile and alike, sessile, each 1--7-flowered. Glumes conspicuous, nearly side by side in front of the spikelets, 2 for each spikelet, forming an involucre to the cluster. Flower coriaceous; the glume rounded on the back, acute or awned at the apex. Grain adherent to the involving glume (whence the name, an ancient one for some grain, from ἐλυω, to roll up).

[*] Glumes and flowers firm or rigid, all or only the latter awned; spikelets 1--5-flowered; slender perennials, with rather harsh and broad flat leaves.

[+] Spike large and stout.

1. E. Virgínicus, L. (Pl. 11, fig. 1--3.) Culm stout, 2--3° high; spike rigidly upright, dense (2--3´ long, 6´´ thick), the short peduncle usually included in the sheath; spikelets 2--3 together, 2--3-flowered, smooth, rather short-awned, about the length of the thickened strongly-nerved and bristle-pointed lanceolate glumes.--River-banks; common. Aug.

2. E. Canadénsis, L. Spike soon nodding (5--9´ long), on an exserted peduncle; spikelets mostly in pairs, of 3--5 long-awned rough or rough-hairy flowers; the awl-shaped glumes tipped with shorter awns.--Var. GLAUCIFÒLIUS, Gray, is pale or glaucous throughout, the flowers with more spreading awns (1½´ long).--Var. INTERMÈDIUS, Vasey, has the awns scarcely longer than the glumes.--River-banks; common.

[+][+] Spike and culm more slender.

3. E. striàtus, Willd. More or less pubescent; spike dense and thickish (2--4´ long), upright or slightly nodding; spikelets mostly in pairs, 1--2- (or rarely 3-) flowered, minutely bristly-hairy; glumes awl-shaped, bristle-awned, 1--3-nerved, about thrice the length of the flowers, which are only 3´´ long exclusive of the capillary awn (1´ long).--Var. VILLÒSUS, Gray, has very hairy flowers and glumes, and villous sheaths.--Rocky woods and banks. July, Aug.

4. E. Sibíricus, L., var. Americànus. Glabrous; spike wand-like (2--6´ long, 2--3´´ thick), often somewhat nodding; spikelets in pairs, 3--6-flowered; glumes linear-lanceolate, 3--5-nerved, acuminate and smooth or often scabrous on the nerves, short-awned, shorter than the flowers, which bear an erect awn of once or twice their length.--Marquette, Mich. (Porter), N. Minn., and westward.

[*][*] Glumes and palet awnless and soft in texture; reed-like perennials.

5. E. móllis, Trin. Culm (3° high) velvety at top; spike thick, erect (8´ long); spikelets 2 or 3 at each joint, 5--8-flowered; the lanceolate pointed 5--7-nerved glumes (1´ long) and the pointed flowers soft-villous; rhachis of the spikelets separating into joints.--Shore of the Great Lakes, Maine, and northward. (Near E. arenarius.)

[*][*][*] Empty glumes very narrow, and all very long-awned; spike disarticulating at maturity.

6. E. Sitànion, Schultes. Low (½--2° high), stout; spike 1--4´ long, the peduncle slightly exserted; the spreading scabrous awns 2--3´ long.--Central Minn. to Kan., and westward.

76. ASPRÉLLA, Willd. BOTTLE-BRUSH GRASS. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets 2--3 or sometimes solitary on each joint of the rhachis of a terminal spike, raised on a very short callous pedicel, loosely 2--4-flowered (when solitary flatwise on the rhachis). Glumes none! or small, awn-like, and deciduous. Otherwise nearly as in Elymus. (Name a diminutive of asper, rough or prickly.)

1. A. Hýstrix, Willd. Perennial; culms 3--4° high; leaves and sheaths smoothish; spike loose (3--6´ long); the spreading spikelets 2--3 together, early deciduous; flowers smoothish or often rough-hairy, tipped with an awn thrice their length (1´ long). (Gymnostichum Hystrix, Schreb.)--Moist woodlands. July, Aug.

77. ARUNDINÀRIA, Michx. CANE. (Pl. 11.)

Spikelets flattened, 5--14-flowered; the flowers somewhat separated on the jointed rhachis. Empty glumes very small, membranaceous, the upper one larger. Flowering glumes and palet herbaceous or somewhat membranaceous, the glume convex on the back, many-nerved, tapering into a mucronate point or bristle. Squamulæ 3, longer than the ovary. Stamens 3. Grain oblong, free.--Arborescent or shrubby grasses, simple or with fascicled branches, and with large spikelets in panicles or racemes; blade of the leaf jointed upon the sheath; flowers polygamous. (Name from arundo, a reed.)

1. A. macrospérma, Michx. (LARGE CANE.) (Pl. 11, fig. 1, 2.) Culms arborescent, 10--40° high and ½--3´ thick at base, rigid, simple the first year, branching the second, afterwards at indefinite periods fruiting, and soon after decaying; leaves lanceolate (1--2´ wide), smoothish or pubescent, the sheath ciliate on one margin, stoutly fimbriate each side of the base of the leaf; panicle lateral, composed of few simple racemes; spikelets 1--3´ long, purplish or pale, erect; flowering glume lanceolate, acute or acuminate, glabrous or pubescent, fringed (5--12´´ long).--River-banks, S. Va.(?), Ky., and southward, forming cane-brakes. April.

Var. suffruticòsa, Munro. (SWITCH CANE. SMALL CANE.) Lower and more slender (2--10° high), often growing in water; leaves 4´´--1´ broad; spikelets solitary or in a simple raceme at the summit of the branches, or frequently on leafless radical culms. (A. tecta, Muhl.)--Swamps and moist soil, Md., S. Ind. to S. E. Mo., and southward. Sometimes fruiting several years in succession.

SERIES II.

CRYPTOGAMOUS OR FLOWERLESS PLANTS.

Vegetables destitute of proper flowers (i.e. having no stamens nor pistils), and producing instead of seeds minute one-celled germinating bodies called spores, in which there is no embryo or rudimentary plantlet.

CLASS III. ACROGENS.

Cryptogamous plants with a distinct axis or stem, growing from the apex, and commonly not with later increase in diameter, usually furnished with distinct leaves; reproduction by antheridia and archegonia, sometimes also by gemmation.

SUBCLASS I. VASCULAR ACROGENS, OR PTERIDOPHYTES.[1]

[Footnote 1: The orders of this Subclass have been elaborated anew for this edition by Prof. DANIEL C. EATON of Yale University.]

Stems containing woody fibre and vessels (especially scalariform or spiral ducts). Antheridia or archegonia, or both, formed on a minute prothallus which is developed from the spore on germination, the archegonium containing a nucleus, which after fertilization becomes an oöspore and at length grows into the conspicuous spore-bearing plant.

ORDER 130. EQUISETÀCEÆ. (HORSETAIL FAMILY.)

Rush-like, often branching plants, with jointed and mostly hollow stems from running rootstocks, having sheaths at the joints, and, when fertile, terminated by the conical or spike-like fructification composed of shield-shaped stalked scales bearing the spore-cases beneath.--A single genus.

1. EQUISÈTUM, L. HORSETAIL. SCOURING RUSH. (Pl. 21)

Spore-cases (sporangia, thecæ) 6 or 7, adhering to the under side of the angled shield-shaped scales of the spike, 1-celled, opening down the inner side and discharging the numerous loose spores. To the base of each spore are attached 4 thread-like and club-shaped elastic filaments, which roll up closely around the spore when moist, and uncoil when dry.--Rootstocks perennial, wide-creeping, hard and blackish, jointed, often branched and sometimes bearing small tubers. Stems erect, cylindrical, hollow, jointed; the surface striated or grooved with alternate ridges and furrows, the cuticle in most species containing silica in the form of minute granules, rosettes, or tubercles; the joints containing besides the central air-cavity a circle of smaller hollows beneath the furrows and a set of still smaller ones beneath the ridges; the nodes closed and solid, each bearing instead of leaves a sheath which is divided into teeth corresponding in number and position to the principal ridges of the stem; stomata in the furrows, each with two pairs of guard-cells, of which the outer pair is marked with radiating lines of silica. Branches, when present, in whorls from the base of the sheath, like the stem, but without the central air-cavity. Prothallus green, formed upon the ground, often variously lobed, usually diœcious. (The ancient name, from equus, horse, and seta, bristle.)

§ 1. Annual-stemmed, not surviving the winter.

[*] Fruiting in spring from soft and rather succulent pale or brownish fertile stems, the sterile stems or branches appearing later, herbaceous and very different.

[+] Fertile stems unbranched, destitute of chlorophyll and soon perishing; the sterile branching copiously.

1. E. arvénse, L. (COMMON H.) Fertile stems (4--10´ high) with loose and usually distant about 8--12-toothed sheaths; the sterile slender (at length 1--2° high), 10--14-furrowed, producing long and simple or sparingly branched 4-angular branches, their teeth 4, herbaceous, lanceolate.--Moist, especially gravelly soil; very common. March--May. Rootstocks often bearing little tubers.--Var. CAMPÉSTRE, Milde, is a not uncommon state, in which the sterile stem bears a small fruiting spike at the summit. (Eu.)

[+][+] Fertile stems when older producing herbaceous 3-sided branches, and lasting through the summer, except the naked top which perishes after fructification.

2. E. praténse, Ehrh. Sterile and finally also the fertile stems producing simple straight branches; sheaths of the stem with ovate-lanceolate short teeth, those of the branches 3-toothed; stems more slender and the branches shorter than in the last.--Mich. to Minn., and northward. April, May. (Eu.)

3. E. sylváticum, L. Sterile and fertile stems (about 12-furrowed) producing compound racemed branches; sheaths loose, with 8--14 rather blunt teeth, those of the branches bearing 4 or 5, of the branchlets 3, lance-pointed divergent teeth.--Wet shady places; common northward. May. (Eu.)

[*][*] Fruiting in summer; stems all of one kind, or the fertile contemporaneous with and like the sterile, equally herbaceous, producing mostly simple branches, or sometimes nearly naked.

4. E. palústre, L. Stems (10--18´ high) slender, very deeply 5--9-grooved, the ridges narrow and acute, roughish, the lance-awl shaped teeth whitish-margined; branches always hollow, 4--7-angled, rather few in a whorl.--Wet places, Niagara River (Clinton), Wisc. (Austin), and northward. June. (Eu.)

5. E. littoràle, Kühlewein. Stems (8--18´ high) slender, deeply 6--16-grooved, the ridges rounded, the teeth shorter than in the last, narrowly white-margined; branches often solid, 3--4-angled, 2--6 in a whorl.--Wet sandy shores, Vt. and N. Y., and northward.--Spores always abortive, whence the plant has been considered a hybrid, perhaps of E. arvense and E. limosum. July. (Eu.)

6. E. limòsum, L. (Pl. 21, fig. 1--5.) Stems (2--5° high) slightly many-furrowed, smooth, sometimes continuing unbranched, but usually producing ascending branches after fructification; sheaths appressed, with 10--22 (commonly about 18) dark-brown and acute rigid short teeth.--In shallow water; rather common.--Air-cavities none under the grooves, but small ones under the ridges. A form in which the branches bear numerous small spikes is var. POLYSTÀCHYUM, Brückner. June, July. (Eu.)

§ 2. Stems all alike, evergreen, unbranched, or producing a few slender erect branches; fruiting in summer. Central air-cavity of the stem very large.

[*] Stems tall and stout (1½--4° or even 6° high), simple, or casually branched, evenly many-grooved; sheaths appressed.

7. E. hyemàle, L. (SCOURING-RUSH. SHAVE-GRASS.) Stems 1½--4° high, 8--34 grooved, the ridges roughened by two more or less distinct lines of tubercles; sheaths elongated, with a black girdle above the base and a black limb; ridges of the sheaths obscurely 4-carinate, the teeth blackish, membranaceous, soon falling off.--Wet banks; common northward. Formerly in common use for polishing wood and metal. (Eu.)

8. E. robústum, Braun. Stems tall and stout (sometimes 8--10° high and nearly an inch thick), 20--48-grooved, the ridges roughened with one line of transversely oblong tubercles; sheaths rather short, with a black girdle at base and a black limb; ridges of the sheaths tricarinate, the blackish teeth soon falling off.--River-banks, Ohio and westward.

9. E. lævigàtum, Braun. Stems 1--4° high, rather slender, pale green, 14--30-grooved, the ridges almost smooth; sheath slightly enlarged upward, with a black girdle at the base of the mostly deciduous white-margined teeth, and rarely also at the base of the sheath; ridges of the sheath with one keel, or sometimes obscurely tricarinate.--By streams and in clayey places, Ohio to Minn., and westward.

[*][*] Stems slender, in tufts, 5--10-grooved; sheaths looser.

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The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee (part 5 of 6)

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The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee (part 5 of 6)