fnjetaaopiacar onlay jaime atau erent ge a teal ee speiwer ns rab sina sated aetiat rupeteres freien sab vonpebe raha le yoiwisty Davaua i stteleiielryiipi shares reps heiedenetatelal rae A Rae ath tilde es visit Hace t eS baneea ieee ete perre bake Haha Bette ernst teeta : ua a pra ae gholyispevazahecs eaves nenratebebeaaielahstsbetlelsis 4 ore pia ebatuiieny bate el wei bathrsritton: seas nvatatabrast ehvsian teh ade teie ebay se as te es 2 9 ee a aston sit — rol im novutattin Iapetensert nolat baltdglaiiszerel 7 aie ee erated geal faust ai pia ta gba Hebhaydeetoy oon SOF bE Bet byte lp hehe or sei oe ae ines alalelne tetete foe ints yt peterson rhein tae spe Priaiatg) th a a it rit Ppt dist mers mold thy ee Teli traps verge orymly cost ' ee i inte tek Oath irae peer ftratesesuereny aes dee ee pat ier estat ae aerate fy ica He iat eee tedeeresss = zat beni i aby vaiete phd yosbet paraaatmiptelsbeuxt-einl sinner bara oi rete blcteteatpates olateiyre seri upacetaialer rig creleie) ta f le alae eepeataledybacet angry) ah acy, apie thn 3 ee aa Be pecehisptatl ioiotelaial etets t viet fe garni: jaca aca at oho nn coe aieke! soar apat fe vi pela os nt sion = ih i oeitiah nivd gt /4¥8 ely re eee! ie rb Nga wen are by Ba haba gcry> ip Tappeertis ULL TD * ise ite sist sites ed iar iatales yes spiolacatel peace arate : ene aiaticesetaber gs ieatnles Saersienin bebe seg reat paca ia Foi sat na‘ yee sea ie ines eh ears trai ie plement tase Fiat etal id ihrer al Neate sigue “alneelgtat bars bot ad ea sereqensi career giatpiaie apa Ae Iabatacalarptone one ; i 5 aus rok coypaney ea fa eyranesieconeqee nay Tt ete pa cH Ler rladelacest aloe eiigrechet hash een em = sacscssspen ciate ; os eee era oe Ss piessanme vt eat epee a si aioliel ere ar 6 iced itearnedy esa ap ie re itaratas * ae sable rich senso aie errant vial pty alsateba leita laietabe asec ieee >iviois aielacghy’ ah aty aivimnrutp lo lacie ove) ppaas abaya calatapal@lfiete Lilet piritemetemeertara opal : seal rine i Tatts! me i eee phate i era etme sea one oat oat a See ota nie risieeae a sa msn spbanbhe! ateiolates coat miaventern javab si alavases ye ‘ Lanett i nai teh a ralabopeten sepia obaveabaives Mashatsrosseoeyt reepieeoneoareeelatererp Toe eerte Siees aintey es lsiartpateater eivetomit boris meemeatetr savbavebrint i ; selatenepany sy orecsevere ttsate ts} Le heptoe pre we : rigehtne TON ws vabweeast es tea wlwlasaiale vcr ivalriatabegersier aa iretstgime Scliete Here stages alten . i catia righpeteint ns Riseginiasyeotetatrtenttecanslepeeiier f seats ntltine indyonmelfeera roanouprviniwiey aval ental piviyrstevesste ‘1 Hee aretrentte siaiat alacant RNew Pork Htate College of Agriculture At Cornell Aniversity Bthaca, N. P. Librarp Cornell University Library QK 495.G74F8 iii 's; an illustrated guide ie Cornell University The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924000420921 THE BOOK OF GRASSES SALT-MARSH COCKSPUR GRASS (Echinochloa Walieri) THE BOOK OF GRASSES AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE COMMON GRASSES,.AND THE MOST COMMON OF THE RUSHES AND SEDGES BY MARY EVANS FRANCIS ILLUSTRATED BY H. H. KNIGHT, ARTHUR G. ELDREDGE AND SARAH FRANCIS DORRANCE GARDEN CITY New Yorxe DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY Igi2 Copyright, 1912, by DousLepay, PAGE & ComMPANY All rights reserved, including that of translation into Foreign Languages, including the Scandinavian TO S. E. F. D "4 babbled of green fields.” PREFACE Tue little that has been written about our common grasses has dealt chiefly with their economic value, and has been published for the agriculturist, to whom that value is paramount. Or, it has, on the other hand, been too technical to be of service to the casual student of our wild flowers who has had comparatively little aid, aside from scientific and agricultural works, in recognizing the different species of this vast family. In preparing the following pages I have intended that the descriptions, though accurate, should not obscure the beauty of the grasses with a mass of technical terms, but should be so simple that the wayfaring man who enjoys the verdure of our waysides might become more intimately acquainted with the most common plants. An important aid in recognizing the grasses will be found in the illustrations, which, made from the living plants, present not only the most noticeable characteristics of growth, but also deline- ations of the parts of the flowers. The technical descriptions, which follow the general de- scriptions, are the results of careful observations and measurements of many specimens. The descriptions include the common grasses and the most common of the rushes and sedges found from Canada southward to Virginia, and from the Atlantic coast westward to the Missis- sippi River. The greater number of species given are found throughout the United States. I wish to acknowledge indebtedness to the following valuable works: ‘The True Grasses,” by Eduard Hackle; ‘American Grasses,” by Dr. Lamson Scribner; “Grasses of North America for Farmers and Students,” by William J. Beal; and “Descriptive Catalogue of Grasses of the United States,” by Dr. Geo. Vasey. Mary Evans FRANCIS. vii LIST OF CONTENTS Preface. Of Grasses The Most Important en of the veces Ringdom Stem, Leaf, and Flower ‘ A Calendar of the Common Grasses Grasses Arranged According to Locations Key to the Grasses : : Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses The Sedge Family Rushes F Index to English (anes Index to Latin Names 259 329 341 349 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Coloured Plates Salt-marsh Cockspur Grass (Echinochloa Walteri) . Frontispiece PAGE Foxtail Grasses (Setaria) . . ~ « 82 Indian Rice, or Wild Rice (Zinnia nuatiea a z palustris) 87 Red-top (Agrostis alba) . . . Su Us) gk. et 117 Snake Grass (Eragrostis jegacachiay a BS ee Whos. estes 75 Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) . . . . . ... . 189 Fringed Brome-grass (Bromus ciliatus) . . . . 1. 1) . 223 Brome-grass (B. altissimus) . . 2 1. 6. ee ee ee 225 Brome-grass (B. incanus) te dh ON Ker teh oth: ee ee ODT. Slender Wild Rye (Elymus striatus) wks BG An gue ge Beane Wool Grass (Scirpus cyperinus) . . 2. 2. 1 we ee 255 Great Bulrush (S. validus) . . . ates He Pe gk OT Yellow Nut-grass (Cyperus sical e Boe ox a 2 261 Bristle-spiked Cyperus (C. strigosus). . . . . . . . 263 Chair-maker’s Rush (Scirpus americanus) . . . . . . 281 Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea) . . . 1. 1 ww ew. 305 Stem, leaf, and flower Oe ee eS ea eo eS ee eS (eo Spikes) 4. cs &@-@ @ 3 3 wfo¢ Bo ao wea wae ee Se 1G Panicles . . . . Wwe GS Bae ae ae a 620 Grass flowers and their parts Se ch a ee Seat mae ey OTT Gama Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides) . . . . . . . . 50 Beard-grass (Andropogon scoparius) . . . . . . . . 50 Broom Sedge on sandy soil (A. virginicus) . . . . «51 Forked Beard-grass (A. furcatus) . 2. 2. 2 1 1. we 53 Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) . . . . . . 1. 56 Large Crab-grass (Digitaria sanguinalis) . . . . . . 57 Large Crab-grass (D. sanguinalis) . . . . . . ee se 59 Slender Paspalum (Paspalum setaceum).... .. . 60 Old Witch-grass (Panicum capillare) . . . . .. . 62 xl The Book of Grasses Old Witch-grass (P. capillare) Bitter Panic-grass (P. amarum) Cockspur Grass (Echinochloa crusgallz) Salt-marsh Cockspur Grass (E. Waltert) Scribner’s Panic-grass (Panicum Scribnerianum) Hispid Panic-grass (P. clandestinum) Cockspur Grass (Echinochloa crusgallt) Long Panic-grass (Panicum agrostoides) The Deserted Garden . Yellow Foxtail (Setaria glauca) Green Foxtail (S. viridis) Bur-grass (Cenchrus carolinianus) Indian Rice (Zizania palustris) Indian Rice by the border of a stream Rice Cut-grass (Leersia oryzoides) Rice Cut-grass (L. oryzoides) White-grass (L. virginica) Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris qeumilnalea) Reed Canary-grass (P. arundinacea) Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) Vanilla Grass (Hierochloé odorata) ; White-grained Mountain Rice ae asperiflia) Black Oat-grass (Stipa avenacea) Slender Aristida (Aristida gracilis) Purplish Aristida (A. purpurascens) Sea-beach Aristida (A. tuberculosa) Meadow Muhlenbergia (Mublenbergia mevceia) Long-awned Hair-grass (M. capillaris) Long-awned Wood-grass (Brachyelytrum oe Long-awned Wood-grass (B. erectum) Timothy (Phleum pratense) ; Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) Sheathed Rush-grass (Sporobolus taginaeflorus) Gauze-grass (S. uniflorus) ‘ aig Red-top (Agrostis alba) : Rough Hair-grass (A. byemalis) ; Blue-joint Grass (Calamagrostis banadensis). Nuttall’s Reed-grass (C. cinnoides) : Blue-joint Grass (C. canadensis) in Renwick Marchi, Blue-joint Grass (C. canadensis) Xii List of Illustrations Marram Grass (Ammopbila arenaria) Marram Grass (A. arenaria) in drifting sand Wood Reed-grass (Cinna arundinacea) Silvery Hair-grass (Aira eee Velvet Grass (Holcus lanatus) Marsh Oats (Sphenopholis palustris) . Meadow Sphenopholis (S. pallens) . Wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) Wavy Hair-grass (D. as Cultivated Oats Cultivated Wheat Cultivated Rye Meadow Oat-grass (Awonaibetwit. satiny Wild Oat-grass (Danthonia spicata) : Creek Sedge in bloom on the marsh (Spartina aan var. pilosa) . ; Blossoming spikes of ‘Creek Sedge (S. pave var pilosa) Salt Reed-grass by the marsh (S. cynosuroides) . Salt Reed-grass (S. cynosuroides) ms Fox-grass, rank in growth (S. patens) Fox-grass covering the marsh (S. patens) Fox-grass growing through sand (S. gee Fox-grass (S. patens) oh ‘ Fox-grass (S. patens) Creek Sedge (S. glabra, var. fos) Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon) Tall Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) Wire-grass (Eleusine indica) . : Salt-meadow Leptochloa (Leptochloa fastieulanis). Salt-meadow Leptochloa (L. fascicularis) Reed (Phragmites communis) Sand-grass (Triplasis purpurea) Sand-grass (T. purpurea) : Tufted Eragrostis (Eragrostis Bie Strong-scented Eragrostis (E. Ee Purple Eragrostis (E. pectinacea) Narrow Melic-grass (Melica mutica) Purple Oat (M. striata) Broad-leaved Spike-grass (nial laioliay- Marsh Spike-grass (Distichlis spicata) Xill PAGE 127 129 131 132 133 135 135 137 139 140 141 141 142 143 145 147 149 151 153 155 157 159 161 161 163 164 165 166 167 169 171 173 177 179 180 182 182 183 184 The Book of Grasses Marsh Spike-grass (D. spicata) . Lady’s Hair (Briza media) Field of grasses Orchard Grass (Dacws emeaiay Crested Dog’s-tail (Cynosurus cristatus) Low Spear-grass (Poa annua) : Kentucky Blue-grass (P. pratensis) False Red-top (P. triflora) : Canada Blue-grass (P. compressa) . False Red-top (P. triflora) Wood Spear-grass (P. sylvestris). Densely flowered Manna-grass (Glyceria bined) : Rattlesnake Grass (G. canadensis) Nerved Manna-grass (G. nervata) Tall Manna-grass (G. grandis) Pale Manna-grass (G. pallida) Nerved Manna-grass (G. nervata) . : Floating Manna-grass (G. septentrionalis) Goose-grass (Puccinellia maritima) Goose-grass (P. maritima) Spreading Spear-grass (P. Gidans). Slender Fescue (Festuca octoflora) . Red Fescue (F. rubra) Meadow Fescue (F. elatior) . Meadow Fescue (F. elatior) . Fringed Brome-grass (Bromus ciichas) Downy Brome-grass (B. tectorum) Chess (B. secalinus) Ray-grass (Lolium perenne) Ray-grass (L. perenne) Couch-grass (Agropyron pie Couch-grass (A. repens) Squirrel-tail Grass (Hordeum abanan Cultivated Barley : Terrell-grass (Elymus pirennicus) : Nodding Wild Rye (E. canadensis) Terrell-grass (E. virginicus) Bottle-brush Grass (Hystrix pana Bottle-brush Grass (H. patula) Cyperus (Cyperus hystricinus) XIV 194 PAGE 185 188 191 193 196 197 198 199 201 203 207 207 208 209 209 211 213 214 215 215 217 218 219 221 222 229 230 231 233 235 237 239 240 241 245 249 249 251 265 Cyperus (C. diandrus) . Bristle-spiked Cyperus (C. iets Slender Cyperus (C. filiculmis) , Pond Sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum) . Slender Spike-rush (Eleocharis tenuis) Large Spike-rush (EF. palustris) Slender Spike-rush (EF. tenuis) Spike-rush (E. obtusa) Matted Spike-rush (E. Srnddiny: Sand-mat (Stenophyllus capillaris) . Slender Fimbristylis (Fimbristylis Prantiy Great Bulrush (Scirpus validus) Salt-marsh Bulrush (S. robustus) Wool-grass (S. cyperinus) Meadow Bulrush (S. atrovirens) Wool-grass and Bulrushes growing in marsh Cayuga Marsh . . River Bulrush (S. Hits. Meadow Bulrush (S. atrovirens) Salt-marsh Bulrush( S. robustus) Salt-marsh Bulrush (S. robustus) Salt-marsh Bulrush (S. robustus) by the edge a the onshi 207 Virginian Cotton-grass (EF. virginicum) White Beaked-rush (Rynchospora alba) Slender Cotton-grass (Eriophorum gracile) Virginian Cotton-grass (E. virginicum) Clustered Beaked-rush (R. glomerata) Low Nut-rush (Scleria verticillata) List of Illustrations PAGE 267 269 270 271 271 273 275 275 277 279 279 283 283 284 284 285 287 289 201 203 205 2099 2099 301 301 303 303 Scales, seeds, and perigynia of sedges belonging to the eens Carex ‘ Tufted Sedge (Cie ay Pennsylvania Sedge (C. Kontepieaatea) Bladder Sedge, (C. intumescens) Hop Sedge (C. lupulina) . Fringed Sedge (C. crinita) . . Little Prickly Sedge (C. Na Slender Sedge (C. gracillima) Sedges (C. lurida, C. cristata, C. mira Hop Sedge (C. lurida, var. gracilis) Hop Sedge (C. Pseudo-Cyperus) XV 304 304 307 308 309 309 310 310 311 313 315 The Book of Grasses Hop Sedge (C. retrosa) Hop Sedge (C. lupuliformis) Fringed Sedge (C. crinita) Fox Sedge (C. vulpinoidea) Fescue Sedge (C. festucacea) Yard Rush (Juncus tenuis) Small-headed Rush (/. bvachieesbalis) ; Bog Rush (J. effusus) . : Sharp-fruited Rush (J. acumiviatiis) Grass-leaved Rush (J. marginatus) Yard Rush (J. tenuis) Toad Rush (J. bufonius) . : Sharp-fruited Rush (/. aids Bog Rush (J. effusus) . : Knotted Rush (J. nodosus) Jointed Rush (J. articulatus) Black Grass (/. Gerad?) Common Wood-rush (Luzula aun beis: XVi PAGE 317 319 319 321 321 325 327 330 330 330 331 332 333 335 337 337 335 333 OF GRASSES OF GRASSES FRoM spring until late autumn grasses bloom by every way- side, and in field and meadow form the green carpet of the earth. Widely distributed throughout all countries, and abundant even in far-away prehistoric days, they still remain the most important family of the vegetable kingdom, and — of all common plants the most common —the least commonly known. Yet from the moment when the first violet lifts its blossom to the sunlight until in autumn the witchhazel’s delicate flowers are seen above fast- falling leaves, there is never a day when grasses are not in bloom, and never a week in summer when a score of different species may not be gathered. In richness and variety of colouring, above their undertone of green, the blossoms and wind-blown anthers of the grasses rival in beauty the flowers that the wayfaring man collects. The grace of swaying stem and drooping leaf, the delicacy of tiny flowers tinged in rose and purple, and the infinite variety shown in form and colouring are lost upon those who are intent on seeking flowers that the forests make rare. Grasses there are, stout and higher than one’s head, and grasses so slender that their dying stems among wayside weeds are like threads of gold; grasses whose panicles of bloom are more than half a yard in length, and of a colour which only a midsummer sun can burn into August fields; grasses so stiff that winter’s snow leaves them unbroken, and grasses so tiny that their highest flower is raised but a few inches from the soil. Nearly one thousand species are found in the United States, nor is the study of these plants so difficult as it is thought to be. When accuracy in determining the individual species is desired, a small microscope and a few needles for dissecting the blossoms are all that is necessary. Even without these aids an intimate ac- quaintance with the grasses may be gained by observing only their most obvious characteristics of growth, and the various forms of flowering heads. Notice closely the grasses in a low meadow of early summer: the dense growth of green, hastily characterized as 3 The Book of Grasses “grass,” may contain many different species of this vast family, species which at a second glance are seen to have each theif own distinguishing features. Like charity the study of grasses may begin at home, and, like charity also, this most fascinating of nature studies may be carried far afield, for the grasses, most numerous of all flowering plants, we have always with us. Tree-like in the tropics the Bamboos, largest of the grass family, lift their blossoms one hundred feet and more toward the sky; in cold countries moss-like grasses cringe and cling to the frozen ground, and through the temperate regions of the globe grasses grow in luxuriance of form and colouring and supply a background of green against which the world of trees and rivers, of brooks and ledges, is placed on colours ever chang- ing, and ever perfect. Nature is continually busy reclaiming the unsightly places abandoned by man, covering with a garment of green the hillsides torn by rain, and carpeting with her “matted miracles of grass”’ the humble waysides. The traditional spirit of the seasons is symbolized by outdoor colouring: cool, pale tints of early spring, rose-colour of June, warm tones of August fields, and a glory of purple and gold when the summer is past and the harvest ending. In all this continuity of change, which keeps the face of Nature so new in its world-old familiarity, the grasses bear their part, and as the violet and wild geranium of spring give place to midsummer hardhack, which in turn is pushed aside by goldenrod and asters, so the passing months bring fresh grasses into bloom and mark the calendar of the year by the flowering of these common plants. It still is true, however, that “The world misprizes the too-freely offered And rates the earth and sky but carelessly.” The dandelion is less honoured than the arbutus, yet even the dandelion receives greater honour than do the early grasses, which aid in changing earth’s wintry shroud to living green. Grasses yield us the earliest intimations of spring, as a faint flush of green, in harmony with the soft colours of April woods, tinges the brown hillsides before snows have ceased. The first grasses are more delicately coloured than are those of midsummer when the sun burns red and purple into the tiny flowers. The green spikelets 4 Of Grasses of many spring grasses depend for colour upon their lightly poised anthers of lavender and gold. Sweet Vernal-grass, Orchard Grass, and June Grass, so characteristic of spring, are succeeded by spreading panicles of Hair-grass, bayonet-like spikes of Timothy, and the richly coloured Red-top whose blossoms burn with mid- summer’s warmth. September has still new grasses to offer, and in this month the Beard-grasses are conspicuous, as their stiff stems at last attain a growth that will enable them to withstand snow and frost. In many localities from fifty to one hundred dif- ferent grasses may be gathered, and, although, unlike the lilies, they do not flaunt their colours garishly, yet in rose and lavender, in purple and an infinite scale of green they rest and charm the eye with their beauty from April to October, when frosts bring to them new hues of brown and yellow in which they clothe the earth until green blades again push through spring turf. Our waysides are the accepted gardens of many plants which, having followed the path of mankind through the New World, take the highways of civilization for their own, and find abundant means for transportation as seed is fastened on passers-by, or carried by the wind along smooth pathways. Few are the grasses that cannot be found in these wayside gardens as the roads wind through fertile country, from uplands to rich meadows, or pass sandy shores, where in a variety of soils the different grasses bloom and add a mass of verdure to the border of the way. Throughout the season these common gardens of the wayside hold a constantly changing procession of grasses; a procession which begins with Low Spear-grass and Sweet Vernal-grass in April, and ends in October with the Dropseed-grasses and the Beard-grasses, al- though even in winter the species that remain standing may still be recognized. Rarer flowers must be sought in deep woods and in hidden places in the swamps, but the cosmopolitan grasses are fitted to take up the struggle for existence wherever the seed chances to fall. Dean Herbert rightly says that “plants do not grow where they like best but where other plants will let them.” By way- sides we may see this struggle in its intensity as a dozen species strive for the same plot of ground and grow in tangles that in- clude low cinquefoil and tall briars. The strife is always most intense between individuals of the same species, and here the grasses grow in profusion, occupying each inch of space, pushing 5 The Book of Grasses out into deserted country roads, and spreading far and wide by means as interesting as ever the more noted flowering plants employ. Bur-grass, with its thorny seed-burs, catches on passing ob- jects and thus secures free portage to new fields; Terrell-grass by thick, corky scales floats its seed upon the streams near which it grows; Beach Grass defies the sand to bury it and is found at the tops of the highest sand-dunes, with whose rise it has kept pace, the long roots of the grass penetrating to the base of the dune; and Couch-grass, sending sharp-pointed rootstocks rapidly through the soil, is a veritable “land-grabber.”’ Where the purslane and poppy produce a multitude of seeds from every flower, each blossom of the grass ripens but one, yet so richly stored is this with nutriment, and frequently so well protected against germination under unfavourable conditions, that the one seed may be worth many of those less perfectly equipped, since, in the process of evolution, diminution in the number of seeds is accompanied by an increase in the effectiveness of those that remain. The twisted awns of certain grasses—e. g., Sweet Vernal- grass and Wild Oat — show one of the most interesting mechan- isms seen in the vegetable world. These awns, or bristle-like appendages of the grass flower, are extremely sensitive to atmos- pheric changes, and by their peculiar structure aid in burying the seed beneath the surface of the soil. In Sweet Vernal-grass the scale, to which the ripened seed adheres, bears a brown awn, bent and twisted near its middle, and beset with minute, upward- pointing hairs on its basal part. Such awns are strongly hygro- scopic and during cold or dry weather remain tightly twisted, thus holding the seed where it chances to be. Under the influence of moisture the awn untwists and by its rotation drives the fallen seed slowly but surely beneath the soil. Although dry weather may follow, causing the awn to become twisted again, the upward- pointing hairs catch on particles of earth or grass and, holding the seed down, prevent it from being drawn up. Thus it lies ready for the next shower when the awn pushes the seed farther into the earth. This peculiarity of structure is easily observed without the aid of the microscope. If a few of the ripened seeds be laid upon the moistened palm of the hand they will immediately begin to move, as if alive, and the rotating of the awn may be plainly seen. 6 Of Grasses Interesting experiments have been made whereby it has been seen that in sand, alternately wet and dried, the awns of certain grasses will bury the seed several inches beneath the surface. Each locality shows characteristic grasses, and as in a short walk we pass from low meadows to dry hillsides we find new species to excite fresh interest. On sea beaches we look for the long, gray-green leaves of Marram Grass, or Beach Grass, for spreading clumps of Sea-beach Panic-grass, for the dark, wiry stems of Fox- grass, and for rigid-leaved grasses of hot sands. Salt marshes show dense jungles of reed-like grasses, Creek Sedge, Salt Reed- grass, and the tall Reed. Dry hillsides are covered in spring by Wild Oat-grass and Wavy Hair-grass, where later Purple Finger- grass, Sheathed Rush-grass, and stiff Beard-grasses will bloom. In dry fields we look for the low growth of the smaller Panic- grasses, for the slender, one-sided spikes of Field Paspalum, and for wide-spreading panicles of Purple Eragrostis. Borders of woodlands offer Poverty Grass, Black Oat-grass, and Muhlen- bergias, while in deep woods we search for shade-loving grasses, the tall, slender Bottle-brush Grass, the lower Mountain Rice, and the Nodding Fescue. Marshy meadows are full of interest to the student of grasses: Reed Canary-grass with broad, blue-green leaves borders narrow brooks, and nearby the Blue-joint Grass, slender and stiff, rises bearing narrow, deeply coloured panicles; graceful Manna Grasses fill the marshes of early summer, and later the rough leaves and stems of Rice Cut-grass form tangled masses in low grounds. By river-borders grows the great Gama Grass whose leaves are so broad as to resemble those of our cul- tivated corn, and in wet soil, also, is found the tall Indian Rice on which the reed-bird feeds. A country dooryard of an acre may show more than a dozen different grasses, while in the garden near half a score of other species invade the cultivated land as weeds. A large collection of grasses, preserved either as herbarium specimens or in the more artistic impression prints made upon photographic paper, may be gathered in a short time, and dif- ferences perhaps little noticed by the casual observer will seem marked indeed to the student who at the close of a summer’s study will deem it as unpardonable to mistake one of our common grasses for another as to mistake an elm for an oak. Corn, wheat, oats, the day of the first cultivation of these cereal grains long antedates history, and how seldom is it realized 7 The Book of Grasses that they are grasses. Vergil and Columella wrote long ago of the care of meadows and fields. Indeed the word cereal stands as an article of faith in the goddess Ceres, who searched with torches for the grain carried off by winter frost, and on finding the seed raised it to its flower once more. Bertha was the Ceres of German mythology, and winds and rains affecting crops were believed to be under her control. Corn-spirits there were which were sym- bolized under the forms of wolves and goat-legged creatures, similar to classic satyrs. To the older peasantry of Germany and Russia these corn-spirits still haunt and protect the fields which show the “Grass-wolf” or ‘‘ Corn-wolf”’ to be abroad when the wind, as it passes, bends the grass and the ripening grain. The last sheaf of rye is occasionally left afield as shelter for the “ Roggen- wolf,” or “Rye-wolf,” and it is not long since the Iceland farmer guarded the grass around his fields lest the mischievous elves, hiding among the grasses, and ever waiting to harm him, should invade his cultivated land. In old herbals the word grass, gres, gyrs meant any green plant of small size, and though we have restricted the meaning of the word it still is carelessly applied to a multitude of sedges and rushes which in manner of growth and form of flower differ markedly from the true grasses. To the casual observer the grasses are but “grass,” and to few is their diversity, their beauty, and their value apparent. We are blind to the infinite variety shown by Nature in these common plants, of which we often know scarcely more than do the cattle that feed upon them; yet on no other family of flowering plants does the beauty of the green earth and its adaptation as a home for man so largely depend. UTILITY OF GRASSES THE MOST IMPORTANT FAMILY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM “And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.”’— Gulliver's Travels. CAN one imagine the world grassless — a barren waste? The shifting soil, exposed to the elemental workers, wind and water, could offer no sure abiding place for man, since, lacking a tenacious network of grass roots firmly binding the soil, the road of to-day might be obliterated to-morrow, and the loftiest building gradually buried beneath wind-blown sand. As soil-binders the grasses performed a leading part in the important task of rendering the globe habitable to the human race, and still sending their roots far and wide through the surface of the ground the grasses form a turf which holds in check the de- structive forces of wind and rain, and gives secure anchorage not only to the lower growth of plants but also to trees and shrubs. Grasses were abundantly developed in prehistoric days, as numerous remains of grass-like leaves attest, and since the earliest tribes chipped rude implements for cultivating the soil, or for their use in war, the grasses have exceeded in importance to man- kind any other family of the vegetable kingdom. The green herbage of meadow and pasture is the chief food of domesticated animals, and in this country the value of hay alone exceeds that of any other crop except corn, which, be it remem- bered, is itself a grass. Even the salt marshes yield their hay, and in New England pastures, where rocks seem as numerous as grass blades, sheep crop the wiry grasses of dry hillsides. A noted grass-garden was owned in Woburn a century ago by the Duke of Bedford, and in this garden George Sinclair carried on valuable researches of which he wrote in his “Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis.”” Tirelessly were the experiments made, in cultiva- II The Book of Grasses ting the grasses, in drying them, in dissolving their soluble parts, in evaporating the solution, and finally in submitting the residuum to chemical analysis. : Grass stems contain a large amount of silica, and in such seed as that of the species known as “ Job’s Tears” the hardness due to a silica deposit nearly equals that of agate. Minute particles of silica in the outer cell walls serve in keeping grass stems firm and erect, and if we carefully burn the vegetable matter from one of these stems a perfect skeleton of the structure is left. It is said that wheat straw, without the addition of other material, may be _ melted into colourless glass, and that barley melts into glass of topaz yellow. The varied form and texture of the grasses adapt them to many uses, and even the common grasses of our northeastern states have been made into ropes, mats, paper, baskets, and many fine- plaited articles. Fragrant fans of dark-coloured fibres are made in India from the aromatic rootstocks of a grass, and the entire plant is woven into screens which, when dampened and placed in a current of air, perfume the breeze. Lemon Grass and Ginger Grass, natives of tropical Asia, yield oils strongly scented, as their names imply, and the rootstock of a grass in South America is sometimes used as a substitute for soap. A few grasses have been used medicinally, and have been cultivated for medicinal purposes. But it is as food for man, and for the domesticated animals on which he is most dependent, that the grasses have attained their highest importance, and it is on them largely that the great human family is fed to-day. The world has seemed to draw a line between the grasses of the fields and those plants that produce well-filled heads of cereals, and has ceased to regard the latter as grasses. Yet the useful grains — corn, wheat, rye, barley, rice, and oats — belong to one family, and are but grasses that have been brought by man to a superior degree of excellence. Rice and wheat have been cul- tivated from time immemorial, and although a century ago wheat was wheat, yet to-day new strains have been developed which grow where in older days the grain could not have been raised. Indian corn originated in tropical America, and is one of the few cereals whose native condition is known. It had attained a wide distribution when this country was discovered, and the grain must have been in use in very ancient times. Early explorers 12 Utility of Grasses found the Indians cultivating corn with primitive implements — hoes made of a sharpened stone or the shoulder blade of a moose —— and even then the seeds were described as “somewhat bigger than small peason,” while later the Pilgrims could boast the cultiva- tion of varieties of which “the graine be big.”” Botanically, corn is one of the most interesting of the grasses and is very unlike those found in daily walks through the country. The stamens of corn are in ornamental spikes which terminate the stems, while below, on spikes which are borne in the axils of the leaves, are the fertile flowers. These are densely crowded on a thickened rachis, commonly known as the corn-cob, and are covered with husks which are the sheaths of abortive leaves and which have the leaf- blades more or less developed. The flowering scales and palets are found in the chaff covering the cob, and the silken “tassels”’ at the summit of each ear are elongated pistils. Aerial roots, thrown from the lower nodes, serve as prop-roots, supporting the stem, and imitating in a small way the growth of a few other tropical plants. Sugar Cane is also a grass that has been brought from the wilderness and has been made to pay the toll of usefulness which man would fain exact of all vegetation. In warmer countries the great Bamboos, which are but grasses of a larger growth, are utilized as shelter, clothing, and food. Of these giant grasses houses are built which may be entirely furnished with articles made of Bamboo, and the household, wearing jackets and hats made of the same material, may gather tender shoots of the plant for use as a vegetable. A small section of the stem forms a cup, and a larger section a pail; paper and ropes are manufac- tured from the plant; umbrellas and exquisite boxes are made of the split internodes, and intricate appliances for spinning are fashioned entirely of Bamboo. And these are but a few of the uses that the several species of these grasses serve. Indeed, a complete list of articles made of Bamboo would be a catalogue far too long for insertion in these pages. Impenetrable “canebreaks” of the South are formed of two grasses similar to the Bamboos, though smaller in growth. The stout, jointed stems of the more southern species (the Large Cane), are used for fishing rods and are made into canes and pipes. As thatching the stems form a strong and serviceable shelter, and when split are woven into baskets and mats. The Small Cane 13 The Book of Grasses (Arundinaria técta) grows as far north as Maryland, and by streams and river banks forms evergreen thickets from three to twelve feet in height. A reed of southern Europe and Palestine belongs to a closely related genus, and from this grass the heroes of Homer are said to have made their arrows and with it to have thatched the tent of Achilles. Pan-pipes, such as Orpheus might have used in charming the Dryads from their leafy shelters, were also made from the smooth stems of this reed. Of all flowering plants the grasses are the most widely distrib- uted, and innumerable are the ways in which they have served mankind since, in the story of Eden, the earth brought forth these common plants as the first of its flowers. 14 STEM, LEAF, AND FLOWER STEM, LEAF, AND FLOWER Roots — Many grasses spread in all directions by strong run- ners, or rootstocks, as they are called, which are, in reality, underground stems. These runners differ from the true, fibrous roots in consisting of a succession of joints from which upright stems arise, and from which true roots penetrate the soil and anchor the rootstock as it stretches far from the parent plant. Such grasses rapidly take possession of the ground, and as the rootstocks, interlacing in endless network, are thickened with a large amount of nourishing material, these grasses are enabled to endure drouth and unfavourable seasons. Rootstocks of the more vigorous grasses grow many feet in a season, and the thorny, needle-like points of the growing ends often penetrate tubers and roots. Grasses that develop only fibrous roots grow more frequently in tufts and bunches. Of these grasses the Bitter Panic-grass and the common Orchard Grass are examples. Perennial grasses are more numerous than annual grasses and may usually be recognized by the presence of sterile shoots growing from the lowest joint of the stem. The greater number of perennial grasses bloom earlier than do the annual grasses, though some perennials are late in flowering, as, for example, the Beard-grasses and the Muhlen- bergias. Stems.— Grass stems are divided by joints into internodes (the space between the base of one sheath and that of the next), the point from which each sheath rises being called a node. Although nearly all grasses, with the exception of Indian Corn, Sugar Cane, Gama Grass, and the Beard-grasses, possess hollow stems, which are always closed at the nodes, the rootstocks are usually solid, and the internodes of the young stems are also solid, becoming hollow by the separation of their original pith cells, which cease to grow. The nodes remain solid and, being darker in colour, appear as bands encircling the stems. Nodes perform an interesting and important function in rais- ing stems that have been bent down. Internodes play little or 17 The Book of Grasses no part in such service, but if one notices grasses that have been beaten to earth by heavy showers, it will be seen that the lower nodes have lengthened on the side turned earthward, and that the stems are thereby bent upward at sharp angles. Sheaths.— The broad, basal portion of each grass leaf is known as the sheath, and, encir- cling the stem, is an important a protection to the growing inter- s ze node. Each sheath is usually ‘ : 5 ay Es split, or open, on the side oppo- So ee wise site the leaf, and the edges of the inflotesser sheath overlap or partly encircle the stem a second time. In suc- cessive internodes these edges lap alter- nately to right and left, and the rolling of young leaves also alternates in like man- ner. Ina few grasses —e. g., Kentucky - Blue-grass and Orchard Grass — the sheaths are perfectly closed at first and are split only as the inflorescence forces its way up. Ligule— At the summit of the sheath is usually a thin membrane, the ligule, which closely embraces the stem and appears as an additional upward growth of the sheath or a continuation of its delicate lining. In each species the ligule is constant in form, some- times consisting of but a tiny ring or frequently appearing as a fringe of hairs. Leaves.— Grass leaves are borne alternately on opposite sides of the stem, in what is tech- nically called the two-ranked growth. The leaves of a few tropical grasses ap- proach in form those of other families of plants, and in certain species a true petiole is inserted between sheath and blade, but in temperate regions grass leaves vary only in width and length and are always “ grass-like,”’ show- Ss oe ing long, parallel veins - Roorstocwk Wn Stem, Leaf, and Flower The leaves of many grasses are twisted (to the right in some species, to the left in others), as twining plants twist with or against the sun. It is said that the leaf blade in a few grasses is sensitive, and slowly folds together when briskly rubbed. In dry weather and in dry soil it will be noticed that the leaves of certain grasses are rolled tightly, becoming involute, as it is called. As the cells on the upper surface of the leaf lose their moisture and contract under a burning sun the edges of the leaf curl inward until the stronger cuticle of the lower surface is outer- most, and thus an added protection is given against an excessive loss of moisture. The response to the external stimuli of heat and cold, of light and darkness, in the vegetable world is exquis- itely delicate. In the growth of plants, in their “sleep” at night, and in their many so-called “adaptations” to varying conditions, the student may read the life of Nature in an ever open book. INFLORESCENCE A Spike is formed when the spikelets are apparently sessile on the main axis — e. g., Couch-grass. A Panicle is formed when the spikelets are on secondary or further-divided branches — e. g., Orchard Grass and Old Witch- grass. The Rachis is that part of the stem on which the spikelets or spikelet-bearing branches are borne. SPIKES: "} FORWS The small flowers of the grasses bear little resemblance, at first glance, to the distantly related lilies; yet if some of the lilies that bloom in spikes were to crowd their flowers more and more, and were to reduce their petals to mere scales, such plants would be well 19 The Book of Grasses on the way toward a grass-like appearance. The three stamens of many grasses suggest the characteristic, three-parted form of the true lilies, while the flower- ing scale and palet of each grass blossom are a reminder of the lily calyx, the two green keels of the palet suggesting that two divisions of the calyx have been merged in one. Our wind-fertilized flowers are represen- ted chiefly by the grasses and sedges, and by early blooming trees and shrubs. Such flowers are small and produce no nectar. They have little fragrance, and their chief colouring frequently appears in the large an- thers which are so hung on hair-like filaments \f as to shake out pollen grains on every breeze. Spikelets— The flowers of grasses are borne in spikelets which vary in size and which are composed of one, several, or many flowers. The short stem, on which the flowers of a spikelet are placed, is known as the rachilla; this is sometimes prolonged, and, under the microscope, may be seen as a tiny thread lying outside the uppermost flower. Spikelets are arranged in spikes or panicles. In bloom the lower flow- ers of the spikelets bloom before the others, as the spikelets bloom from below upward, but in panicles the uppermost spikelets are the first to open, since the flowering-heads bloom downward, and often the upper branches of a panicle are widely spread with open flowers while the lower branches remain erect and closely appressed to the stem. (Shireike mieles i} Scales.— Instead of flowering-leaves of sepals and petals the grasses show bracts, called scales, or glumes, surrounding each flower. The two lower scales of each spikelet are usually empty, and in the axil of each succeeding scale (except sometimes the 20 Stem, Leaf, and Flower “WES Tw Peticels Outer(emnpiy) aA Rachilla oute/Seales Stenq Several lowe @ sptkelet ' Fowere shikelet uppermost) a flower is borne. Scales which enclose a flower are termed flowering scales. These exhibit many interesting peculiarities in their structure, often bearing a bristle-like appendage, called an awn, which is considered by botanists to be a modified leaf-blade. Such awns are straight, bent, or twisted, and either terminate the scales, when they are known as terminal awns, or are borne on the backs of the scales, when the awns are said to Scale forms be dorsal; that part of the scale below the awn representing the sheath of a leaf, while the portion 0) of the scale above the awn corresponds to the ligule. A flowering scale is said to be keeled obtuse acute When it is flattened and folded so that its two ( () edges are brought near together and the mid-vein is prominent as a ridge on the back of the scale. When the veins of a scale are conspicuous the scale is said to be three-nerved, five-nerved, seven- nerved, or nine-nerved, according to the number of prominent veins. Palet.— Opposite the flowering scale, and with toothed it enclosing the flower, is an awnless scale, called the palet, usually thin in texture, and two-nerved, showing two green keels. The palet may be minute or lacking, as in certain of the Bent- grasses, or it may exceed the flowering scale in length, as in Sharp-scaled Manna-grass. keeled 3-nerved terminal eoreal Lodicules— At the base of the flower, within tia "its scales, are usually two (rarely three) minute, B thin, and translucent scales, termed lodicules. These will rarely be noticed save at the time of flowering, when, for a short time, they are swollen with sap, and, by pressing the flowering scale and palet apart, cause the opening of the blossom. Lodicules soon wither, and in some grasses are 21 The Book of Grasses lacking; in such the spikelets remain closed and the stamens and pistils protrude from the summit of each blossom. Stamens and Pistils.— The majority of our grasses bear perfect flowers, consisting of stamens and pistils, although some species are monoecious, as are Gama Grass and Indian Corn, which bear stamens and pistils in separate flowers on the same plant, and a few grasses are dicecious, as is Salt- grass, whose stamen-bearing and pistil-bearing flowers are on separate plants. There are one to six (usually three) stamens whose very slender filaments bear two-celled anthers. These are lightly attached near their middle to the apex of the filament, and, trembling in the wind, easily discharge the smooth, round pollen cells. The stamens elongate rapidly and exhibit the most rapid rate of growth known in flowering plants. Although many of the pollen cells must fail of their mission and be carried by the wind to fall fruit- lessly upon leaves and stones, Nature provides a vast quantity of pollen to ensure the fertilization of sufficient seed. It has been estimated that a single anther of Rye contains no less than twenty thousand pollen cells. The greater number of spring grasses have larger anthers than those of midsummer, but brilliant colours, ranging from pale yellow to orange and crimson, and from lavender to deep purple, appear in the anthers at all seasons. The one-celled, one-seeded ovary bears one to three (usually two) styles whose feathery stigmas often show conspicuous colour. Seeds.— Grass seeds are richly stored with nutriment and have great vitality; they are also well adapted to wide distribution. Scales adhering to the seeds buoy them so that they are easily carried by the wind or along the surface of running water. The seeds of a few grasses are sticky when wet and adhere to passing objects. Ripened panicles of Purple Eragrostis, of Old Witch- grass, and of certain other grasses are driven as tumble-weeds across the fields and scatter their seeds along the way. The awns of many grasses are rough, catching on passers-by and travelling long distances. In high mountains, where the ripening of seed is uncertain, entire spikelets are sometimes transformed into leafy shoots, provided at the base with rudimentary roots, which, as the spikelets fall, take root and grow. The methods which the grasses have developed to ensure to new generations trans- 22 Stem, Leaf, and Flower portation to new fields are many, and to them may fitly be applied the comment of Darwin on cross-fertilization devices: “They transcend in an incomparable degree the contrivances and adaptations which the most fertile imagination of the most imaginative man could suggest with unlimited time at his disposal.” 23 THE COMMON GRASSES A CALENDAR OF THE COMMON GRASSES ACCORDING TO THEIR SEASONS OF MOST ABUNDANT BLOSSOMING AprRiL 15th to June 15th: Low Spear-grass (Poa annua) . Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum Cdenatinn White-grained Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis asperifolia) Slender Mountain Rice (O. pungens) ; Downy Brome-grass (Bromus tectorum) Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) . Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) ; Meadow Oat-grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) . Black Oat-grass (Stipa avenacea) . Kentucky Blue-grass (Poa pratensis) Canada Blue-grass (P. compressa) Early Bunch-grass (Sphenopbolis ‘otiésaia) Meadow Sphenopholis (S. pallens) Slender Sphenopholis (S. nitida) Velvet Grass (Holcus lanatus) . Silvery Hair-grass (Aira curepiyleay Wild Oat-grass (Danthonia spicata) Narrow Melic-grass (Melica mutica) . June 15th to July 2oth: Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea) Vanilla Grass (Hierochloé odorata) Long-awned Wood-grass (Brachyelytrum geen) Brown Bent-grass (Agrostis canina) . Rough Hair-grass (A. byemalis) : Black-grained Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis racemase Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina) Slender Fescue (F. octoflora) ; Nerved Manna-grass (Glyceria nervata) 27 195 94 99 99 222 112 188 142 — 100 195 107 134 134 134 133 132 143 181 90 97 108 115 115 99 217 217 206 The Book of Grasses Rattlesnake Grass (G. canadensis) Sharp-scaled Manna-grass (G. acutiflora) Tall Manna-grass (G. grandis) Floating Manna-grass (G. sesioniial® Densely flowered Manna-grass (G. obtusa) Wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) Tufted Hair-grass (D. caespitosa) . Red Fescue (Festuca rubra) Nodding Fescue (F. nutans) Meadow Fescue (F. elatior) Scribner’s Panic-grass (Panicum Sabie) Starved Panic-grass (P. depauperatum) Round-fruited Panic-grass (P. sphaerocarpon) Hispid Panic-grass (P. clandestinum) : Blue-joint Grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) . Nuttall’s Reed-grass (C. cinnoides) Squirrel-tail Grass (Hordeum jubatum) Timothy (Phleum pratense) Marsh Foxtail (Alopecurus pevicnlates’ ha Marsh Oats (Sphenopholis palustris) . Bottle-brush Grass (Hystrix patula) Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon) Fringed Brome-grass (Bromus ees Chess (B. secalinus) : Smooth Brome-grass (B. Aes Quaking Grass (Briza media) . Fowl Meadow-grass (Poa triflora) Red-top (Agrostis alba) . Thin-grass (A. perennans) . Wire-grass (Eleusine indica) : Marsh Spike-grass (Distichlis spicata) Couch-grass (Agropyron repens) Fox-grass (Spartina patens) Gama Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides) . Goose-grass (Puccinellia maritima) Spreading Spear-grass (P. distans) . Tall Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) . Purple Oat (Melica striata) Terrell-grass (Elymus virginicus) Slender Wild Rye (E. striatus) 28 206 206 206 206 206 136 136 217 217 217 71 71 71 71 121 121 238 111 112 134 248 163 229 229 230 187 198 115 115 165 184 232 144 49 214 214 164 181 247 247 The Common Grasses Nodding Wild Rye (E. canadensis) Ray-grass (Lolium perenne) July 20th to October tst: Gauze-grass (Sporobolus uniflorus) . Bur-grass (Cenchrus carolinianus) . Rice Cut-grass (Leersia oryzoides) White-grass (L. virginica) Slender Paspalum (Paspalum alaceinny Field Paspalum ((P. laeve) : Large Crab-grass (Digitaria soueninala) Small Crab-grass (D. bumifusa) Slender Finger-grass (D. filiformis) Indian Rice (Zizania palustris) Yellow Foxtail (Setaria glauca) Green Foxtail (S. viridis) ; Cockspur Grass (Echinochloa crusgalli) Old Witch-grass (Panicum capillare) . Tall Smooth Panic-grass (P. virgatum) . Sea-beach Panic-grass (P. amaroides) Large-fruited Panic-grass (P. latifolium) Spreading Panic-grass (P. dichotomiflorum) . Wood Reed-grass (Cinna arundinacea) Slender Wood Reed-grass (C. latifolia) Tall Red-top (Tridens flavus) . : Sand-grass (Triplasis purpurea) Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria) Salt-meadow Leptochloa (Leptochloa eseiuilans) Lace-grass (Eragrostis capillaris) Purple Eragrostis (FE. pectinacea) . Strong-scented Eragrostis (E. iepusticlyay. Creeping Eragrostis (E. hypnoides) ‘ Broad-leaved Spike-grass (Uniola latifolia) . Slender Spike-grass (U. laxa) . ; Meadow Muhlenbergia (Mublenbergia seeeaea) Rock Muhlenbergia (M. sobolifera) Wood Muhlenbergia (M. sylvatica) Nimble Will (M. Schreberi) Long-awned Hair-grass (M. cations Long-leaved Rush-grass (Sporobolus asper) . 29 247 231 The Book of Grasses Sheathed Rush-grass (S. vaginaeflorus) Small Rush-grass (S. neglectus) Sand Dropseed (S. cryptandrus) Northern Dropseed (S. heterolepis) Cord-grass (Spartina Michauxiana) Salt Reed-grass (S. cynosuroides) . Creek Sedge (S. glabra) Poverty Grass (Aristida pleiona) Slender Aristida (A. gracilis) . Purplish Aristida (A. purpurascens) Sea-beach Aristida (A. tuberculosa) Little Blue-stem (Andropogon scoparius) . Broom Sedge (A. virginicus) ‘ Bushy Beard-grass (A. glomeratus) Forked Beard-grass (A. furcatus) . Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) Reed (Phragmites communis) 30 113 113 113 113 144 144 144 101 101 101 101 53 53 53 53 55 169 ACCORDING TO LOCATIONS A LIST OF GRASSES ARRANGED ACCORDING TO LOCATIONS (In each division the grasses are given in their order of flowering.) Grasses found in cultivated land: Low Spear-grass (Poa annua) . Downy Brome-grass (Bromus ior’. Squirrel-tail Grass (Hordeum jubatum) Chess (Bromus secalinus) Smooth Brome-grass (B. premio. Wire-grass (Eleusine indica) Couch-grass (Agropyron repens) Large Crab-grass (Digitaria sanguinalis) Small Crab-grass (D. humifusa) Yellow Foxtail (Setaria glauca) Green Foxtail (S. viridis) : Cockspur Grass (Echinochloa sraspat Old Witch-grass (Panicum capillare) . Meadow Muhlenbergia (Mublenbergia Hen ane Grasses found in fields and meadows: Low Spear-grass (Poa annua) . Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum Gini Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) . Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata) : Meadow Oat-grass (Arrbenatherum elatius) . Kentucky Blue-grass (Poa pratensis) Canada Blue-grass (P. compressa) Velvet Grass (Holcus lanatus) . Brown Bent-grass (Agrostis canina) Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina) Meadow Fescue (F. elatior) Timothy (Phleum .pratense) 33 The Book of Grasses Red-top (Agrostis alba) . Couch-grass (Agropyron repens) Ray-grass (Lolium perenne) Grasses found on sands and salt marshes: Marsh Spike-grass (Distichlis spicata) Fox-grass (Spartina patens) : Goose-grass (Puccinellia maritima) Spreading Spear-grass (P. distans) : Tall Smooth Panic-grass (Panicum virgatum) Sea-beach Panic-grass (P. amaroides) Sand-grass (Triplasis purpurea) Marram Grass (Ammopbila arenaria) Salt-meadow Leptochloa (Leptochloa fase eulaes) Salt Reed-grass (Spartina cynosuroides) . Creek Sedge (S. glabra) Sea-beach Aristida (Aristida lepealioeae Grasses found in woodlands: White-grained Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis asperifolia) . Slender Sphenopholis (Sphenopholis nitida) . Black Oat-grass (Stipa avenacea) ; Long-awned Wood-grass (Brachyelytrum enue. Black-grained Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis racemosa) Nodding Fescue (Festuca nutans) . Bottle-brush Grass (Hystrix patula) Fringed Brome-grass (Bromus ciliatus) Purple Oat (Melica striata) Wood Reed-grass (Cinna iandiealen) Slender Wood Reed-grass (C. latifolia) . . Rock Muhlenbergia (Mublenbergia ee Wood Muhlenbergia (M. sylvatica) Grasses found in dry soil: Slender Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis pungens) Downy Brome-grass (Bromus tectorum) Early Bunch-grass (Sphenopbholis obtusata) Silvery Hair-grass (Aira caryopbyllea) Common Wild Oat-grass (Danthonia spicata) Rough Hair-grass (Agrostis hyemalis) 34 According to Locations Slender Fescue (Festuca octoflora) . . . . . . . 217 Wavy Hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) . . . . . 1 36 Red Fescue (Festuca rubra) . . . . , 2 & 217 Scribner’s Panic-grass (Panicum Sqiawiann) > oe “« o7t Starved Panic-grass (P. depauperatum) . . . . . . 71 Round-fruited Panic-grass (P. sphaerocarpon) . . .°. 71 Squirrel-tail Grass (Hordeum jubatum) . . . . . . 238 Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Dactylon) . . . 2. . . . 163 Quaking Grass (Briza media). . . . . 1... 187 Tall Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula). . . . . . . 164 Bur-grass (Cenchrus carolinianus). . . . . . . . 7 Slender Paspalum (Paspalum setaceum) . . . . . . 60 Field Paspalum (P. laeve) .. Sa Gt ote & “CO Slender Finger-grass (Digitaria Alitononis) 3 me oe me es 56 Tall Red-top (Tridens flavus). . . . . . . . . 170 Lace-grass (Eragrostis capillaris) . . . . . . . . 172 Purple Eragrostis (E. pectinacea) . . i oe ah ie See. C2 Strong-scented Eragrostis (E. meuasiacbya) i AL gs “at. ae EN72 Slender Spike-grass (Uniola laxa) ets) fo, Ay ee aoe EIOA Nimble Will (Mublenbergia Schreberi) . . . 2). 2) 105 Long-awned Hair-grass (M. capillaris) . 2. 2 2. 1). 105 Long-leaved Rush-grass (Sporobolus asper) . . 2. 2). 193 Sheathed Rush-grass (S. vaginaeflorus) . . . 2.) . 113 Small Rush-grass (S. neglectus) 2. 2. ww wk. Sand Dropseed (S. cryptandrus) . . 2. 2. www TB Northern Dropseed (S. heterolepis) . . 2. 2. 2. 2. M3 Poverty Grass (Aristida dichotoma) . . . . . . . 101 Slender Aristida (A. gracilis) . 2. 2. ww 001 Purplish Aristida (4. purpurascens) . . . . . ) . 101 Little Blue-stem (Andropogon scoparius) . . . . . 53 Broom Sedge (A. virginicus) . . . 2. ww eee 5B Forked Beard-grass (A. furcatus) . . . . . 2.) 53 Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) . . . . . 55 Grasses found in moist soil: Meadow Sphenopholis (Sphenopholis pallens) . . . . 134 Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea) . . . . . 90 Vanilla Grass (Hierochloé odorata) . . . . . . . 97 Rough Hair-grass (Agrostis hyemalis) . . . . «WMS Nerved Manna-grass (Glyceria nervata) . . . . . . 206 35 The Book of Grasses Rattlesnake Grass (G. canadensis) Sharp-scaled Manna-grass (G. acutiflora) Tall Manna-grass (G. grandis) . : Floating Manna-grass (G. eepienirionah). Densely flowered Manna-grass (G. obtusa) Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia caespitosa) . Hispid Panic-grass (Panicum clandestinum) . Blue-joint Grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) . Nuttall’s Reed-grass (C. cinnoides) Marsh Foxtail (Alopecurus geniculatus) Marsh Oats (Sphenopholis palustris) . Fowl Meadow-grass (Poa triflora) Thin-grass (Agrostis perennans) : Gama Grass. (Tripsacum dactyloides) . Terrell Grass (Elymus virginicus) . Slender Wild Rye (E. striatus) Nodding Wild Rye (EF. canadensis) Gauze-grass (Sporobolus uniflorus) Rice Cut-grass (Leersia oryzoides) White-grass (L. virginica) Indian Rice (Zizania palustris) Large-fruited Panic-grass (Panicum iaiolianey. Spreading Panic-grass (P. dichotomiflorum) . Creeping Eragrostis (Eragrostis bypnoides) Broad-leaved Spike-grass (Uniola latifolia) . Meadow Muhlenbergia (Mublenbergia mexicana) Cord-grass (Spartina Michauxiana) Bushy Beard-grass (Andropogon glomeratus) Reed (Phragmites communis) 36 KEY TO THE GRASSES KEY TO THE GRASSES IN THE illustrated description of the grasses the species follow one another in the order given in modern botanical works, such arrangement being based on the characteristics of spikelet and flower. Technical descriptions are given of the more common species of a genus. The general descriptions include other species and note their chief characteristics. The key, being intended for use in the field, is based on the characteristic form of the flowering-head. Somewhat arbitrarily the terms used in describing the form of the infloresence have been restricted to spike and panicle, omitting the word raceme and, instead, using the term spike to include any flowering-head in which the spikelets have the appearance of being placed directly on the main axis of inflorescence. Thus, the apparent form of the flowering-head is noted and that of Timothy is given as a spike, since it has that appearance, although it is, in fact, a spike-like panicle; the spike-like racemes of Bur-grass, Gama Grass, and others are given as spikes. The generic and specific names are those given in Gray’s “New Manual of Botany” (Seventh Edition). In the key and the technical description in the following pages the measurements are in feet, inches, and lines. The symbol ’ is used after figures to indicate inches, and the symbol ” is used to indicate lines. A line is the twelfth part of an inch, hence 3’” equal one quarter of an inch, 8’’ equal two thirds of an inch, etc. ARTIFICIAL KEY Based on the more noticeable characteristics of the inflores- cence: Inflorescence consisting of spikes or spike-like panicles — I. Inflorescence consisting of short panicles, one to four inches in length — II. 39 The Book of Grasses Inflorescence consisting of longer panicles, size variable, usually more than four inches in length — ITI. ].— INFLORESCENCE CONSISTING OF SPIKES OR SPIKE-LIKE PANICLES. PAGE Spikes solitary or several, 4’-9’ long; upper spikelets staminate; lower spikelets pistillate, deeply embedded in the rachis. Gama Grass . . 49 Spikes numerous, 1’-2’ long, slender, loosely flowered, very hairy, terminal and along the stem. Beard Grass . . 55 Broom Sedge . . 54 Spikes 2-5, 2’-5’ long, hairy, spreading from the summit of a tall stem. A grass of late summer. Forked Beard-grass 55 Spikes solitary or several, 2’-4’ long, narrow, 1-sided; spikelets small, roundish and seed-like. Slender Paspalum . 61 Field Paspalum . 61 Spikes 2 to many, 2’-8’ long, narrow, I-sided, spreading from sum- mit of stem or nearly erect; spikelets oblong, in 2’s or 3’s. Large Crab-grass . 60 Small Crab-grass . 59 Slender Finger-grass 59 Spikes 3-5, 3’-2’ long, 1-sided, spreading from summit of stem. Bermuda Grass. 163 Spikes 2 to many, 1’-5’ long, 1-sided, alternate. Cord-grass . . . 162 Salt Reed-grass . 162 Fox-grass . . . 162 Creek Sedge . . 162 Spikes 2-8, thick, 1’-3’ long, spreading from summit of stem; spike- lets several- flowered. Wire-grass .. 165 Spike cylindrical, 1’-4’ long, densely flowered, clothed in short yellow or green bristles. Yellow Foxtail . 78 Green Foxtail . . 77 Spike cylindrical, 1’-7’ long, densely flowered, harsh; empty scales awn-pointed. Timothy . . 112 Spike cylindrical, 1’-3’ long, densely flowered, soft; empty scales not awned, flowering scales short-awned. Meadow Foxtail . 113 Marsh Foxtail . . 113 Spike cylindrical, 2’-4’ long, densely flowered, clothed in long, slender awns. Squirrel-tail Grass 240 Spike 1’ ee ‘long, composed of 6-20 spiny burs. Bur-grass . . 83 Spike 3’-9’ long, narrow; spikelets several-flowered, alternate, placed with the edge turned toward the rachis. Ray-grass .. 232 Spike 2’-8’ long, narrow; spikelets several-flowered, alternate, placed with the flat side turned toward the rachis. Couch-grass. . 238 Bearded Wheat-grass 237 Purple Wheat-grass 238 40 Key to the Grasses Spike 3’-10’ long, coarse; spikelets several-flowered, in 2’s or 3’s on alternate notches of the rachis; empty scales conspicuous. Terrell Grass. Slender Wild Rye Nodding Wild Rye Spike 3’-7’ long; spikelets 2-4-flowered, usually in pairs; empty scales minute or awn-like, flowering scales long-awned. Bottle-brush Grass : Spike-like panicle 1’-4’ long; spikelets 1-flowered, narrow; scales 5; 3d and 4th scales short-awned. Sweet Vernal-grass Spike- like panicle 2’-18’ long; spikelets 1-flowered, narrow; flower- ing scale bearing 3 awns. Poverty Grass Slender Aristida. Purplish Aristida Spike-like panicle 5’-12’ long, cylindrical, densely flowered; spike- lets long and narrow; scales not awned. A grass of sands and sea beaches. Marram Grass . Spike-like panicle 8’-15’ long, composed of numerous, short, spread- ing or downward- “pointing spikes. Tall Grama Spike-like panicle 4’-12’ long; spikelets short, several-flowered; empty scales minute. Slender Spike-grass . Spike-like panicle 1’-23’ long; spikelets many-flowered. Staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants. Marsh Spike-grass Spike-like panicle 2’-4’ long, rough; spikelets of two forms in numer- ous clusters. Dog’s-tail Grass [].— iNFLORESCENCE CONSISTING OF SHORT PANICLES, ONE TO FOUR INCHES IN LENGTH. Panicle pyramidal; spikelets roundish, only 1 fertile flower in each spikelet; scales 4. Scribner’s Panic-grass Starved Panic-grass Round-fruited Panic-grass Panicle pyramidal; spikelets 3-flowered; scales 5. Vanilla Grass Panicle pyramidal; spikelets 2-flowered, small; scales 4. Silvery Hair-grass. .. Panicle pyramidal, often 1-sided; spikelets 3-6-flowered, small; flowering scales with short hairs at the base. Low Spear-grass Canada Blue-grass : Panicle not many-flowered; spikelets loosely 2-5-flowered; flower- ing scales hairy on nerves, minutely awned. Sand-grass 4l PAGE 248 247 247 187 195 132 The Book of Grasses Panicle not many-flowered; spikelets 4-10-flowered, bearing short, spreading awns. Wild Oat-grass . Flattened Oat-grass Silky Oat-grass : Panicle narrow, not many-flowered; spikelets 1-flowered, broad; scales 3; flowering scales slightly downy. Slender Mountain Rice. . White-grained Mountain Rice : Panicle narrow, contracted; spikelets 1-flowered, small; scales 3. Leaves very narrow. Grasses of late summer. Sheathed Rush-grass Small Rush-grass Panicle narrow; spikelets 3-5-flowered; flowering scales short- awned. Leaves thread-like. Sheep’s Fescue . . I] ].— INFLORESCENCE CONSISTING OF LONGER PANICLES, SIZE VARI- ABLE, USUALLY MORE THAN FOUR INCHES IN LENGTH. Division A. Spikelets 1-flowered: Panicle 3’-10’ long, narrow, contracted; spikelets small, not awned. Long-leaved Rush-grass Northern Dropseed Panicle 4’-9’ long, narrow; spikelets broad; flowering scale dark, bearing a terminal, straight awn 8’-12” long. Black-grained Mountain Rice 4 Panicle 2’-6’ long, slender, few-flowered; spikelets narrow, 5’’-6” long; flowering scale bearing a straight, terminal awn 9”’-12” long. Long-awned Wood-grass . Panicle 2’-8’ long, narrow; spikelets small. Leafy, wiry-stemmed grasses of late summer. Rock Muhlenbergia Meadow Muhlenbergia . Wood Muhlenbergia Nimble Will . B43 Panicle 4’-8’ long, many-flowered; numerous white hairs at base of flowering scale. Blue-joint Grass Nuttall’s Reed-grass Panicle 4’-12’ long, oblong, many-flowered; spikelets yellowish brown, hairy, awned. A tall grass of late summer. Indian Grass Panicle 12’-24’ long; upper portion composed of long-awned, erect, pistillate flowers; lower portion composed of awnless staminate flowers borne on spreading branches. Indian Rice Panicle 3’-8’ long, pyramidal, contracted after flowering; spikelets crowded; scales 5, but 3d and 4th scales reduced to hairy rudiments. Reed Canary-grass Panicle 5’-8’ long, branches slender; spikelets few, narrow; flower- ing scale dark, long-awned. Leaves thread-like. Black Oat-grass 42 PAGE 144 144 144 114 115 100 94 10! Key to the Grasses Panicle 5’-8’ long, branches slender; spikelets few, narrow; flower- ing scale bearing 3 spreading awns. Sea-beach Aristida ‘ Panicle 3’-10’ long; spikelets flat; scales 2. Leaves very rough. Grasses of wet grounds. White-grass Rice Cut-grass : Panicle 5’-15’ long, many-flowered; scales 3; stamen 1. Tall, leafy grasses of woods and swamps. Wood Reed-grass ye ts Slender Wood Reed-grass . Panicle pyramidal; scales 4, lowest scale small; flowering scale white, porcelain- like, shining. Several species of Panic-grasses . Panicle 2’-10’ long, pyramidal, open; spikelets small, about 1” long. Palet one third as long as flowering scale. Red-top Palet minute or wanting. Brown Bent- -grass Thin-grass Panicle 3’-10’ long, pyramidal, open; spikelets small. Panicle many-ilowered, base enclosed in upper sheath. Sand Dropseed Panicle very delicate. Gauze-grass . . Panicle 6’-24’ long, pyramidal; branches hair-like, long and widely spreading; spikelets small. Rough Hair-grass Panicle 6’-18’ long; branches hair-like, widely spreading; spikelets small on hair-like pedicels; flowering scale bearing a straight, terminal awn 3’’-9” long. Long-awned Hair-grass . Division B. Spikelets more than 1-flowered. Panicle 2’-8’ long, narrow, yellowish; spikelets 2-flowered; scales 4; flowering scale of upper flower bearing a bent and twisted awn. Marsh Oats Panicle 4’-10’ long, narrow; spikelets 2-flowered; scales 4; lower flower staminate, its scale bearing a dorsal awn, upper flower perfect and awnless. Meadow Oat-grass Panicle 1’-6’ long, narrow; spikelets 6-12-flowered; flowering scales short-awned. Slender Fescue Panicle 2’-8’ long, contracted; spikelets 2-3-flowered; 1st scale nar- row, acute, 2nd scale much broader, obtuse. Grasses of early summer. Early Bunch-grass fa ee, Meadow Sphenopholis Slender Sphenopholis i Panicle 2’-12’ long; spikelets 3-10-flowered, 23”-6” long. Panicle narrow and contracted after flowering. Meadow Fescue Panicle slender, nodding, branches few. Nodding Fescue Panicle erect, short, branches spreading. Red Fescue 43 PAGE 105 90 90 131 131 61 120 116 116 115 115 120 108 135 143 221 135 136 135 222 218 221 The Book of Grasses Panicle 3’-10’ long, branches few; spikelets one to several-flowered, few, about 4’’-5’’ long, nodding on slender pedicels. Narrow Melic-grass Panicle 2’-8’ long; spikelets 3-10-flowered; flowering scales not distinctly nerved. Grasses of salt marshes and sea beaches. Goose-grass . Spreading Spear-grass F Panicle 3-5’ long; spikelets 3-6-flowered, few, purple, 8’”-12”” long; flowering scale bearing a dorsal awn. Purple Oat Panicle 3’-9’ long, branches few, coarse; spikelets 3- -5-flowered, densely clustered. Grass of early summer. Orchard Grass Panicle 2-8’ long, heavy; spikelets large, flattened, 8-35- -flowered. Grass unpleasantly scented. Strong-scented Eragrostis Panicle 13’-5’ long, branches hair-like; spikelets 5-12-flowered, few, heart-shaped, inflated, on drooping pedicels. Quaking Grass Panicle 4’-12’ long, base usually enclosed in upper sheath; spikelets 5-10-flowered, sessile on the branches, narrow, erect, 3’’-5”’ long. A grass of salt marshes. Salt Meadow Leptochloa Panicle 2’-12' long, pyramidal, open; spikelets 3-5-flowered, small, flattened; flowering scales webby at base. Kentucky Blue-grass . Fowl Meadow-grass Panicle 3’-15’ long; spikelets 3-12-flowered; flowering scales dis- tinctly nerved. Grasses of wet grounds. Panicle open, nodding; spikelets inflated. Rattlesnake Grass Panicle contracted, densely flowered. Densely flowered Manna-grass Panicle pyramidal, open. Nerved Manna-grass Tall Manna-grass Panicle branches few; spikelets long and narrow. Floating Manna- -grass Sharp-scaled Manna-grass . Panicle 6’-18’ long, branches long and spreading; spikelets 4-8- flowered, about 4” long, purple, shining. Tall Red-top Panicle 5’-12’ long, branches slender, drooping; spikelets many- flowered, broad, 9’’-15”" long. Broad-leaved Spike-grass Panicle 2’-10’ long; spikelets long, many-flowered, drooping from slender pedicels; flowering scales awned. Fringed Brome-grass Downy Brome-grass Chess 44 PAGE 182 217 217 182 194 180 188 169 205 205 213 213 214 206 214 208 171 184 230 230 229 Key to the Grasses Panicle 2’-20' long, pyramidal, open, branches spreading; spikelets - 2-15-flowered, 1’’-4” long, flattened. Lace-grass Tufted Eragrostis Purple Eragrostis Panicle 2’-9’ long, pyramidal, open, branches slender; spikelets 2- flowered; scales thin and shining; flowering scales toothed, short-awned. Leaves narrow and involute. Wavy Hair-grass Tufted Hair-grass Panicle 6’-15’ long, pyramidal, many-flowered, very plumose in maturity; spikelets 3-7-flowered. Tall, reed-like grass of wet soil. Reed 45 PAGE 179 179 181 139 136 170 ILLUSTRATED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE GRASSES “Where thou with grass, and rivers, and the breeze, And the bright face of day, thy dalliance hadst.” GAMA GRASS Tue day when this grass is first seen, and is recognized as a member of the same family whose smaller species are commonly trodden under foot, is a day unforgotten by the nature-lover. With stems more than shoulder-high, with leaves so large as to _ resemble Indian Corn, and with thick spikes of oddly formed blossoms, the Gama Grass, as it grows in low meadows and along streams, is one of the largest and most remarkable grasses of the Eastern States. The coarse, branching stems rise from stout rootstocks and, unlike those of the majority of grasses, are solid, being filled with pith. The blossoming spikes are peculiar in form; the stamens and pistils are in separate flowers, and in midsummer long, orange- coloured anthers clothe the upper portion of each spike, while for a short time feathery stigmas of dark purple hang from the pistil- late flowers below. These fertile flowers are deeply embedded in boat-shaped cavities which are closed by hard and shining scales, and as the upper portion of the spike soon falls, the thick basal part is left,and easily breaks into short joints each containing a seed. Although smooth and shining, these seed-capsules lack the symmetry of form and the agate-like surface which char- acterizes the fruit of “ Job’s Tears,” a closely related species which is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental grass and whose seeds are sometimes used for rosaries. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION Gama Grass. Tripsacum dactyloides L. Plant perennial, from stout rootstocks. Siem 3-8 ft. tall, solid, stout, erect, branching. Leaves 1 ft. long or more, 6-18” wide. Spikes 2-4, 4'-9' long at summit of main stem, solitary spikes on the branches. Spikelets of two forms; upper part of spike composed of 2-flowered, staminate spikelets about 4” long, outer scales obtuse; 1-flowered pistillate spikelets below deeply imbedded in the rachis, outer scale of pistillate spikelets hard and shining, enclosing the 49 CHARACTERISTIC TUFTS OF BROOM SEDGE (Andro poyon virginicus) on sandy soil in early summer, before the blossoming stems have grown ia Iwas SEI, | Forked Beard-grass Andropogon furcatus i Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses W recess in which the flower is embedded. Stamens 3, anthers ; i =" orange colour, large. " Stigmas purple, long. E Moist soil, swamps, and borders of streams. June to September. Rhode Island to Florida, Texas, Mis- souri, and Kansas. BEARD-GRASS, BROOM SEDGE,. FORKED BEARD-GRASS, AND BUSHY BEARD-GRASS When the royal purple and gold of asters and goldenrod paint the \ waysides, and mark the turning to- ward harvest of the tide of midsum- mer, the Beard-grasses also appear as the vanguard of autumn and show the advanc- ing season as surely as do the more brilliant flowers. In every state, from coast to coast, these grasses grow, characteristic of dry, sandy soils, and easy of recognition. The species are looked upon with little favour in the East, but in Western pastures, on prairies and ranges, the Blue-stems, as these plants are locally called, yield a valued her- bage. Tufts of Beard-grass, the most common of the genus in Eastern States, are fre- quently seen by waysides, in sandy fields, and near the borders of dry woods. This grass, sometimes known as Indian Grass or Little Blue-stem, is late in starting and the leaves, often tinged with red and bronze, are seldom noticeable until June. In July the slender, rigidly erect stems appear, usually bluish purple in colour and at last fringed with small solitary spikes of hairy blossoms which hang to the winds their orange and terra-cotta anthers and purple 53 The Book of Grasses stigmas. Not until September, however, is the plant in its greatest beauty, as the spikelets at maturity change to tiny silvery plumes adorning the ripened and richly coloured stems. In similar locations, though less common in the North, is the Broom Sedge (Andropégon virginicus), which may be distinguished by an examination of the spikes; those of this species being borne in pairs or, several together. In the South this grass is much stouter, and on mountainsides and in lowlands it covers the fields with its rank growth. Aside from its value to the farmer in early summer, Broom Sedge, as its name indicates, finds later a more humble use in the household. Great hand- fuls of the stout stems are tied together, and when the hairy spikelets are beaten out, and the slender tips cut off, a service- able, brush-like broom is ready for immediate use on hearth and floor. Stiff, brown groups of Beard-grass and Broom Sedge remain standing through all the winter months, and are as easily recog- nized in March as they were in the preceding summer. Brilliant colours are rare when Nature is clothed in the dull brown of faded leaves, but these grasses, beneath their neutral tones, hold a colour more striking than in summer. On a wintry day strip from the stem one of the dry sheaths. The inner surface glistens with colour varying from pale yellow to copper colour and bright orange-red, while in a closely related species of the South (John- son Grass, Sérghum halepénse) the long sheaths are lined with glowing crimson. Forked Beard-grass blooms by fences and hedges in early autumn. The tall stems, rich in colouring, are surmounted by short, spreading spikes of reddish brown or purple, and by this finger-like inflorescence the grass is easily recognized. Bushy Beard-grass (Andropogon glomeradtus) is found in damp soil from New York southward. It is rarely more than three feet tall, and as the branches which bear the spikes are elongated the stems are crowned with dense, terminal panicles of hairy blossoms. Aromatic perfumes are prepared from certain foreign grasses of this genus. Citronella oil is distilled from a species of Hindostan, and the roots of another are woven into the “Vessaries,” or fan- screens, which, when dampened and hung in a current of air, be- fore door or window, perfume and cool the house. 54 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Beard Grass. Little Blue-stem. Andropdgon scoparius Michx. Perennial, usually tufted. Stem 1-4 ft. tall, solid, slender, erect. Ligule less than 1” long. Leaves 4-10’ long, 1’’-3”” wide. Spikes numerous, 1’-2’ long, loosely flowered, solitary, terminal and along the stem. Spikelets in pairs on a hairy rachis, hairs dull white, conspicuous; 1 spikelet of each pair sessile, perfect, 1-flowered, about 3" long, bearing a twisted, bent awn 5’’-7” long; the other spikelet of the pair sterile, borne on a hairy pedicel and reduced to an awn- pointed scale. Stamens 1-3, anthers terra-cotta or yellow. Dry soil. July to October. New Brunswick to Alberta, south to Florida, Texas, and southern Cali- fornia. Forked Beard-grass. Big Blue-stem. Andropogon fur- catus Muhl. Perennial. Stem 3-6 ft. tall, stout, erect. Ligule 1” long or less. Leaves 6’-16’ long, 2"’-6” wide, roughish. Spikes 2-5, purplish, 2-5’ long, rather thick and rigid, spreading from summit of culm and lateral branches. Spikelets in pairs on hairy rachis, hairs short; 1 spikelet of each pair sessile, perfect, 1-flowered, 4”-5"" long, bearing a loosely twisted, bent awn 5’’-8” long; the other spikelet staminate, awnless, consisting of 4 scales. Stamens 3, anthers yellow, orange, or brownish. Dry or moist soil. August to September. Maine and Ontario to the Rocky Mountains, south to Florida and Texas. INDIAN GRASS Indian Grass can hardly be passed unnoticed by the wayfaring man, even though he knows little of the herbage of the fields. Tall stems, leaves a foot in length, and panicles painted in colours of autumn are too striking to be ignored, although they are “nothing but grass.” Blooming in late summer, when the earlier grasses have faded, the long, hairy panicles of Indian Grass are not uncommon in dry fields and in dry places by the waysides. The stems and leaves are often deeply coloured, while the fertile spikelets are brilliant in chestnut-tinted scales and yellow anthers. The soft, densely flowered panicles are rather narrow, and the perfect spikelets are awned, but the sterile spikelets are so reduced and altered that they resemble tiny plumes. 55 The Book of Grasses fe; va ae * YO Re aa ‘ = a aes \ Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass. nutans (L.) Nash. Stem 3-8 ft. tall, erect. long. wide. Panicle 4'-12’ long, dense, branches erect or slightly spreading. Spike- lets 1-flowered, in pairs or 3’s; 1 spikelet of each group sessile and perfect; sterile spikelets reduced to hairy pedicels; perfect spikelets 3-4" long, hairy, shining chestnut brown; scales 4; flowering scale bearing a twisted awn 5’’-10” long. Stamens 3, anthers yellow. Dry soil, fields, waysides, and borders of woods. August to October. Ontario to Manitoba, south to Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Sorghastrum Ligule 1/’-2/ Leaves 6’-18’ long, 2’’-8” LARGE CRAB-GRASS, SMALL CRAB-GRASS, AND PURPLE FINGER-GRASS The two Crab-grasses, large and small, are among the many weeds that have obtained a foot- hold in America by smuggling their seeds through the port of entry with those of more important plants. Many of the most com- mon weeds — how many can hardly be known — are those that have emigrated with the white man and have tirelessly followed his footsteps through the New World. Such unwelcome foreign- ers usually take the highways of civilization for their own, and remaining near waysides and in cultivated lands keep the agricul- turist forever busy “plucking up the naughty weeds.” 56 LARGE CRAB-GRASS (Digitaria sanguinalis) Three quarters natural size Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Large Crab-grass is a weed only when it is out of place, as it so \ \ frequently is in ’ ; this country. In ™& \ \ some localities the “\y % \ stems yield a valued ‘“Q : pasturage, and in south- AQ western Europe this grassis Ww & cultivated for its seeds, which =~ ‘ are used in porridge. Small Crab-grass (Digitaria sania). a and Large Crab-grass bloom in sidsaminge ( and later and are very similar in appearance, Wa ; differing chiefly in size and in the number of K/ spikes. Small Crab-grass is usually less common, and the second scale of each spikelet is much longer than is the second “a scale of the larger species. In many a dooryard and near many a garden Large | ( \ Crab-grass is the most noticeable growth of i August and September, when the dark k green stems spread over the ground and lift L—s their narrow, deeply coloured spikes which, Sa from the summits of the stems, spread widely, like the rays of an umbel, or like the open fingers of a hand. Near the Large Crab-grass we often notice the contrast of great spreading panicles of Old Witch-grass (Pénicum capillére) which raises its blos- soming-heads like shower-fountains of green, and soon rigidly extends the slender branches until the panicles are sometimes two feet across. Purple Finger-grass, or Slender Finger- grass, (Digitaria filiformis) is a native species and therefore is not so often found Large Crab-grass near dwelling houses. It is an exceedingly Di sat ciaeanales delicate grass in stem, leaf, and inflorescence, the filiform spikes carrying out the slender character of the plant by remaining 59 The Book of Grasses nearly erect instead of spreading from the stem. This grass is often so slender as to be little noticed, but in early autumn we and faded may frequently find it blooming in sandy fields and by dry roadsides where the Wild Oat-grass still retains dry panicles of springtime. The glistening stems of Purple Finger-grass are often beautifully tinged in rose and purple, colours which, though not looked for among the grasses, are theirs Slender Paspalum Paspalum setaceum during many months of the year. Large Crab-grass. Digitdria sanguindlis (L.) Scop. Annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-3 ft. in length, much branched, erect or spread- ing and rooting at lower joints. Sheaths rather loose, smooth or hairy. Ligule short. Leaves 2’-10’ long, 2-6” wide, often hairy, rough on edges. Spikes 4-15, often deep reddish purple, 2’-7' long, narrow, 1-sided, spreading from summit of stem. Spikelets 1-flowered, lanceolate, acute, 1/-14” long, in pairs or 3’s on one side of the flat rachis. Scales 4; lowest scale minute; 2nd scale about half as long as spikelet. Stamens 3, anthers small. Stigmas lavender. Cultivated grounds and waste places. July to September. Throughout North America, except in the extreme north. SLENDER PASPALUM AND FIELD PASPALUM Paspalums are characteristic grasses of the Southern States, and in warm countries take the place of the abundant Fescues and Bent- grasses of Northern fields. There are many species, some tall and stout, and others low and spreading, rooting at the joints and car- peting the ground with a dense growth. Two species only are common in the North, and these, the Slender Paspalum and the Field Paspalum, are low-growing grasses which do 60 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses not bloom until midsummer and later. The plump flowers are borne in very narrow, one-sided spikes which even before bloom- ing seem beaded with ripened seed. Walk through a dry field in late July, and oe the earlier grasses have matured and faded green spikes of Slender Paspalum are seen just peeping from their enclosing sheaths. The terminal spike is borne on a slender stem which at length rises many inches above the short upper leaf, while later, other spikes on shorter stems usually protrude from the same sheath. The blossoms of this species are slightly smaller than are those of the Field Pas- palum (Péspalum laéve) which blooms at the same season in moister locations. The two species are distinguished not alone by the more hairy leaves of Slender Paspalum, but also by the fact that the Field Paspalum bears two to five spikes where the other species commonly bears but one. Slender Paspalum. Péspalum selaceum Michx. Perennial. Stem 1-2 ft. tall, slender, erect or spreading. Ligule short. Leaves and sheaths hairy, leaves 3’-7’ long, 1’’-3"’ wide, flat. Spike 2'-4' long, t-sided, very slender, et solitary on a long peduncle, additional solitary spikes on shorter peduncles from the sheaths of upper leaves; spikelets 1-flowered, green, about }” long, round on outer surface, flat on inner surface. Scales 3. Stamens 3. Dry fields. July to September. Massachusetts to Nebraska, south to Florida and Texas. THE PANIC-GRASSES Panic-grasses are bewildering in their profusion and their variety. No other genus of the grass family offers such a number of species in the Eastern States. Abundant by waysides, in old fields, and on river banks, Panic-grasses are equally common on sandy soils near the coast. Diverse in form, low species, often less than a foot in height, are like miniature bushes; slender ones are lost amid the surrounding taller growth; broad-leaved Panic- grasses, shoulder-high, form dense green thickets by our roadsides; stout species, burned by a hot sun to purple and copper colour, grow in clumps on the beaches, and with long rootstocks bind the wind-blown sands; and a more delicate Panic-grass bearing great flowering-heads of long, hair-like branches is a common tumble- weed in many states. In some species the pyramidal flowering- 61 The Book of Grasses heads seem loaded with cereal-like grain, so large are the blossoms; in others the flowers are few and far apart; while still others bear small blossoms, abundant and crowded. It is a comparatively easy matter to refer each Panic-grass to the genus Panicum; the ' spikelets with their shining, porcelain-like flowering scales are so characteristic of the genus that they form an easily distinguished feature, but even with the microscope it is often difficult to determine those of the several species that closely resemble one another. Cockspur Grass, formerly included in this genus, which it closely resembles, save in its awn-pointed scales, is common in cultivated lands, where its coarse, erect panicles blossom soon after midsummer. The plant varies greatly, sometimes cloth- ing the flowering-heads in long awns, and again ap- pearing practically awnless. In rich soil the plants are often six feet tall, but in low grounds near thickets and brooks this grass sometimes blooms when it is less than six inches in height. Old 62 OLD WITCH-GRASS (Panicum capillare). One third natural size BITTER PANIC-GRASS (Panicum amarum). A beach grass growing on sandy shores from Virginia southward COCKSPUR GRASS (Echinochloa crusgalli). One third natural size. Awn-bearing plants of this very variable species resemble Nace a ee t a0 tte its cies is distinguished by narrow panicles of erect branches, the latter species (which is also found in sandy soil inland) by large, widely opened flowering- heads brilliantly painted with vivid-coloured anthers and stigmas. Nor is the above a com- plete list of the Panic- grasses that bloom in Eastern States: in some localities nearly a score of species may be gathered within the radius of a mile. Brilliant tints are given to many, ff) purple and reddish brown colour the green spikelets; orange and terra-cotta tinge the anthers of some, purple the anthers of others. Often in the smaller species a few leaves are dyed in crimson, and in the majority of the Panic-grasses the feathery stigmas are of deep purple. Cockspur Grass. Barnyard Grass. Echinéchloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv. Annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-6 ft. tall, coarse, erect, branching. Sheaths usually smooth, flattened. Ligule wanting. Leaves 6’-24’ long, 3’’-12’ wide, rough margined. Panicle 3'-12' long, coarse, branches erect or spreading, densely flowered on lower side. Spikelets ovate, 1-flowered, 1’’-13’’ long. Scales 4; 1st scale minute, 2nd and 3d scales rough, about equal, 3d scale awned or awnless; flowering scale shining, enclos- ing a palet of similar texture. Stamens 3. Cockspur Grass Echinochloa crusgalli A variable species. Cultivated grounds, waste places, and by ditches. August to September. Throughout North America, except in the extreme north. 73 The Book of Grasses ' Scribner’s Panic-grass. Panicum i Y Scribnerianum Nash. 4 Perennial. Stem 06'-24' tall, erect, branched, often oa reddish. Sheaths usually bristly, # Ligule of short hairs. Leaves 2’-4' long, 3’’-6” wide, flat, rounded at base, rough-margined, usually hairy on margins below. Panicle 1'-3' long, pyramidal, few- flowered. Spikelets 1-flower- ed, roundish, about 14” long. ey Scales 4; 1st scale small; fr flowering scale shining, en- closing a palet of similar texture. Stamens 3, anthers purple. Stigmas purple. Dry or moist soil, waysides, fields, and near borders of ponds. June ; to September. RR Maine to Ontario and Wyoming, : south to Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona. Characteristic of this species, and of several other Panic-grasses, are dense rosettes of short, broad, basal leaves, formed in au- tumn and noticeable during winter and spring. J Hispid Panic-grass. Pénicum clan- destinum L. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, erect or ascending, branched. Sheaths usually longer than internodes, bristly with short, stiff hairs. Ligule very short. Leaves 2’-9’ long, 6-12” wide, rough-margined, hairy on margins at base. Panicle 3'-6' long, pyramidal, open, panicles on branches usually included in upper sheaths. Spikelets 1-flowered, oblong, about 1” long. Scales 4; 1st scale about 3 as long as spikelet; flowering scale shining, enclosing Long Panic-grass a palet of similar texture. Stamens 3. Panicum agrostoides Stigmas purple. Damp soil, thickets and river banks. June to Ee September. Quebec to Michigan, south to Georgia and Texas. 74 ge aneccecmresenenen THE DESERTED GARDEN, where grow Foxtail Grass, Crab-Grass, Cockspur Grass, Old Witch-grass, and Snake Grass Iliustrated Descriptions of the Grasses GREEN FOXTAIL, YELLOW FOXTAIL, BRISTLY FOX- TAIL, AND ITALIAN MILLET Yellow Foxtail Setaria glauca These are stout grasses, usually oc- curring as weeds in cultivated lands and by waysides, and blooming in heavy cylindrical spikes of seed-like flowers. Both the Green Foxtail (Setdria viridis) and the Yellow Foxtail are very common near gardens, and the smooth stems, red-tinged at the base, and bearing flattened sheaths and many leaves, are so character- istic of the genus that the grasses are easily recognized, even before the blossoming spikes appear. In bloom the two species are distinguished from one another by the colour of the clus- tered bristles which clothe the spikes, as the bristles of Yellow Foxtail are yellow, or even yellowish brown, while the bristles of Green Foxtail are green, as the name implies. Bristly Foxtail (Setaria verticillata) is less common. It is a more slender spe- cies with smaller spikes whose few bristles are downwardly barbed, thus differing from the two preceding species, the tiny barbs of whose bristles point upward. Italian Millet (Setaria itdlica) is a grass that has escaped from cultivation and is not unfrequently found in waste places and by roadsides. It is of stout and rapid growth, and the purplish flowering-heads, as they bend with a load of ripened seed, are often six inches or more in length and more than an inch in 77 The Book of Grasses thickness. Millets were among the most ancient of cultivated’ grains, being planted long ago in China each spring by princes of the royal house. And in lake dwellings of the Stone Age the grain has been found in such quantities that it must be assumed to have yielded the chief bread supply of prehistoric men. Yellow Foxtail. Pigeon-grass. Setaria glauca (L.) Beauv. Annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-4 ft. tall, smooth, branched, erect. Lower sheaths loose and flattened. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 2’-12’ long, 2/’-5” wide, somewhat hairy at base. Spike (spike-like panicle) 1’-4’ long, cylindrical, densely flowered, clothed in tawny yellow bristles. Spikelets 1-flowered, about 13” long, sur- rounded by a cluster of 5-10 upwardly barbed bristles which rise from below the base of each spikelet and exceed the spikelet in length. Scales 4; outer scales unequal; 3d scale sometimes enclosing a palet and staminate flower; flowering scale of perfect flower wrinkled, thick, and very convex. Stamens 3, purple. Stigmas purple. Cultivated ground and waste places. July to September. Throughout North America, except in the extreme north. BUR-GRASS Nature has decreed that the gatherers of her harvests shall be disseminators of the plants they use. But those weeds which are tramps of the wayside, like Spanish needles, burdock, and Bur- grass, having nothing of value to commend their transportation to new fields, have developed an insistent scheme for pushing new generations out into the world, and bind burdens upon all passers- by. Most appropriately do botanists comment upon Bur-grass as “a vile and annoying weed,” since it is one that causes trouble from the Atlantic to the Pacific. No one who has walked along railways, to find them Elysian fields in their variety of flora, can forget climbing sandy embankments through a hindering growth of this plant. Bur-grass is more abundant in the Southern than in the North- ern states. It is low and spreading, sometimes carpeting the ground on waste land and near sandy shores, and the flowering spikes, composed of numerous, spiny burs, present a peculiar ap- pearance, leading one to doubt if this can be grass at all. A red- dish tinge is often noticeable in the flat sheaths as well as in the 78 Plant was three feet high viridis) GREEN FOXTAIL (Setaria FOXTAIL GRASSES, ALL NATURAL SIZE c. Setaria glauca infested by smut d. Selaria glauca normal spike a Setaria italica b. Selaria viridis Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses stems, and in the burs, which are really involucres enclosing the spikelets. Before the blossoming-head breaks from the sheath each involucre is short and cup-like, sur- mounted by broad green bristles, but at maturity these bristles are grown together into a hard bur which encloses the seeds and is beset with spines \ of needle-like sharpness. Later a \ in the season the burs readily . become detached and, adhering to \ passing objects, are carried long f distances until they fall on new soil where the seeds establish new colonies \ of this troublesome grass. | Bur-grass. Sand-grass. Devil- a burs. Hedgehog-grass. Cénchrus ca- rolinianus Walt. ™ Annual. \ : Stem 6'-24’ in length, much branched, erect or spreading. Sheaths loose, smooth, flat- tened. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 2’-6’ long, 2”-4’’ wide. / Spike 1-3’ long, composed of 6-20 round, ‘ spiny burs enclosing the spikelets; burs more or less downy, sometimes reddish; spines very rigid at maturity. Spikelets 2-flowered, about 3’’ long. Scales 4, thin. Stamens 3. Sandy soil. July to September. Maine and Ontario to South Dakota, south to Florida, Texas, and southern California. INDIAN RICE “And I will cut a reed by yonder spring And make the wood-gods jealous.” Many who are but superficially fa- —a miliar with the low herbage of the fields aa SSS ur-grass. hesitate to name as grass such large Cenchrus carolinianus. 83 i ee eta EE = The Book of Grasses plants as Indian Rice, and attempt to solve the question by calling them reeds. But reed or grass, it is the same, and grass- like characteristics are constant whether measured by inches or j/, disguised by a gigantic growth. In shallow water and on “ muddy shores the Indian Rice grows, a tall, stout grass whose long flowering heads seem like a combination of flowers from two dissimilar plants; the upper, fruit- bearing portion of the panicle consist- ing of narrow, erect branches with long-awned flowers, while below them awnless, staminate flowers droop from branches that are widely spreading. The dark seeds are \ NY half an inch or more in length, and where the grass grows by f lakes in Minnesota and the Le” Northwest the Indians paddle uh Se their canoes among thickets of fp ~\ WaN Indian Rice and beat off the AYE grain, gathering it as a cherished article of food, while in the water hungry fishes eagerly eat the scattered seed. On the Jersey marshes, and south- ward by tidal waters of the Middle States, multitudes of bobolinks in sober dress stop, during their journey toward warmth and sunshine, and find bountiful fare spread for them on ripening panicles of this grass. The bobolink’s flood of melody poured over June fields is lost in autumn, and name as well as plum- } age is changed; ricebird, or reedbird, is the sobriquet under which he travels. f i . . Ee ee These birds are, alas! a favourite target a ce . Pchse paca for fall sportsmen, and it may be re- 84 WILD RICE (Zisania palustris) growing in the swampy border of a stream 4 Y oe | ‘ ; - yal ail je 7 f i MW wh | lpvy ™ i i, Wy Wh, hry If Ny YN \ J ied | wee i ie. v7 Wy) / a y ral Ze oe Te Nw HS, Lie . wy! my “tN | yee r At ayes ) b WILD RICE PANICLES IN BLOOM a. Zizania aquatica b. Zizania palustris Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses membered that the charm bag of Brer Rabbit carried “one ricebud bill.’ Indian Rice. Wild Rice. Rice Cut-grass Leersia oryzoides Reeds. Zizdnia palistris L. Stem 3-10 ft. tall, smooth, stout, erect. Sheaths loose. Ligule about 3” long. Leaves 1-3 ft. long, 3’’-16" wide. Panicle 1-2 ft. long, pyramidal. Spikelets 1-flowered. Scales 2. The upper portion of panicle consists of erect branches bear- ing narrow pistillate spikelets 4”-12" long; outer scale bearing a rough awn 1’-2’ long; the lower portion of panicle consists of widely spreading branches bear- ing staminate, awnless spikelets Stamens 6. Grain about 6” long. borders of streams. June to 3’-6"' long. Swamps and October. New Brunswick to Manitoba, south to Florida and Texas. RICE CUT-GRASS AND WHITE- GRASS Brook borders offer so much of beauty in their flora that the less noticeable leaves and blossoms of such waterside plants as Rice Cut-grass and White-grass often serve only as a background, intensifying the bril- liancy of cardinal-flowers and emphasizing the deep blue of gentians. But if one at- tempts to walk through a tangle of these grasses, in order to reach some flower that grows between the rocks at the water’s edge, rough leaves and sheaths clothed in minute, hooked prickles delay progress, and if the hand is used in pushing the grasses 89 The Book of Grasses aside it suffers sorely. Indeed, it is unpleasant to pick even one piece of Rice Cut-grass for analysis, so determinedly do the leaves catch on hands and clothing. Both White-grass (Leérsia virginica) and Rice Cut-grass bloom in late summer in wet places, where the stems, branching abun- dantly, bear panicles of green or whitish-green blossoms. Rice Cut-grass is the stouter species and bears larger panicles, while enclosed in the lower sheaths cleistogamous blossoms may often be found. In White-grass the few branches of the panicles spread stiffly and bear comparatively few spikelets, while the leaves are shorter, broader, and less rough than are those of the larger species. It is said that the leaves of certain species of the genus are sensitive in the same manner as are the leaves of the sensitive plant. One species, known as Catch-fly Grass (Leérsia lenticu- laris) bears wide spikelets armed with strong bristles. Of this grass and its blossoms, Pursh, an early botanist, writes: “Found on islands of Roanoke River, N. C., and observed it catching flies in same manner as Dionéeca muscipula (Venus’s Fly-trap).’”’ The scales certainly look as if they might close like steel-traps and im- prison insects, but as the most modern text-books say nothing of this habit his record may remain as an “evidence of things not seen” by less fortunate botanists of later times. Rice Cut-grass. Cut-grass. Leérsia oryzoides (L.) Sw. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, much branched, erect or spreading. Ligule very short. Sheaths and leaves rough, clothed in minute, downward-pointing, hooked prickles. Leaves 4’-10' long, 2’’-5’” wide. Panicle 5'-10' long, branches spreading, not numerous. Spikelets 1- flowered, flattened, light green, 2’’-23’’ long. Scales 2, nearly equal in length, downy; outer scale rough on keel and margins; inner scale rough on keel. Stamens 3, anthers pale yellow. Marshes and along streams. July to September. Nova Scotia to Ontario, south to Florida and Texas. REED CANARY-GRASS “Thou should’st have gathered reeds from a green stream.” A broad ribbon of dull rose often borders the winding streams and brooks of June when, for a few weeks, the Reed Canary-grass blooms. In spikelets and lightly poised anthers this grass offers gO om] Aq pasiejua ying ‘azis [RINJEN *(0I2U 19410 918499T) SSVUD-ALIHM om} Aq padiepua sjapaxtds ‘azIs [einjeu j[eY 2UCO ‘(sappozkso 018492T) SSWUD-LNO FOIA a SSS NS ar Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses most attractive colour- ing, and even before flowering the dense growth of blue-green leaves is noticed in marked contrast to the lighter colour of the marsh. A stout perennial with creeping rootstocks, this grass grows most luxuriantly in wet mead- ows and in shallow water, where the profusion of Enlarged spikelet of Phalaris arundinacea leaves, which are always darker in colour than the smooth and shining stems, forms a mass of verdure shoulder - high. In bloom the short branches of the panicles spread from the stem, but they are soon drawn closely to it again as the flowers fade, and in the ripening head the fungus commonly known as ergot often appears as black spurs issuing from between the scales. The true Canary-grass (Phdlaris canariénsis), cultivated in 3 Phalaris arundinacea The Book of Grasses Europe for the seeds, which have been used as a cereal as well as for bird food, has been introduced in this country and may now be found in waste places. The short, thick spikes are about an inch in length and are strikingly marked by their white and green scales. Under the names of Ribbon-grass, Lady’s Ribbons, Gardeners’ Garters, Painted-grass, and French-grass, a variety of the Reed Canary was planted in the gardens of earlier days. Gerard, in his “Herball,” describes the leaves of this plant as fashioned “like to laces or ribbons woven of white or greene silke, very beautiful and fair to behold,”’ and these striped leaves with their rare, silver-like lustre, are occasionally found by our waysides where the grass has escaped from cultivation. Reed Canary-grass. Phdlaris arundinacea L. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, stout, erect. Sheaths smooth. Ligule 1/’-2” long. Leaves 4'-12’ long, 3’’-9” wide, roughish, flat. Panicle 3'-8’ long, densely flowered, open in flower, contracted before and after blossoming. Spikelets 1-flowered, 24’’-3”” long, green strongly tinged with rose-purple. Scales 5; outer scales rough, about equal; 3d and 4th scales reduced to hairy rudiments; flowering scale hairy. Stamens 3, anthers yellow or lavender. Moist ground and shallow water. June to August. Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south to Maryland, Tennessee, and Arizona. SWEET VERNAL-GRASS “Two gentle shepherds, and their sister-wives, With thee, ANTHOXxa! lead ambrosial lives.” The student is fortunate who begins the analysis of grasses with the Sweet Vernal, as did Darwin, who wrote of it: “I have just made out my first grass, hurrah! hurrah! | must confess that fortune favours the bold, for, as good luck would have it, it was the easy Anthoxanthum odoratum; nevertheless it is a great discovery; ] never expected to make out a grass in my life, so hurrah! It has done my stomach surprising good.” Sweet Vernal is the first grass to attract one in early spring as in April it pushes up its compact, spike-like panicles to expand them soon with the open blossoms, whose large, violet anthers, as in many wind-fertilized plants, furnish the colour that is lacking in the tiny flower. 94 REED CANARY-GRASS (Phalaris arundinacea). One third natural size. Panicle contracted after flowering Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Although many of our common grasses possess a faint and agreeable odour in blossoming time, as well as in the hayfield, Sweet Vernal-grass and Vanilla Grass are our only strongly fragrant species, and after a May shower the sweetness of country air is due, not to the more noticeable blossoms of spring, but to the countless spikes of Sweet Vernal, so abundant by waysides and in upland meadows. The resinous principle, coumarin, to which the fragrance is due, is similar in odour to benzoin, and is found in a number of other plants; one of these, the Blue Melilot, is, in Switzerland, mixed with cheese to which the plant imparts its peculiar odour, and it has been said that in Italy water distilled from Sweet Vernal-grass has been used as a perfume. The slender, satiny stems of this grass are of beautiful texture and, with those of June Grass, have been used in the weaving of imitation Leg- horn hats, as well as in basketry. Sweet Vernal-grass. Anthoxanthum odord- tum L. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-2 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule 1-2” long. Leaves 1’-6' long, 1” 3’” wide, flat, smooth or spar- ingly downy. Spike-like Panicle 1'-4' long, green or brownish. Spike- lets 1-flowered, narrow, 3’’-4’’ long. Scales 5; outer scales very unequal, often downy; 3d and 4th scales hairy and bearing dorsal awns; awn of 4th scale bent and twisted, more than twice the length of the scale. Stamens 2, anthers violet. Stigmas white. Plant very fragrant in drying. Waysides, meadows, and pastures.. April to July. Throughout nearly the whole of North America. VANILLA GRASS “And because, the Breath of Flowers, is farre Sweeter in the Aire, (where it comes and Goes, like the Warbling of Musick) then in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that delight, then to know, what be the Flowers, and Plants, that doe best perfume the Aire.” 97 Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum The Book of Grasses In all the fragrance of outdoor life the grasses bear their part in diffusing that most subtle essence which is as untraceable as the 4 Vanilla Grass Hierochloé odorata odour of spring. Vanilla Grass is one of the most fragrant grasses, and its perfume in the air sug- gests that of delicate orchids hidden among sedges and rushes by the brookside. Vanilla Grass is found in abundance only in the more Northern States and in Canada, but as far south as New Jersey it is occasionally found in damp soil. In bloom the short panicles are ornamented in chestnut-brown and purple, but it is the long-leaved sterile shoots which have gained for the plant a wide recognition far from its native meadows. These leaves are very fragrant in drying, and are gathered by Indians who weave them into many varieties of baskets and placques. It is even said that European peasants attach to the plant some mysterious power of inducing sleep, and that bunches of the leaves are sold in the north of Europe to be suspended in sleeping-rooms. When, in olden time, the custom still lingered of scattering sweet-scented grasses before the churches of northern Europe on Saints’-days and holy festivals, this plant received the name of Holy Grass and was used with the less strongly scented Sweet Vernal-grass to make fra- grant the pathways leading to shrines of the saints. Fragrant grasses were at one time much lauded by agriculturists, who thought that sweet grasses should improve the flavour of butter and milk, but alas for theories! it was proved that Vanilla Grass and Sweet Vernal-grass were not '# only valueless, but were even disliked by cattle. VanillaGrass. Holy Grass. Seneca Grass. Hieréchloé odorata (L.) Wahlenb. Perennial, from creeping rootstocks. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule 1’’-2’’ long. Stem leaves very short, basal leaves, and those of sterile shoots, long and narrow. 98 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Panicle 2'-4' long, pyramidal, open, somewhat 1-sided. Spikelets 3- flowered, 2’’-3”’ long, chestnut-brown or purplish; upper flower perfect ; lower flower staminate. Scales 5; outer scales nearly equal, smooth; 3d and 4th scales hairy; flowering scale hairy at apex. Stamens’ 2 or 3. A very fragrant grass. Moist grounds. May to July. Newfoundland to Alaska, south to New Jersey and Colorado. WHITE-GRAINED MOUNTAIN RICE, BLACK-GRAINED MOUNTAIN RICE, SLENDER MOUNTAIN RICE “The grass flames up on the hillsides like a spring fire . . . not yellow but green is the colour of its flame; the symbol of perpetual youth,” The early flowers of Northern woods, arbutus, yellow adder’s tongue, and dicen- tra, have long been honoured as heralds of spring, while the lesser blossoms of shade- loving early grasses and sedges have been passed unnoted. Yet, the grasses, too, brave inclement winds and frosts, and without them the forest floors would seem bare indeed. White-grained Mountain Rice 1s one of the earliest of the woodland grasses, and the common name refers to the large seed of which it is said that a white flour has been made. The tufts of long basal leaves remain green during the winter, and in early spring the slender stems rise (often purple- tinged at the base) bearing short, narrow panicles of a few pale-coloured flowers. Slender Mountain Rice (Oryzopsis pun- gens) is another grass of early spring, and, although it is usually less common than the other species, it may be looked for near open woods and on dry and rocky soil. The 99 B White-grained Mountain Rice Oryzopsis asperifolia The Book of Grasses short, narrow panicle rises above thread-like leaves, and the whitish spikelets are occasionally tinged with purple. WA Black-grained Moun- Vg yp tain Rice (Oryzdpsis ra- VY; ge ee Pee cemosa) is a later, / Ca . broad-leaved i. VA species found in woods JE —~ and on ledges, where it Va blooms in midsummer. The if plant is larger than White- grained Mountain Rice and usually bears a longer panicle of darker flowers; nor are the stem-leaves minute, as are those of Se that earlier species. Uy White- grained Mountain Rice. Winter-grass. Oryzépsis asperifolia Michx. ( a Perennial. * Stem 8'-20' tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Stem leaves very short, basal leaves long and narrow, 2”-4’’ wide. Panicle 2'-4’ long, few-flowered, narrow and contracted. Spikelets 1-flowered, broad, 3-4" long. Scales 3; outer scales slightly unequal; flowering scale whitish, sparingly downy, bearing a terminal awn 4’’-5” long. Stamens 3. The leaves remain green during winter. / Woodlands. April to June. Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota; also in the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico. BLACK OAT-GRASS Through some selective process of Nature her longest-awned grasses are most frequently found on dry and rocky soil. The Aristidas, and the different S genera known under the name of Oat- ee cokes grasses, often grow near dry woods, in that Stipa avenacea. interesting borderland where wild black- 100 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses berries and strawberries crowd beneath white birches and spire- like cedars. Bottle-brush Grass retreats farther into the woods, and Black Oat-grass is also found within their shelter, usually on the southern slope of some open woodland where the sunlight penetrates the leafy shade. The greater number of the species of this genus (Stipa) are found west of the Mississippi, and form the Bunch-grasses, Feather-grasses, and Needle-grasses of the plains. Black Oat-grass is common eastward in early summer, when the loose, few-flowered panicles rise above the tightly rolled and thread-like leaves. The ripened flowering-heads often remain on this grass until autumn, and the long awns, bent near the middle and twisted below, spread widely from the scales. These twisted awns uncoil during damp weather but coil tightly again when the sun shines, and from this habit the Stipas, in older days, were known as “weather grasses.” A foreign species, with silky-feathered awns nearly a foot in length, has been cultivated for its beauty, and a species of southern Europe is an important article of commerce, baskets, ropes, and paper being made from the tough leaves. Black Oat-grass. Stipa avendcea L Perennial. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule about 1” long. Leaves in- volute, thread-like, stem leaves 3’-5’ long, basal leaves longer. Panicle 4'-8’ long, few-flowered, open, branches slender. Spikelets 1-flowered, narrow, 4’’-5’’ long. Scales 3; outer scales narrow, nearly equal, acute; flowering scale blackish, hairy at base and bearing a bent, loosely twisted, terminal awn about 2’ long. Stamens 3. Dry, open woods. May to July. Southern New England to Ontario and Wisconsin, south to Florida and Mississippi. POVERTY GRASS, SLENDER ARISTIDA, PURPLISH ARISTIDA, AND SEA-BEACH ARISTIDA The height of the grass season continues through all the summer months, and even in September the student will find fresh grasses by the wayside. These are not always giant species like the Reed, which uses the entire season in maturing its growth; several of the smaller grasses of wiry stem and narrow leaf have, in the long evolution of the grass family, found it more advantageous to wait 101 The Book of Grasses until the pressure of midsummer was past before giving their seeds to the care of Nature. _————— Ht Slender Aristida Aristida gracilis Among other grasses of late summer the Aristidas are common in dry soil throughout the country. The English name of Three- awned Grass is descriptive of a peculiarity of the genus, as each flowering scale bears triple awns. In Poverty Grass and Slender Aristida the outer awns of the flowering scale are shorter than the middle awn and are upright, while the long middle awn spreads stiffly at right angles to the spike. When the spikelets are comparatively few, as in the species mentioned above, these horizontally spreading awns are so characteristic that from them alone the grasses may easily be recog- nized. Poverty Grass (Aristida dichétoma) is the smallest of the eastern Aristidas and bears but short awns. Slen- der Aristida has a slightly larger flowering-head whose horizontal awns are fre- quently one half inch in length. The panicles of Purplish Aristida are long and very bristly; the outer awns of each flowering scale nearly equal the horizontal middle awn in length, and 102 Purplish Aristida Aristida purpurascens SEA-BEACH ARISTIDA (Aristida tuberculosa). Connecticut specimen Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses spread slightly from the spike-like purple panicle; the plant is usually larger than either of the preceding species and bears longer leaves. The awns of Sea-beach Aristida (Aristida tuber- culdsa) are of nearly equal length and are united at their base for one quarter of an inch or more. The panicles of this grass are few-flowered, and the awns are widely spreading or even reflexed. The several species of eastern Aristidas are locally known as Poverty Grasses, from their appearing most frequently on waste land and on soil that is too poor to support a richer vegetation. Many species are common in the West and Southwest, where, among others, is found the well-named Needle-grass, whose triple awns sometimes attain a length of four inches. Slender Aristida. Aristida grécilis Ell. Annual. Stem 6'-24' tall, slender, erect, often branched. Ligule very short. Leaves bristle-like, 1’-4’ long, hardly 1’ wide. Spike-like Panicle 3’-7' long, slender, not densely flowered. Spikelets 1-flowered, narrow, about 3’” long. Scales 3, narrow, outer scales nearly equal, awn-pointed; flowering scale bearing 3 awns, middle awn horizontal, 3’’-9’’ long, lateral awns erect, 1’’-4’’ long. Stamens 3. Dry and sandy soil. August and September. Massachusetts to Nebraska, south to Florida and Texas. Purplish Aristida. Aristida purpurdscens Poir. Perennial. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves long and narrow, sometimes involute, 4’-10’ long, about 1” wide. Spike-like Panicle 6'-18' long, slender. Spikelets 1-flowered, 3/’-5’" long, narrow, purplish. Scales 3, narrow; outer scales unequal; flowering scale bearing 3 awns, middle awn horizontal, about 1’ long, lateral awns slightly shorter, erect or spreading. Stamens 3. Dry and sandy soil, and in dry woods. August to October. Massachusetts to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. THE MUHLENBERGIAS WOOD MUHLENBERGIA, ROCK MUHLENBERGIA, MARSH MUHLEN- BERGIA, MEADOW MUHLENBERGIA, NIMBLE WILL, AND LONG-AWNED HAIR-GRASS With one exception the common species of this genus are un- attractive grasses, which, although they add the verdure of their leaves to waysides and to country dooryards, bear but incon- 105 The Book of Grasses spicuous flowering-heads of little beauty. As the Muhlenbergias are native grasses they are found in many localities, and grow from : Wy open woods to dry fields xy and on moist banks of ie iz streams. Incertain soils '/7\ the tough, matted root- stocks are but too fre- é quently seen in gardens. The smooth wie stems, rising in early summer, are very ae 4 leafy, but as the season advances and Vy, NE the stems lengthen the leaves thereby ah frp become more remote, and in maturity EN Sh Be the grasses are hard and wiry. All the species bloom in late summer, and throughout the season the fresh plants have a taste peculiar to the genus. Wood Muhlenbergia (Mublenbérgia sylvatica) and Nimble Will (Mublenbérgia Schrebéri) are frequent along the borders of woods, and in rocky places one nat- urally looks for Rock Muhlenbergia (Mublenbérgia sobolifera). These are slender grasses that are usually much branched and that bear narrow, spike- like panicles of small, green flowers. Marsh Muhlenbergia (Mublenbérgia racemosa) grows in wet places and has much stouter and more compact flower- ing-heads, which sometimes resemble spikes of Timothy. Meadow Muhlenbergia frequently grows near dwelling houses, where in early summer it offers the contrast of spreading clumps of yellowish green leaves to the darker colour of June Grass and Orchard Grass. Meadow Muhlenbergia is the last of the common dooryard grasses to bloom, and after one has watched the branching stems the / Meadow Muhlenbergia - . Muhlenbergia mexicana season through, and has waited with 106 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Long-awned Hair-grass Muhlenbergia capillaris curiosity for the blossoms to appear, there is small reward in seeing but short panicles of tiny green and lead-coloured flowers. The more slender Nimble Will, mentioned before, is also found in dooryards, where it hastily spreads wherever it has opportunity. Long-awned Hair-grass is found only on dry soil and is a delicate and beautiful grass, very distinct in appearance from our other species of Muhlenbergia. The gossamer-like, purple panicles are long and glistening, while the awned, solitary flowers are borne on such widely spreading pedicels that the flowering- heads are frequently a foot across, and in late summer are gauze-like and graceful until the first frost touches them. Vv a) Meadow Muhlenbergia. Mexican Dropseed. Mublen- bérgia mexicana (L.) Trin. Perennial, from creeping rootstocks. Stem 13-34 ft. tall, smooth, wiry, much branched, erect or spreading. 107 The Book of Grasses Ligule less than 1” long. Leaves 3’-8’ long, 1’’-4 " wide, roughish, Panicle 2'-6' long, narrow, many-flowered. Spikelets 1-flowered, 1/’- 13” long. green or bluish purple. Scales 3; outer scales acute, slightly Long-awned Wood-grass Brachyelytrum erectum unequal; flowering scale acute. Stamens 3. An exceedingly variable species. Damp soil and in shaded places. August and September. New Brunswick to Ontario, south to North Carolina and Oklahoma. Long-awned Hair-grass. Mublenbérgia capillaris (Lam.) Trin. Perennial. Stem 14-3} ft. tall, slender, erect, not branched. Ligule 1’’-2” long. Leaves long and narrow, 6’-15’ long, 1/’-2”” wide. Panicle 6'-18’ long, open, delicate, usually purple, branches hair-like, lower branches 3’-8’ long. Spikelets 1-flowered, about 2” long, narrow, on hair-like pedicels. Scales 3; outer scales slightly unequal, acute; flowering scale bearing a slender, terminal awn 3”-10” long. Stamens 3. Sandy and rocky soil and open woods. August to October. Massachusetts to Missouri, Florida, and Texas LONG-AWNED WOOD-GRASS The narrow brooks threading their way through woods and swamps are the haunts of many plants whose location makes them the more rare to the ordinary pedestrian. Here, where the bladderwort hangs its tiny yellow sunbonnets far from travelled paths, and the wild calla unfolds pallid against the velvet mud, may be found the Long-awned Wood- grass growing luxuriantly on a dryer bank of the brookside. The grass is distinctly graceful, and at first glance the slender, nodding panicle might suggest the flowering-head of a Brome-grass, but the form of the leaves separates the Long- awned Wood-grass at once from that genus, while the one-flowered spikelets differ from 108 LONG-AWNED WOOD-GRASS (Brachyelytrum erectum). One half natura. size. Spikelet enlarged by two and a half Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses the many-flowered spikelets of the Brome-grasses. If the micro- scope is used it discloses the thread-like prolongation of the rachilla lying against the palet which closely embraces the narrow seed. The slender stems bear a profusion of spreading leaves, and the whole plant has a slightly unpleasant odour. Long-awned Wood-grass. Brachyélytrum eréctum (Schreb.) Beauv. Perennial from rootstocks. Stem 1-4 ft. tall, slender, erect. Nodes and sheaths downy. Ligule less than 1” long. Leaves 2'-6’ long, 3’’-8” wide, rough above, downy on lower surface, tapering at both ends, flat. Panicle 2’-7' long, narrow, slender, few-flowered, branches erect, 1’-4' long. Spikelets 1-flowered, narrow, 5-6" long. Scales 3; outer scales small, unequal; Ist scale very minute; flowering scale , 4-6” long, 5-nerved, bearing a rough, terminal awn 9-12" long. Rachilla prolonged and lying as a slender bristle in the groove of the palet. Stamens 2, anthers and stigmas long. Plant has faint unpleasant odour. Open woods and moist grounds. June to August. Newfoundland to Ontario and Minnesota, south to North Carolina and Missouri. TIMOTHY “It is full summer now, the heart of June.” In many of the states Timothy is one of the most common of cultivated grasses, and it is, perhaps, the one most generally known and easily recognized. By waysides and in fields its bright green bayonets rise, stiff and rigid, and tipped with cylindrical flowering-heads which bloom at about the same time as Red- top, a grass with which this species is often associated in the fields, though Timothy is noticeable earlier in the season, when the sunlight, touching the tips of the spikelets, seems to gem the spikes with dew-drops. The flowers are densely crowded, and in bloom the ITI ~ Phieum pratense The Book of Grasses anthers, borne on long filaments, increase the apparent size of the heads by encircling them in filmy lavender. The stalks, in rich soil, are sometimes five feet tall, with blos- soming heads six to ten inches in length, but in dry places the plant is much smaller, and by developing bulbous thickenings of stored- up nutriment at the bases of the stems it is enabled to survive periods of drouth. Leaf-smut occasionally attacks this grass and reduces the leaves to shreds covered with dusty brown spores. A few of the flowering-heads of aftermath develop leaves from the tips of the scales and cover the spikes with tiny green blades, as if to shield the unripened seed from early frosts. The common name of Timothy preserves that of its earliest cultivator, Timothy Hanson, a Maryland planter of the early days of the eighteenth century. He must have been a genial man, proving himself friendly, or we should have had Hanson Grass instead of Timothy, although the more local name of Herd’s Grass need be considered no reproach to the Mr. Herd who cultivated it in New Hampshire long ago. Timothy. Herd’s Grass. Cat’s-tail Grass. Phléum pra- zénse L. Perennial. Stem 1-5 ft. tall, erect, not branched. Ligule 1-2’ long. Leaves 3-12" long, 2’’-4”" wide, flat, rough or nearly smooth. Spike (sptke-like panicle) 1'-7' long, cylindrical, green, densely flowered, 3'’-45"" in diameter. Spikelets 1-flowered, flat, about 13’’ long. Scales 3; outer scales compressed, about equal, hairy on keels, abrupt- ly awn-pointed; flowering scale thin and translucent, truncate, much shorter than outer scales. Stamens 3, anthers usually lavender. Stigmas white. Meadows, fields, and waysides. June to August. Throughout nearly the whole of North America. MEADOW FOXTAIL AND MARSH FOXTAIL The resemblance that Meadow Foxtail bears to Timothy might be confusing were it not that the former, being one of the first grasses to mature its seed, begins to bloom a month before the green spikes of Timothy appear. The whole plant is more soft than is Timothy, the leaves shorter and borne on somewhat inflated sheaths, and the spikes are slightly softer, broader, and shorter than are the stiff, rough heads of the later-flowering grass. Meadow 112 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Foxtail is exceedingly hardy, thriving on all soils but the driest, and after the early growth of May and June it yields later a luxuriant aftermath. Common in low meadows and along Wek My shallow streams is the Marsh Foxtail, (Alopectrus geniculatus,) a widely dis- tributed grass of rich, dark-green colour. A more slender plant than Meadow Foxtail, it bears shorter spikes and spike- lets, while there is an important differ- ence in the empty scales of the two species, those of Marsh Foxtail being not only much shorter but also quite obtuse. The slender stems, bending and spread- ing at the base, are sparingly branched, and it will be noticed that the upper leaf is as long as its sheath, as is seldom the case in Meadow Foxtail. Meadow Foxtail. Alopecirus praténsis L. Perennial, with short rootstocks. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect, not branched. Sheaths loose. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-4’ long, 1’’-3”’ wide, flat, rough or nearly smooth. Spike (spike-like panicle) 1'-4' long, cylindrical, green, densely flowered, 4’-6’’ in diameter. Spikelets 1-flowered, compressed, 2’’-3” long. Scales 3; outer scales acute, equal, united at the base, hairy on the keels; flowering scales nearly as long as empty scales, thin and translucent, obtuse, bearing a slender, dorsal awn about 3” long; palet often lacking. Stamens 3. Stigmas long. Fields and meadows. May to July. Labrador to southern New York, Ohio, and Michigan, also in Oregon and California. THE DROPSEED GRASSES GAUZE-GRASS, SHEATHED RUSH-GRASS, SMALL RUSH-GRASS, LONG-LEAVED RUSH-GRASS, SAND DROPSEED, AND NORTHERN DROPSEED The common species of this genus are very dissimilar in appearance: the panicle of Gauge- —gjopecurus pratensis 113 The Book of Grasses grass is lacy and open, like that of a miniature Eragrostis; Sheathed Rush-grass and Small Rush-grass bear short, narrow flowering-heads; and the panicles of certain other species show a superficial resemblance to those of the Bent-grasses. Gauze-grass is so small and delicate that it hides beneath one’s feet, and hundreds of the plants may grow unnoticed by ‘ the margin of a brook where ! taller grasses have been gathered. Indeed this grass is seldom seen at all, save by accident, as it were, when the student, down on bended knee, is searching for the smaller flowering plants of wet, sandy soil. Often the Rough Hair-grass grows in similar loca- tions and bends its great ripen- ing panicles over the later-flower- ing ones of Gauze-grass. Our other species of these grasses grow in dry or sandy soil and may be looked for in late summer and early autumn, when with a low growth they frequently cover the ground be- tween tufts of the Beard-grasses, or rise among the slender, rose- purple stems of Purple Finger- grass. Small Rush-grass (Spord- bolus mnegléctus) and Sheathed Rush-grass are small and very slender, with short, narrow, leaves, @ and very short, narrow flowering- ~~ "4 heads which, in the latter, bear Y anthers of deep red in vivid con- Sheathed Rush-grass trast with the white stigmas. ee Sborooolus vaginaeflorus Long-leaved Rush-grass (Spord- Sporobolus uniflorus 114 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses bolus dsper), also, bears a narrow panicle, but the stem is often three feet in height and the leaves are very long. The bluish or lead-coloured panicles of Sand Dropseed (Sporé- bolus cryptdndrus) are open and many-flowered; Northern Drop- seed (Spordbolus beterdlepis) bears an open, less heavily flowered panicle, and long, thread-like leaves. Sheathed Rush-grass. Southern Poverty-grass. Spo- robolus vaginaeflorus (Torr.) Wood. Annual. Stem 6'-20' tall, slender, tufted, erect. Sheaths somewhat inflated. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-4’ long, 1’’ wide or less, upper leaves rather rigid and bristle-like, lower leaves much longer. Panicles }/-2’ long, terminal and lateral, very narrow and contracted, lateral panicles enclosed in the sheaths. Spikelets 1-flowered, 13/’-2/’long. Scales 3; outer scales slightly unequal, very acute; flower- ing scales very acute, rough toward the apex. Palet very acute, as long as flowering scale. Stamens 2 or 3, anthers dark red, large. Stigmas white. Dry and sandy soil. August and September. Vermont to Wyoming, south to Georgia and Texas. Gauze-grass. Spordbolus uniflérus (Muhl.) Scribn. & Merr. Perennial. Stem 6'-18' tall, very slender, somewhat flattened, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 2’-6’ long, about }3’’ wide, flat. Panicle 3'-8' long, very delicate, branches hair-like, erect or ascending. Spikelets 1-flowered, (occasionally 2-flowered), minute, about 3” long, light purple, on slender pedicels. Scales 3; outer scales obtuse, about equal, half the length of the acute flowering scale. Stamens 2 or 3. Wet, sandy soil. July to September. Maine to Michigan, south to New Jersey. THE BENT-GRASSES BROWN BENT-GRASS, THIN-GRASS, ROUGH HAIR-GRASS, AND RED-TOP “Soon will the high midsummer pomps come on.” Neither the earlier nor the later grasses so monopolize field and wayside as do those of this genus, whose hundred species are scattered through all the temperate regions of the world. As typical of midsummer warmth as goldenrod is of the largesse of autumn, they begin to bloom by the waysides of June, and symbol- 115 The Book of Grasses ize, as do no other plants, the heat of summer with its hay fields and the endless, iterant call of the cicada. In drier places Brown Bent- grass (Agréstis canina) is often found in bloom a month before the common Red-top, and it is also frequently seen in moister meadows as a red-brown mist closery following the blossoming of Velvet Grass. In bloom the plant calls to mind a miniature Red-top, but the leaves are narrower than those of the latter species, the basal leaves being almost bristle-form, while the flowering scale differs in devel- oping a dorsal awn. Brown Bent is often seen on lawns and it is also quite common near the coastwise marshes of New England and New Jersey, where under the hot sunlight the widely open panicles of this grass rarely vary in colour from brown or brownish purple, flecked with white by the small anthers. Thin-grass (Agréstis perénnans) is well de- scribed by its common name. The panicles are very pale green, rarely tinged with purple, and ‘ the short branches, with the branchlets and pedicels, are widely spreading. The whole plant is weak and slender, and the tiny flowers, open- ing soon after Brown Bent blossoms, are in out- ward appearance not unlike those of a small Red-top that has lost its colour through growing in a shaded place, but in examining a blossom with the microscope the palet is seen to be minute or lacking. Thin-grass is most frequently found in the damp soil of shaded pastures, and it is one of BP the comparatively few grasses that ascend the Red-top Agrostis alba highest mountains of the Appalachians. 116 eg RED-TOP (Agrostis alba), Three quarters natural size Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Among our common wayside grasses there are few more beau- tiful than the Rough Hair-grass, with its shining stems and wonderfully deli- cate panicles which glisten in the sun- light like purple cobwebs. When the Fescues are past, and the Red- top is in its glory of midsummer colour- ing, the slender stems of this grass droop by the way- side and may be passed a score of times unnoticed, for, although the flowering-heads are often a foot and a half long and half as broad, the widely spreading branches are so infinitely fine that the panicles seem to have gathered “fern-seed,”’ since they so nearly “walk invisible.” To see the plant in its greatest beauty one should seek an upland plain where the land- scape gardening of Nature has planted the dark green of bush-clover and tick-trefoil against the summer grasses. Here, where the Wild Oat-grass was earlier abundant, and where later the Beard- grasses will endure throughout the autumn, arelarge tufts of Rough Hair-grass — the whole flowering- head, stem, branch, and spikelet, burned to rose- purple by the July sun. Before the panicles ex- pand they are sometimes gathered and sold as “Silk-grass,” but the name of Fly-away Grass is more appropriate as the seeds ripen, for the light panicles are soon broken by the wind and drift over 5S the fields as the earliest tumble-weed. San ree The Red-top and its varieties are among the Agrostis hyemalis 119 The Book of Grasses chief grasses of July fields, and in midsummer acre upon acre is clothed by them in varying tones of reddish purple. Perhaps native in the North and Northwest, Red-top was brought to the Eastern States from Europe in the eighteenth century and was cultivated as “English Grass,’ but its various uses and ap- pearances under many conditions of soil and climate have given it a multitude of names. As Bonnet-grass it was common along the valley of the Connecticut River, where the stems were formerly cut to be braided into hats. As Fioren a variety which produces a smooth and velvet-like turf was most highly extolled in England and Ireland as a winter fodder grass, and its sponsor was at one time caricatured as mowing grass in winter while snow lay upon the ground. The most common form of Red-top is found in nearly all the states, and as in early summer the un- opened panicles, in narrow spikes of green or purple, rise above the leaves the grass may be recognized several weeks before it is in bloom. Where the earth is moist the blossoms are darker in colour, and in the more luxuriant growth of rich soil rootstocks are formed, which in gardens are as difficult to eradicate as are those of the too-common Couch-grass. Red-top. Herd’sGrass. Bent-grass. Agrostis élba L. Perennial. Exceedingly variable. Stem 1-4 ft. tall, erect, not branched. Ligule 4” long or less. Leaves 2’-10' long, 1’’-4”" wide, flat, rough. Panicle 2'-10' long, open, branches many. Spikelets 1-flowered, about 1 long, green or reddish purple. Scales 3; outer scales acute, about equal, rough on keels; flowering scale obtuse or acute; palet not less than one third as long as flowering scale. Stamens 3, anthers white, short. Fields, meadows, and waysides. June to September. Throughout nearly the whole of North America. Rough Hair-grass. Fly-away Grass. Agréstis hyemalis (Walt.) BSP. Root biennial. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, erect, slender, not branched. Ligule 1‘-2’’ long. Leaves 2’-6’ long, 3””-1}’" wide, rough, basal leaves usually involute and bristle-form. Panicle 6'-20' long, widely open, usually reddish purple; branches many, hair-like, rough, divided near the middle, spikelet bearing at the extremities, lower branches 3-8’ long. Spikelets 1-flowered, 1” 120 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses long orless. Scales 3; outer Qy scales nearly equal, acute, RNY rough on keels; flowering “=X scale obtuse; palet minute. Stamens 3, anthers small. \" Dry or moist soil. June to Sa August. : \ M Throughout nearly the whole Rn \ of North America, except \ in the extreme north. BLUE-JOINT GRASS AND NUTTALL’S REED-GRASS Though that “bank where SQ the wild thyme blows” be in- X accessible, the country holds many a marshy meadow wherein all man- ner of delightful acquaintances may be made. In such “marish places” grow pitcher-plants, dotting the swale with fairy parasols of rose and maroon, orchids, fragile and beautiful in pink and lavender, while treacherous sundews, plants of doom to the lesser members of the insect kingdom, are scattered among the sedges and rushes above which rise the taller grasses of moist grounds. In June when the season is at its height — though in reality it is only ap- preciation that is more vivid in early summer, for each week brings new bloom and colour to the marsh —the Blue-joint often covers large areas, or appears in isolated specimens among the sedges. This grass is tall and slender, bearing narrow flowering-heads which are usually strongly tinged with bluish purple, and on some soils the dark green leaves change to a dull purplish colour that is noticeable even from a distance. Blue-joint Grass Calamagrostis canadensis The seeds ripen early, and in some localities the grass is a difficult one to find in bloom, as 121 The Book of Grasses the flowers fade rapidly, leaving only pale-brown panicles of ripen- ing seeds. Occasionally the whoie panicle fails to mature, and Nuttais Reed Grass then the spikelets remain empty and faded. In the same wet meadows Nuttall’s Reed-grass (Calama- groéstis cinnoides) is found in midsummer. A _ stout, reed- like grass is this species, with broader leaves than Blue- joint, and with contracted panicles which in the sunlight look as if they had been dip- ped in dye of royal purple, so deeply coloured are the tips of the individual spikelets. The leaves of this grass are oc- casionally tinged with red as are, here and there, those of other summer grasses that thus anticipate the brilliancy of autumn. The flowering scales of these grasses are surrounded by soft hairs, and among these hairs the slender awn of Blue- joint is almost lost. In Nut- tall’s Reed-grass the stouter awn is readily seen under the microscope, as is also the pro- longed rachilla which bears a tiny thistle-head of white hairs at its summit. Blue-joint Grass. Cala- magrostis canadénsis (Michx.) Beauv. Perennial. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, erect. Ligule 1-3’ long. Leaves 6’-15’ long, 1’-4"" wide, rough. ‘qsieyy FOMUY Ur APUCLINXN] ZulMosd (sesuapouv7 sysos3DUDIDD) SSVUD LNIO[-AN Td ayeyT esndked YSIYy J99} IMoOj 919M sued ‘(ISMOPDUDI SpsossDMD]DD) SSVAD LNIOL-ANTa azis [Rinjeu apueg “(ssuapoun) syjsoi3ouojo) SSVO LNIOL-AN Ta Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Panicle 4’-10" long, oblong, often reddish purple, branches ascending or spreading. Spikelets 1-flowered, 13’’-2"’ long. Scales 3; outer _ Scales nearly equal, acute, rough; flowering scale thin and translucent, divided at apex, surrounded by numerous white, silky hairs which rise from the base of the scale, flower- ing scale bearing a dorsal awn about the length of the basal hairs. Rachilla prolonged and hairy. Stamens 3. Wet grounds. June to August. Newfoundland to Alaska, south to North Carolina and southern California. MARRAM GRASS “Where the gray beach glimmering runs, as a belt of the dawn.” From Virginia northward, along the Atlantic coast, the gray-green leaves of Marram Grass add their subdued colour to the pale sands. Where the forests advance toward the water’s edge this grass occupies a narrow strip of shore between tides and trees; but where the sands have drifted inland, driving vegetation before them, Marram Grass often covers large areas and aids in arresting the encroaching desolation. Although other plants are smothered by wind-blown sand, this grass, continuing to grow as the sand collects around it, is found on high dunes with whose rise it has kept pace. The buried stems attain an incredible length, and the stout rootstocks, becoming matted and interwoven, prevent the drift- ing of sands, and resist the action of waves and winds which wage unceasing warfare against the land. The value of Marram Grass as a sand- binder has long been recognized. Even in the reign of Elizabeth laws were passed in England for the preservation of this grass, and in America, in colonial days, the in- 127 Marram Grass Ammophila arcnaria The Book of Grasses habitants of certain towns in Massachusetts were obliged to plant Marram Grass each April, or suffer the penalty of their disobedience to law. It is said that the harbour of Provincetown, Mass., owes its preservation to the Marram Grass committee which was authorized to demand the cultivation of this grass along the coast. Great has been the devastation caused by sand-storms on coasts where there are no sand-binding grasses. Following the thoughtless pulling up of Marram Grass on a shore of Scotland, such a storm in the winter of 1769 was so destructive that apple trees, it is said, were buried and only their highest branches left above the surface of the drifts. The long leaves of Marram Grass, or Beach Grass, as it is often called, are smooth on the outer surface, are finely ribbed within, and become involute in drying. The inflorescence is a cylindrical, spike-like panicle, composed of many one-flowered spikelets which in bloom are fringed with white anthers. The grass may easily be recognized, even from a distance, by the characteristic colour of its leaves, so perfectly does the silver green accord with the silver sands. Marram Grass. Beach Grass. Sea Sand-reed. Ammé6- phila arendria (L.) Link. Perennial, from extensively creeping rootstocks. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, stout, rigid, erect. Ligule a minute ring. Leaves 6’-24’ long, 2’’-6’ wide, gray-green, smooth on lower surface, ribbed and rough on upper surface, soon involute. Sptke-like Panicle 5'-14' long, cylindrical, green, densely flowered, 5-9" in diameter. Spikelets 1-flowered, 5’-6’ long. Scales 3, compressed; outer scales about equal, acute; flowering scale nearly as long as empty scales and bearing a tuft of short hairs at the base; palet slightly shorter than flowering scale. Rachilla prolonged. Stamens 3, anthers white. Sandy beaches along the coast. July to October. New Brunswick to Virginia, also on the shores of the Great Lakes, and in California. WCOD REED-GRASS AND SLENDER WOOD REED-GRASS Leafy stems of Wood Reed-grass arrest the attention before the ample panicles are visible, for, although this grass does not 128 SLIP 94} BAOGe soaa] $}I daay 0} BUIAII}S OS[e SI (Stadjasagulas OFDp110S) poiuapjos apiseag ‘pues SuNyslup Ul FurMoss (Davuasy Dpydommy) SSVAYD WVAAVIN Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses bloom until late summer, the reed-like stems, frequently shoulder- high, and bearing broad, soft leaves, are common in July in wooded Wood Reed-grass Cinna arundinacea swamps and by shaded streams. When the many-flowered pani- cles first appear they are pale green, contracted, and almost silky; later, as the flowers open, the multitude of hair-like branches spread from the flowering-head and the spikelets are often tinged with purple, while as the seeds ripen the panicles are again contracted as before blossoming. Slender Wood Reed-grass (Cinna lati- folia) is also a grass of late summer, and though in many localities this species is less common than Wood Reed-grass it is not infrequently found in deep woods and on mountainsides. It is more slender than the preceding species and bears a less densely flowered panicle of spreading or drooping branches. The flowers of these grasses have but one stamen, and the palets are remarkable in that they show but one nerve. Wood Reed-grass. Cinna arun- dinacea L. Perennial. Stem 2-6 ft. tall, leafy, not branched, erect. Ligule 1-2’ long. Leaves 6’-15’ long, 3’’-7” wide, flat, roughish. Panicle 6'-15’ long, densely flowered, rather narrow, green or purple. Spikelets 1-flowered, about 22” long. Scales 3; outer scales rough, unequal, acute; flowering scale 2- toothed, usually bearing a minute awn be- tween the teeth. Rachilla sometimes slightly prolonged. Palet 1-nerved. Stamen 1. Moist woods, thickets, and swamps. July to September. Newfoundland to the Northwest Territory, south to Alabama and Texas. 131 The Book of Grasses \ \ ‘ v NW Silvery Hair-grass Aira caryophyliea SILVERY HAIR-GRASS Silvery Hair-grass is a tiny annual that has become only locally abundant since its accidental introduction from Europe. It is occasionally found in the sandy soil of waste fields, and in dry places by the wayside, where the Slender Fescue strives with small success to draw life from the unpromising ground. Silvery Hair- grass is of slender growth, and its bristle-like leaves resemble those of a small plant of Wavy Hair-grass, which blooms a few weeks later. Sand-growing annuals, like those near the deserts, are of rapid growth, and take advantage of a spring shower to grow, bloom, and mature their seeds in as short a time as_ possible. Therefore the Silvery Hair-grass early lifts its spreading panicles from the ground and opens the purplish spikelets for a day. It is rarely a foot in height, and often much less than that, one of the smallest of the grasses that bloom in the Eastern States, and silvery, as its name implies, as the colour fades from the blossoms, and the empty scales, shining and translucent, remain on the panicles long after the ripened seeds, with their adherent flowering scales, have floated away on the breeze. Silvery Hair-grass. Aira caryopbylléa L. Annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 4'-12' tall, slender, erect. Ligule about 1” long. Leaves bristle-form, 3’-2’ long. Panicle 1'-4' long, very open, branches hair-like, spike- let-bearing toward the extremities. Spikelets 2- flowered, 1’-13" long, green and rose-purple, turn- ing silvery and translucent in fading. Scales 4; outer scales acute, equal; flowering scales acute, 2-toothed, awned; awns slender, 2’’ long or less. Stamens 3. Dry soil and waste places. May to July. Massachusetts to Virginia, also on the Pacific Coast. 132 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses VELVET GRASS “I find myself ’mid pastures sweet, Vernal, green, and ever gay.” The eye is arrested in mid-June by bits of colouring in the fresh meadows, as if on the darker grasses a grayish- pink fog rested, clinging in unevapo- rated clouds where the Velvet Grass blooms. By waysides and in meadows the soft panicles open, white and gray- green, pale pink and purple, charming in colour, and surely more beautiful than the Yorkshire fog from which the English named the grass. Soft white hairs clothe leaves and sheaths in a dense pubescence, and from this alone the grass may be recognized throughout the season, for although the ripening stems change to shining yellow the sheaths remain green and retain their velvet-like softness until fall. The plant is usually about two feet high, though in the Southern States it is often much taller. The long upper sheath is inflated and until the flowers open it encloses the soft panicle which, though richly coloured where the sun- light touches it, is sometimes pale greenish white, even in bloom. Against the green of early summer grasses the flowers of Velvet Grass are very notice- able, and until September a few plants still bloom and may be found in many locations from the borders of damp thickets to sandy fields and shores. Doctor Muhlenberg, who did much Velvet Grass Holcus lanatus =) to bring before the world the agricultural resources of our country, termed this grass “excellens pabulum,” but cattle are not fond of Velvet Grass and farmers do not find it worthy of 133 The Book of Grasses cultivation, save on poorest soils where more desirable species fail to thrive. Velvet Grass. Salem Grass. Yorkshire Fog. Hoélcus landatus L. Perennial, with creeping rootstocks. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect. Sheaths and leaves clothed in soft white hairs. Ligule about 1” long or less. Leaves 1’-7’ long, 2-6’ wide, flat, very soft, grayish green. Panicle 1'-6' long, pyramidal, open in flower, downy, greenish white, tinged with pink, rose, or purple. Spikelets 2-flowered, about 2’ long, lower flower perfect, upper flower staminate. Scales 4; outer scales slightly unequal, clothed in short white hairs; 1st scale acute or obtuse, 1-nerved; 2nd scale awn-pointed, 3-nerved; flowering scales papery, smooth, the rst obtuse, the 2nd 2-toothed and bearing from just below the apex a short awn which soon becomes hooked. Stamens 3, anthers white, yellow, or lavender. Meadows, waysides, and waste places. May to August. Nova Scotia to Ontario and Illinois, south to North Carolina and Ten- nessee. MARSH OATS, MEADOW SPHENOPHOLIS, SLENDER SPHENOPHOLIS, AND EARLY BUNCH-GRASS In the crevices and depressions of those rocks that push out into woodland brooks, mosses and lichens surround the roots of a few plants which might appear to be true air-plants, deriving their sustenance from the winds of heaven, so scanty are the visible means of support. But pull up the stalk of one of these—flower, and stem, and root—and see how closely the rootlets hug the rock, and penetrating the tiniest crevices hold the plants as securely as though they were anchored on deep soil. ; One of the early summer grasses on such rocks, and near them, is the Marsh Oats, which, although allied to other Oat-grasses, unlike them is found in the low grounds of wet meadows and by brooksides. The grass is slender, with thin, flat leaves, and narrow, loosely flowered panicles whose flat spikelets of pale green and yellow bear each a conspicuous awn from the upper flower. In this latter peculiarity it differs from other species of this genus which, like it, are slender, light green grasses of early summer. Although natives of this country these grasses are seldom found in great abundance in the East. Meadow Sphenopholis, a tufted 134 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses perennial, with narrow panicles of pale green spikelets, is some- times common in moist woods and meadows, but it is a plant little yy Marsh Oats Sphenopholis palustris noticed save by the student to whom each new grass is a dis- covery of absorbing interest. Dry, open woods are the home of the Slender Sphen- opholis (Sphendpbolis nitida) which shows a more open panicle in bloom, though the branches are drawn closely to the stem before and after blossoming. The plant is some- what more slender than others of this genus, and the spikelets are not so crowded, but the same pale green colour is char- acteristic of the whole plant. Early Bunch-grass (Sphen- épholis obtusata) blooms in dry soil, and when in bright sun- light the spike-like panicles of short, erect, densely flowered branches are frequently tinged with greenish purple. This grass soon fades, and in July the slender stems become a shining yellow tinged with pink. Marsh Oats. Sphenépbolis palustris (Michx.) Scribn. Perennial. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule less than 1’ long. Leaves 1-5’ long, about 2” wide, flat, roughish. Panicle 2'-8' long, narrow, loosely flowered, yellowish green, branches short, slender. Spike- lets 2-flowered, about 3” long. Outer scales acute, nearly 135 e Meadow Sphenopholis Sphenopholis pallens The Book of Grasses equal; flowering scales roughish, 2-toothed, scale of lower flower awnless (or rarely bearing a rudimentary awn), scale of upper flower bearing from between its teeth an awn about 3” long. Rachilla prolonged. Stamens 3. Low grounds. May to July. Massachusetts to Illinois, south to Florida and Louisiana. Meadow Sphenopholis. Sphenépholis pallens (Spreng.) Scribn, Perennial, tufted. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule 1” long or less. Leaves wet 2'-7' long, 1’’-3”” wide, rough, flat, pale green. Panicle 3'-8’ long, narrow, pale green. Spikelets 2-3-flowered, nearly 2’ long. Outer scales unequal, 1st scale acute, very narrow, about 4 the width of the 2nd scale, which, is obtuse or abruptly acute; flower- ing scales acute. Stamens 3. Damp woods and meadows. May to July. Maine to Wisconsin, south to North Carolina and Texas. WAVY HAIR-GRASS AND TUFTED HAIR-GRASS By the dry paths of early summer delicate panicles of Wavy Hair-grass rise in silvery pink and green above thread-like leaves. The flowering-heads of this grass are widely open, and as the small spikelets are borne only at the extremities of the wavy branches the plant seems but a transient spirit of the wayside that must be begged to tarry lest it leave ere “the hasting day Has run” But to the even-song.” The silvery scales are exquisitely tinted in pink and rose for the short time that the flowers are open, but as the flowers fade the scales lose their colour and persist, shining and translucent, long after the seeds have ripened and the stems have died. This grass grows in the shade of wooded pastures as well as in the sun- light, where on dry hillsides dark green tufts of the involute root- leaves are frequently seen. Wavy Hair-grass is found at higher altitudes than are many of the common grasses, and in spring it is the most slender species in blossom until the misty panicles of Fly-away Grass open, wraith-like in their beauty. Tufted Hair-grass (Deschdmpsia caespitosa) prefers the moister soil of lake shores and river banks, where the tall stems bear widely 136 K . hay WAVY HAIR-GRASS (Deschampsia flexuosa). One half natural size. Spikelets enlarged by two Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses open panicles tinged with blue and purple. This grass is spoken of by one writer as among the tallest of British grasses, often attaining a height of six feet in that re country, where its stems are oc- casionally used in weaving coarse ¥ floor-mats. Here, theTuf- ted Hair-grass is from two to four feet tall, a variable species with flat ' leaves, somewhat smaller spikelets, and _ stouter stems than are seen in Wavy Hair-grass. Wavy Hair-grass. Deschémpsia flexu- dsa (L.) Trin. Perennial, tufted. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, slender, erect. Sheaths much shorter than internodes. Ligule 1-2” long. Leaves 1’-7’ long, involute and bristle-like, those of the stem very short. Panicle 2'-8’ long, widely open, branches hair- like, spreading, wavy, spikelet-bearing toward the extremities. Spikelets 2-flowered, about 23” long, green tinged with rose, silvery and translucent in fading. Scales 4; outer scales acute, slightly unequal; flowering scales acute, divided at apex, hairy at base, bearing a bent and twisted dorsal awn about 3” long. Rach- illa prolonged. Stamens 3. Dry soil. June to August. Labrador to Ontario, south to North Carolina and Tennessee. ~~ OATS, CULTIVATED AND WILD “It is their chiefest bread-corn for Iannocks, Haver cakes, Tharffe cakes, and those which are called generally Oten cakes: and for the most part they call the graine Haver, whereof they do likewise make drinke for want of Barley.” Who does not remember a field of oats under a July sky? The bright leaves _<€= Me “Green, and all of a height, and unflecked with Wavy Hair-grass a light or a shade.” Deschampsia flexuosa 139 The Book of Grasses One of the grains cultivated in ancient times, this is still the principal cereal of the extreme north of Europe, where the id Cultivated Oats grain is used daily in the kitchens of the working people, who from it make their “fladbrode,” or oaten cakes. Many varieties of this cultivated grass (Avéna sativa) have been devel- oped in more modern days, the chief forms of which are Panicled Oats and Banner Oats — the former with symmetrical, and . the latter with one-sided panicles — and the large, drooping flowering-heads frequently bloom by the waysides where seed has been accidentally dropped. Although there are many species in this genus, none of them is common in the Eastern States. The Wild Oats (Avéna fatua) is, perhaps, the most inter- esting, but it is not often found east of the Mississippi. The peculiar flowering scales of this grass are half an inch long and are covered with stiff, brown hairs from among which projects a bent and twisted awn more than an inch in length. Like the twisted awns of other grasses, the awn of Wild Oats, when dampened, quickly uncoils and moves in a most weird manner, as if suddenly endowed with life. It may be that the apparent inward volition of this strange awn was looked upon as an evidence of influence from the under-world, for it is certain that the term ‘‘wild-oats” has long beena synonym for the worthless —and enjoyable. Where the Norse mythology credited the dwarf 140 We Cultivated Rye 141 The Book of Grasses Loki with troubling poor mortals by his evil deeds, that grass was called “Loki’s Grass,” or “ Dwarf’s Grass,” the common proverb about the scapegrace being: “Loki is sowing his seed in him.” Jugglers of former days used the awn of Wild Oats in foretelling future events, and imposed on the credulous by calling it “the leg of an enchanted fly” or “the leg of an Arabian spider.’’ Surely such pseudo- sciences as palmistry and astrology would lose their charm when one could place unwavering faith in the fortune-telling based on the strange movements of this enchanted awn. An English book speaks of the use of the flowering scale as an artificial fly in trout fishing. The twisted awn, uncoil- ing as it is dropped in water, whirls the hairy scale about and causes it to appear like a struggling insect. MEADOW OAT-GRASS For some long lost reason the unusual name of “Grass of the Andes”’ was once given to the Meadow Oat-grass which in early spring is often found growing in loose tufts near fields and hedges. A rapid and rigidly erect growth soon lifts the narrow blossoming-heads of this plant above the leaves of later flowering Fes- cues and Bent-grasses, and in bloom a rare combination of colouring is shown in the brownish-green spikelets and yellow anthers. As an important meadow grass this species was introduced from Europe fs many years ago, yet when one of the Memon oeeas earlier American writers on agriculture Arrhenatherum elatius speaks of Meadow Oat-grass as being 142 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses cultivated “by a few curious farmers” he leaves the interpretation of the adjective to the prejudices of his readers. The long, fibrous roots, on which bulbous formations are occasionally developed, give to the plant great drouth-resistant qualities, but, though valued in the South and extreme West, Meadow Oat-grass has hardly proved itself worthy of extensive cultivation north of Mason and Dixon’s line. Meadow Oat-grass. Arrhenathérum elatius (L.) Beauv. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, erect. Ligule about 1’ long. Leaves 3’-12’ long, 1''-4"wide, flat, rough. Panicle 4'-10’ long, narrow, branches short, erect or ascending. Spikelets 2-flowered, 3’’-5”’ long, brown- ish, lower flower staminate, upper flower perfect. Scales 4; outer scales acute, unequal; flowering scales sparingly hairy, scale of lower flower bearing a bent and twisted dorsal awn about 6” long, scale of upper flower bearing a very short, straight awn between its teeth. Rachilla prolonged. Stamens 3, anthers yellow. The fresh plant has a decidedly bitter taste. Fields, waysides, ana waste places. May to August. Maine and Ontario to Georgia and Tennessee, also on the Pacific coast. WILD OAT-GRASS, FLATTENED OAT- GRASS, AND SILKY OAT-GRASS In rock-strewn pastures, where the scanty soil supports low sumac and fragrant bayberry, a slender, wiry grass covers the dry knolls and blossoms in early spring soon after Sweet Vernal blooms in moister fields. This grass, so common on poor soil from Canada to the Gulf States, is Wild Oat-grass, a species that varies not only in size but also by occasionally clothing with silky hairs its lower leaves. The larger plants differ little from a small growth of Flattened Oat-grass (Danthonia compréssa) which blooms a few weeks 143 pi Wild Oat-grass Danthonia spicata The Book of Grasses later and has a more limited range. Both of these grasses have narrow leaves and are easily recognized, as the short, few-flowered panicles bear but few branches and are unlike those of other grasses of early summer. In Flattened Oat-grass, which is especially abundant in mountain meadows and ascends the highest peaks of the Appalachians, the stems are flattened and the flowering scales terminate in longer and more slender points than do those of Wild Oat-grass. Silky Oat-grass (Danthonia sericea), another early species of sandy soils, is less common in the Northern States than are the other two grasses. It is slightly stouter than either and is usually very silky on leaves and sheaths, while the flowering scales are whitened with soft hairs. Wild Oat-grass. Danthonia spicdia (L.) Beauv. Perennial. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, slender, erect. Lower sheaths often downy. Ligule very short. Leaves 4’-6’ long, 1’’ wide or less, often involute. Panicle 1'-2¥' long, branches few. Spikelets 5-8-flowered, 4’-5’ long, green, few. Outer scales long and narrow, smooth, usually extending beyond the uppermost flower; flowering scales broad, 2-toothed, downy, bearing from between the teeth a bent and twisted, spreading awn about 4” long. Awn purple in the twist, green above. Stamens 3. Dry and rocky soil. May to August. Newfoundland to Dakota, south to Florida and Texas. THE SPARTINAS FOX-GRASS, CREEK SEDGE, CORD-GRASS, AND SALT REED-GRASS “By a world of marsh that borders a world of sea.” Spartinas are lovers of strong salt breezes, and with Marram Grass and Bitter Panic-grass are characteristic plants of sea sands and salt marshes. With long rootstocks, sharp-tipped with scaly points, the grasses of this genus grow to the water’s edge, and with- stand the daily flooding of the tides. Pull up a portion of the strong rootstock from some large Spartina and the growing point is sharp as any needle. These subterranean stems, pushing their way in endless, interlacing network through the sands and creek mud, aid in firmly binding the unstable shores. Fox-grass, the earliest, and by far the most slender of the com- mon species, blooms through July and August and covers large 144 CREEK SEDGE ON THE MARSH (Spartina glabra, var. pilosa) CREEK SEDGE IN BLOOM (Spartina glabra, var. pilosa) In the blossoms on the left the pistils are mature, on the incites 2 =| ® =| x a 2 =) S 3 & LK 3 > 2 RS 3 3 Z = 3 ay 2 a oO Q as wn bd ia) 5 [a4 iS) [<3 s) Ww i“) iv; si i wn Q ZZ q = 3 U2 wn jo) pa} {=} SALT REED-GRASS (Spartina cynosuroides) by the ditch in the marsh Be HE eS VSR nee 1osuroides) by the edge of the marsh size e about two thirds cl Pani s $3 3 = ~] ay cor w wn ee 4 al a] ica] [a4 = < uw URI IY) SpeU aavy ‘YUL 947 WoL, UMOP FulWos JozeA Ysasj puw [log *(suayng DuiUPdS) SSYAD TOX-GRASS (Spartina patens). Acres of it. Locally called ‘White Salt” THE MARSH HAS BEEN COVERED WITH SAND AND THROUGH IT STRUGGLE STRAY PLANTS OF FOX-GRASS. ' darlina patens) FOX-GRASS (Spartina patens). Natural size Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses areas with its smooth, dark green leaves and stems and its vividly coloured flowering spikes of purple flecked with yellow anthers. This and the Black-grass — really a rush —are valuable plants of the seaside, and their low, dense growth of leaves and stems, so fre- quently seen by tidewaters, is easily recognized by the characteristic dark green colour. These plants yield a large amount of the salt hay gathered each year, and the wiry stems of Fox-grass are much used in packing. This, also, is one of the many plants that have Z been proved to yield fibres suitable for spinning and weaving, and it is said that although the fibre from the stems of Fox-grass is defi- cient in length it is equal in strength and fineness to that of flax. Creek Sedge advances into the water and one must wait until low tide before approaching by land the pale green spikes which are so beautifully fringed with their white anthers. This grass is common everywhere along our coasts and by creek margins, where it borders the water with im- passable thickets of reed- like stems which remain green until late autumn. Creek Sedge Fox-grass . Spartina patens! The stout stems, leafy tO Spartina glabra, var. pilosa 161 The Book of Grasses their summits, are sometimes used for thatching, but the plant, until thoroughly dry, has an unpleasant odour. Cord-grass (Spartina Michauxidna), found by river and lake borders, as well as near the coast, is a tall, stout grass whose smooth stems bear an inflorescence composed of five to thirty light-coloured, erect or spreading spikes. Paper and twine have been manufactured from this species, and, like Creek Sedge, Cord-grass is used to form a waterproof thatch. Salt Reed-grass (Spartina cynosuroides) is the largest of the genus and bears broad, rough leaves, and a dense inflorescence of many spikes, which are often tinged with purple. On the Jersey marshes, acres are covered by this grass, which sometimes attains a height of ten feet, with stems an inch in diameter at the base. Fox-Grass. Salt-meadow Grass. Spartina paiens (Ait.) Muhl. Perennial from creeping rootstocks. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, slender, erect, sometimes reddish. Sheaths and lower surface of leaves very smooth. Ligule a ring of very short hairs. Leaves 4’-14’ long, 1’’-2”’ wide, dark green, involute, rather rigid. Spikes 2-7, alternate, narrow, 1-sided, 1’-2’ long, erect or spreading, on short pedicels. Spikelets 1-flowered, narrow, 4’’-5’’ long, in 2 rows, green or pinkish purple. Scales 3; outer scales acute, unequal, rough on keels; flowering scale slightly 2-toothed; palet slightly longer than flowering scale. Stamens 3, anthers purple or reddish brown. Salt meadows and sandy shores along the coast. June to September. Newfoundland to Virginia. Creek Sedge. Creek Thatch. Smooth Marsh-grass. Spartina glabra Muhl. var. pilésa Merr. Perennial, from stout, creeping rootstocks. Stem 2-9 ft. tall, stout, reed-like, erect. Sheaths and leaves smooth. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 5’-24’ long, 2’’-8” wide. Spikes usually many, 1’-4’ long, erect, 1-sided, forming a terminal, spike-like inflorescence. Spikelets 1-flowered, narrow, 6-8” long, in 2 rows. Scales 3; outer scales acute, unequal, rough on keels; palet slightly longer than flowering scale. Stamens 3, anthers light coloured. Stigmas long, white. A variable species. In salt marshes and by the borders of creeks. July to October. On the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. 162 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses BERMUDA GRASS In the beauty of old mythology, when the white clouds were cattle driven through the wide pasture of the sky, the sacred Vedas cele- brated Bermuda Grass as the “Shield of India,”’ and “Preserver of Nations,” a plant sacred to the Hindoos, as without it the herds would perish and famine consume the people. The twentieth century, with face turned traffic- ward, notices Bermuda Grass merely as “the most valuable forage grass of the Southern States.” A lover of heat and sunshine, this grass is seldom found in the North, but from southern New York State to the Gulf the short, finger- like spikes are not uncommon in dry soil where the low stems rise bearing narrow leaves which are crowded at the base of the stems and on the prostrate runners. The blossoming spikes are painted with dark purple stigmas, and Sir William Jones, in his “Asiatic Researches,” long ago praised the extraordinary beauty of the flowers. Spreading extensively over the surface of the ground, the plant is tenacious of life, even during the driest seasons, and is highly valued as a lawn-grass in the South. Seed is rarely produced north of the Gulf States, but the runners often grow over rocks six feet across, or down precipitous embank- ments, and are most useful in holding arid and shifting sands. Bermuda Grass. Scutch-grass. Cynodon Dactylon (L.) Pers. Perennial, extensively creeping. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 6'-24' tall, erect. Ligule composed of soft hairs. Leaves 1-24’ long, 3/’-2” wide. Bermuda Grass Cynodon Dactylon \ Spikes 3-5, narrow, 1’-3’ long, spreading from the summit of stem. Spikelets 1-flowered, about 1” long, borne on one side of the spike. 163 The Book of Grasses Scales 3; outer scales acute, slightly unequal, rough on keels; flower- ing scale longer and broader; palet slightly shorter than flowering scale. Rachilla prolonged. Stamens 3. Stigmas purple. 77 Fields and sandy soil. June to September. Southern New York to Florida and Texas. TALL GRAMA The Gramas, or Mesquites, are characteristic grasses of the Southwest, where they are a valued herbage of the ranges, but with the ex- ception of two species that appear to have been introduced into Florida the Tall Grama is the only eastern member of the genus. Tall Grama can hardly be classed among our common grasses of the Eastern States, yet the dense, leafy tufts are occasionally seen on dry hillsides and plains. The plant blooms in mid- summer and is easily recognized by the spreading or downward-pointing spikes of the long and narrow inflorescence, which for a short time is hung with anthers nearly as brilliant in colour as are the petals of the cardinal-flower. Tall Grama. Side-oats. Racemed Bou- teloua. Boutelowa curtipéndula (Michx.) Torr. Perennial, tufted. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect. Sheaths loose, sparingly downy. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 3’-12’ long, 1’’-2"" wide. Spike 8'-15’ long, somewhat 1-sided, composed of 20-60 spreading or downward-pointing spikes 3-8” long. Spikelets 1-flowered, 33-5” long, in 2 rows on one side of the rachis. 4-12 spikelets in each spike. Outer scales roughish, acute, slightly unequal; flowering scales terminating in 3 short, awn-pointed teeth. Rachilla prolonged and bear- ing an awned rudiment of a second flower. Stamens 3, anthers red. EB Dry soil. June to September. Ontario and Manitoba, Tall Grama south to New Jersey, Kentucky, Texas, and Boutcloua curtipendula California. 164 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses WIRE-GRASS AND EGYPTIAN GRASS The coarse leaves and stems of Wire-grass form a thick, green carpeting in dooryards and by footpaths in many of the states during the middle and latter part of summer. This grass is a native of warm countries of the Eastern Hemis- phere, and, although gradually becoming common in southern New England, is most abundant in the South, where it usually suffers the reproach of being called a weed, so rarely are plant immigrants honoured unless they pay the toll of use- fulness. Wire-grass is low and leafy, sending up numerous flowering-heads which in appearance call to mind the familiar Crab- grass, though the most casual observer could hardly mistake it for that species, since the spreading spikes of Wire-grass are so much heavier and thicker. On the “coasts of Coromandel” a stout species of this genus was cultivated for its large, farinaceous seeds which were used as food. Egyptian Grass (Dactylocténium aegyp- tinm), whose grain has been used for food and also medicinally, resembles Wire-grass and is found in similar locations, though it is less widely distributed in this country. =. | F OY A Wire-grass Eleusine indica It blooms in late summer and from the preceding species it may be distinguished by the sharp terminal points of 165 The Book of Grasses B\ Salt-meadow Leptochloa Leptochloa fascicularis long and narrow and the spikes where the prolonged rachis ex- tends beyond the uppermost spikelets. Wire-grass, Goose-grass. Yard- grass. Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. Annual, tufted. Naturalized from Asia or Africa. Stem 6'-24' tall, flattened, erect or spreading. Sheaths loose. Ligule very short. Leaves 3’-10' long, 1-3” wide, flat, rather thick. Spikes 2-8, 1'-3’ long, spreading from the sum- mit of the stem. Spikelets 3-6-flowered, 13’’-2” long, in 2 rows on one side of the rachis. Outer scales acute, about equal; flowering scales acute. Stamens 3. Cultivated grounds and waste places. June to September. y Southern New England to Ohio and Kansas,.- south to Florida and Texas. SALT-MEADOW LEPTOCHLOA The salt marshes and beaches — what wonderfully successful plants they contain, securely anchored, though on drifting sands, and braving the power of waves and winds! The greater number of our seaside plants bloom in late summer and spend their earlier strength in developing strong roots, which hold them firmly in place, and thick leaves which are unwithering beneath burning skies. Like other flowering plants of the shore, all of the true salt-water grasses are late in blooming and bear coarse leaves that endure the lashing of storms. Salt-meadow Leptochloa is a low grass that grows in tufts in brackish marshes or meadows and also on saline soil toward the interior of the country. The stems are spreading, abund- antly branched, and frequently send out roots from the basal joints. The leaves are the uppermost leaf encloses the base of the long panicle which is composed of erect, nearly sessile spikelets. 166 s}jasnyotsseyy wos uawidads ooxayy Wosy uawtzads SITYVTAOIOSVaA VOTHOOLdAT (szavjno19spj 10]420)G9T) YOTHOIOLdAT MOGVAN-LIVS lunosstyy Woy uawtaads STYVTNIIOSVa VOTHOOLdAT “7 WK Illustrated age of the Grasses Salt meadow Lep. tochloa. Lepidchloa fascicularis (Lam.) Gray. Annual, tufted. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, erect or spreading, usually much branched. Sheaths loose, upper one enclosing the base of the panicle. Ligule 1’-2” long. Leaves 3'- ay long, 17-37% w=F wide, flat. Panicle 4'-12' long, = composed of nu- merous slender spikeson which are borne the nearly sessile, erect spikelets. Spikelets 5- 10-flowered, 3’’-5” long. Outer scales unequal, acute, rough on keels; flowering scales hairy on margins near base, 2-tooth- ed at apex and bearing a short awn between the teeth. Stamens 3. Salt marshes. July to September. Southern New England to Florida and Texas, also in saline soil from western New York to Nevada and Mexico. REED This is one of the largest of our native grasses. On the borders of ponds and in marshes it forms tropic-like jungles of stout, leafy'stems that at last bear panicles of violet and purple which change to plumes of silvery white as the blossoms fade. To brackish marshes along the coast the Reed adds a wonderful beauty as in early autumn the warm light of sunset steals over Reed “A league and a league of marsh-grass.” Ebr gemtes commit Tones of deep rose, lavender, and brown, that were unthought of in the light of noontime, are brought out, and panicles of Reed, 169 The Book of Grasses rising above the tall marsh grasses, seem touched with frosted silver. This grass blooms in late summer but is not in its greatest beauty until September and October, as the silky hairs clothing the flowers are scarcely perceptible until the spikelets begin to ripen; then the hairs spread widely, and the leafy stems, sometimes more than ten feet tall, are surmounted by feathery panicles which resemble the soft plumes of Pampas Grass and remain until after the first snows. The Reed, with its long rootstocks, is one of the many plants used by Nature as she slowly changes the land’s surface, and transforms swamps and stagnant pools into fertile meadows. The horizontal rootstocks, spreading far from the stem, form a densely interwoven mat that holds mud and decaying vegetation and so affords a resting place for water-loving plants, which in turn are held and give firmer soil to marsh plants and grasses. Day after day these transformations are in process around us, but so slowly does Nature perform her work that decades pass without appre- ciable change. The Old World has demanded more utilitarian service from her plants than we have, and although the Reed is sometimes culti- vated in American gardens it is seldom used, as it is in Europe, to cover the roofs of farmhouses and outbuildings with a durable, water-proof thatch. Reed. Phragmites communis Trin. Perennial, from stout rootstocks. Stem 5-15 ft. tall, stout, leafy, erect. Sheaths loose. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 6’-24’ long, }’-2’ wide. Panicle 6’-15' long, pyramidal, many-flowered. Spikelets 3-6-flowered, 5’’-8” long, lowest flower often staminate. Outer scales acute, un- equal, flowering scales awl-shaped, pointed, thrice the length of the palet. Rachilla bearing long, silky hairs which equal the flowering scales in length. Stamens 3. Borders of ponds and rivers, and in coast marshes. July to September. Throughout the United States and in southern Canada. TALL RED-TOP In dry fields, where the chief grasses of late summer are low, bushy Panic-grasses, slender Paspalums, and spreading tufts of Eragrostis, Tall Red-top, often shoulder-high and bearing long, 170 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses tapering leaves, rises in striking contrast to the lower growth. This grass, which is found from southern New England to the Gulf, blooms in August and September, with the Purple Eragrostis, at a season when the sunshine brings from the earth the warm odour of pennyroyal and other mints that are common on dry hillsides, and that seem to have absorbed the summer’s heat to give it out again infragrance. The flower- ing-head of Tall Red-top, which is some- what sticky to the touch in the axis of the panicle and below, is often more than a foot long and nearly as wide, and as the slender, rather rigid branches spread widely the panicles are very beautiful when the shining purple spikelets open. Tall Red-Top. Tridens flavus (L.) Hitchce. Perennial. Stem 3-6 ft. tall, erect. Sheaths hairy at the summit. Leaves long, tapering, flat or some- times involute. Panicle 8'-20' long, branches spreading, lower branches 3’-8’ long. Panicle sticky in axis and below. Spikelets purple, 4-8-flowered, 3-4” long. Outer scales unequal, keeled, abruptly pointed; flowering scales 3-nerved, slightly 3-toothed, nerves silky below. Stamens 3. Dry fields. July to September. Southern New England to Missouri, and south- ward. SAND-GRASS Sand-grass, thick and rigid of leaf, is a tufted plant of the beaches, and, like a few other salt-water grasses of the Atlantic coast, it is also found on Western ranges. It is very different in appearance from such species as Marram Grass, Bitter Panic-grass, and Creek Sedge, which also 171 WY oad Sand-grass Triplasis purpurea The Book of Grasses grow by the shore, but like them it does not bloom until late summer. Many stems, usually less than two feet tall, spring from one root and bear very short, narrow, rough leaves. The panicles, also, are short, with but a few stiff branches, and bear loosely flowered, rose-purple spikelets. The outer scales are smooth but the flowering scales are fringed and bearded, pre- senting a distinguishing feature by which this grass may easily be recognized, and the acid taste of the plant is also peculiar to it. Sand-grass. Triplasis purpurea (Walt.) Chapm. Perennial, tufted. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect or spreading. Nodes usually downy. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves rigid, awl-shaped, 3’-3’ long, 1” wide or less. Panicle 1’-3' long, branches few, at length spreading. Lateral panicles usually included in the sheaths. Spikelets 2-5-flowered, 2’’-4” long, loosely flowered. Outer scales about equal, smooth; flowering scales very hairy on nerves, 2-lobed at apex and bearing a short, straight awn between the lobes; palets hairy on upper part of keels. Stamens 3. Sandy soil, especially along the coast. July to September. Maine to Florida, westward to Nebraska and Texas. PURPLE ERAGROSTIS, LACE-GRASS, TUFTED ERA- GROSTIS, PURSH’S ERAGROSTIS, STRONG-SCENTED ERAGROSTIS, AND CREEPING ERAGROSTIS When the warm colour of Bent-grasses has faded, these grasses of late summer intensify, with deep violet and purple, the gold of harvest. One of the most common species, Purple Eragrostis, called by children “Tickle-grass,” grows in low tufts on dry and sandy soil, where the gauzy flowering-heads, a foot long or more, spread above the dark green, hairy leaves. As the sunlight of early morning falls “Across the meadows laced with threaded dew” the flowering-heads of this grass glisten with an intense colour which is reflected in each crystal dewdrop that gems the spikelets. In dry fields, where the September sun has burned to a golden brown the shorter growth of grasses, ripening panicles of Purple 172 sis purpurea) SAND-GRASS (Tripla SNAKE-GRASS (Eragrostis megastachya). Natural size TUFTED ERAGROSTIS (Eragrostis pilosa). A very variable species. Spikelets enlarged by two Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Eragrostis, like a reddish purple mist, often cover the ground, and although October frosts fade the flowering-heads to a pale straw-colour, they are SS XY comes still noticeable during aS wf lz a. ay OY Ze” autumn, when, as one 4 YR wld Wo ZF ig tf of the tumbleweeds of x= the East, they are carried by the wind and piled in huge drifts against way- . side fences. In similar locations the panicles of Lace-grass (Eragrostis capillaris) in green and purple are some- times mistaken for those of the larger species but should be dis- tinguished by the shorter, few-flowered spikelets, and by the absence of hairs surrounding the base of the branches. In both these grasses the widely spreading panicle is usually much longer than the stem which supports it, and the hair-like pedicels are as long or longer than their spikelets. Tufted Eragrostis (Eragréstis pildsa) is a slender annual which is found by way- sides and on sandy river banks. The leaves are very narrow, and the green or purple panicles are shorter and narrower than in the two species mentioned above. The ornamental grasses of old-time gardens are called to mind as the Strong- scented Eragrostis opens its showy panicles, though surely this plant never found a place by beds of lavender and rosemary, for it emits a most offensive odour, which hap- pily is not possessed by other grasses of the Eastern States. The panicles are not long, being rarely more than six inches in length, aN ee : Strong-scented Eragrostis but they are closely flowered with large, Eragrostis megastachya 179 The Book of Grasses showy spikelets which in bloom make the grass the mosi stately of the genus. Creeping Eragrostis (Era- groéstis hypnoides), found on the sandy banks of streams, spreads extensively over the surface of the ground, and » | in this habit is unlike our other common species of Eragrostis. The short, dark panicles are somewhat like - | those of the Strong-scented but are smaller and_ less densely flowered, and a care- ful examination shows that the staminate and pistillate flowers are borne on separate plants. The plants of this genus are widely distributed over the warmer regions of the world, and although these grasses are of less value than many, a large species, found in the Eastern Hemisphere, furnishes an edible grain. The English gave the name of ‘“Love-grass’’ to certain of the genus, and it has been suggested that the generic name of these beau- tiful grasses may have been derived from eros, love, and agrostis, grass. Strong-scented Eragrostis. Annual. Eragrostis pectinacea Naturalized Snake Grass. Eragrostis megastachya (Koeler) Link from Europe. Stem 6'-30' tall, erect or spreading, usually much branched. Sheaths 180 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses usually smooth, hairy at throat. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 2’-8’ long, 1’’-3" wide, flat, rough on margins Panicle 2'-8’ long, densely flowered with large spikelets. Spikelets 8- 40-flowered, 23’’-8” long, flat. Outer scales nearly equal, acute; flowering scales obtuse, 3-nerved. Stamens 2 or 3. Grass unpleas- antly scented. Cultivated lands and waste places. July to September. Throughout nearly the entire United States, and in Ontario. Purple Eragrostis. FEragréstis pectindcea (Michx.) Steud. Perennial, tufted. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect or spreading. Sheaths smooth or hairy. Ligule a ring of hairs. Leaves 4’-12’ long, 1’-4’’ wide, smooth on lower surface, rough above, hairy near base. Panicle 6'-20' long, pyramidal, reddish purple, the branches 2’-8' long, widely spreading, bearded with white hairs in the axils. Spikelets 4-12-flowered, flat, 13’’-4”’ long, on pedicels as long or longer. Outer scales acute, about equal; flowering scales acute, 3-nerved, small. Stamens 2 or 3, anthers purple. Dry soil. July to September. Massachusetts to South Dakota and Colorado, south to Florida and Texas. NARROW MELIC-GRASS AND PURPLE OAT “Farre away I heard her song, ‘Cusha! Cusha!’ all along; Where the reedy Lindis floweth, Floweth, floweth, From the meads where melick groweth Faintly came her milking song.” This beautiful grass of spring and early summer, the Narrow Melic-grass, is found by the borders of thickets and open woods from Pennsylvania southward, where its pale green flowers often nod to the breeze above purplish blue banks of dwarf,iris and the more fragrant, but somewhat less common, crested iris. So widely open are the dropping spikelets that the panicles seem fringed with pendent green bells, for the papery outer scales of each spikelet are large and broad, like flower petals. A more northern species belonging to this genus is so like the Oat-grasses in appearance that it is commonly called Purple Oat, and in older botanies is given as Avéna stridta. The scales are narrow, instead of broad as in the preceding species, and the 181 The Book of Grasses flowering scale bears an awn as long as itself. summer, this grass prefers the dry soil of = hillsides, where é ny \y Py Bl 7 Narrow Melic-grass Melica mutica fragrant pennyroyal and life- everlasting grow in the bor- derland surrounding woods of oak and chestnut. The stems are slender, and the loosely flowered panicles of narrow, long spikelets are usually > tinged with purple. Narrow Melic-grass. Mé- lica mutica Walt. Perennial. Stem 14-3 ft. tall, slender, erect. Sheaths rough. Ligule 1’’-2”” long. Leaves 3’-9’ long, Ws" wide, flat, roughish. Panicle 3'-10' long, narrow, branches few, not many-flow- ered. Spikelets 3”-5’ long, nodding on slender pedicels and usually consisting of 2 perfect flowers. Rachilla pro- longed and bearing 2 or 3 small, twisted scales. Outer scales slightly unequal, very broad, acute or obtuse; flowering scales papery, broad, obtuse, roughish. Stamens 3. Rich soil and open woods. April to June. Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Texas. Purple Oat. Mélica stridta (Michx.) Hitchc. Perennial. Stem 1-2 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-7’ long, 1/’-3’" wide. Panicle 2'-6' long, few-flowered, branches slender. Spikelets 3- 6-flowered, 8’’-12” long, usually purple. Outer scales unequal, 182 y KE Purple Oat Melica striata Blooming in mid- Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses acute; flowering scales short-hairy at base, divided at apex and bearing a dorsal awn about 4’’-5” long. Stamens 3. el] Broad-leaved Spike-grass Uniola latifolia In woods and on rocky hills in the shade. June to August. New Brunswick to British Columbia, south to Pennsylvania. BROAD-LEAVED SPIKE-GRASS, SLENDER SPIKE-GRASS, AND SEASIDE OATS “by rushy brook, Oron the beachéd margent of the sea.”’ So strikingly ornamental are the panicles of Broad-leaved Spike-grass that one assumes it to have been among the cherished plants removed from English homes and carefully cultivated in the walled gardens of long ago. But instead this is distinctly an American grass, as are the several members of the genus. Blos- soming in late summer, in the borders of moist woods and along winding streams, the large panicles call to mind those old-time bouquets of dried grasses that needed but a touch to start them trembling with faint intimations of the music that was theirs when the breeze, passing over the flowering- heads, shook the ripening spikelets, one against another. The rich green leaves are numerous and widely spreading, and above them the panicles rise like those of a giant Brome-grass, the long, slender pedicels drooping with the weight of the broad spikelets. Slender Spike-grass (Uniola laxa) blooms at the same season in sandy soil, usually near the coast, but shows little resemblance 183 The Book of Grasses to its larger relative. The leaves are long and narrow, and the slender, wand-like panicles bear wedge-shaped spikelets which are Marsh Spike-grass Distichlis spicata nearly sessile and are rarely more than one quarter of an inch in length. Seaside Oats (Uniola paniculata) is a southern beach grass, growing in drifting sands from Chesapeake Bay southward, and taking the place of the Marram Grass of more northern coasts. Like the Broad-leaved Spike-grass the panicles of Seaside Oats are large and ornamental, but the pale spikelets are more numerous and are borne on much shorter pedicels than are those of the inland species. The stems are stout and erect, with long, narrow, slender-pointed leaves which become tightly rolled as the grass ripens. This species blooms in late fall and often retains the showy blossoming heads through the winter months. Broad-leaved Spike-grass. Uniola latifolia Michx. Perennial. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, stout, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 4’-10' long, 4’-12” wide, flat, rough on margins, usually hairy at base. Panicle 5'-12' long, branches slender, drooping. Spike- lets broad, many-flowered, 9/-15”«#long, flat, on hair-like, drooping pedicels. Outer scales slightly unequal, acute, much smaller than flowering scales; flowering scales acute, rough-hairy on their winged keels. Stamen 1. Moist, shaded places. July to September. Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Kansas and Texas. MARSH SPIKE-GRASS On the salt marshes of midsummer grows a grass whose staminate and pistillate flowers are borne on separate stems, and, although plants of the two sexes are often scattered over the same ground, an acre or more is sometimes covered by stamen-bearing plants, while not far distant an 184 MARSH SPIKE-GRASS (Distichlis spicata) Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses area of like extent shows only pistillate spikes. Marsh Spike- grass, or Salt-grass, as it is sometimes called, is one of the sand-binding grasses, spreading by strong rootstocks, and thriving even on the alkaline deserts of the interior where there is little vegetation, and where the presence of this grass is welcomed by thirsty travellers as a certain indication of water near the surface of the soil. A tough wiry grass it is, like a denizen of inhospitable ground; the low stems, erect and rigid, bear stiff leaves and short, com- pact, spike-like panicles of straw-coloured blossoms. Upon new land the straight rootstocks, according to Mr. Coville, send up their erect stems at intervals of about four inches, and until the grass is fully established these stems appear to cut the ground into triangles, quadrangles, and similar geometrical figures. Marsh Spike-grass. Salt-grass. Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene. Perennial, from creeping rootstocks. Stem 6'-24' tall, wiry, erect. Ligule a ring of short hairs. Leaves 4’-6’ long, 1-2” wide, rather rigid, flat or involute. Spike-like Panicle 1'-2}' long, densely flowered. Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate plants. Spikelets 4-18-flowered, 4’’-9’’ long, yellowish green, more numerous on staminate plants. Outer scales acute, unequal; flowering scales acute, broader and longer than empty scales. Stamens 3. Stigmas long. Salt marshes and saline soils. June to August. Maine to Florida and Texas, also on the Pacific coast, and in alkaline soil in the interior. LADY’S HAIR, OR QUAKING-GRASS Lady’s Hair, Lady’s Mantle, Lady’s Shoes — to continue the list no further — are examples of wayside plants in which a devout people saw articles of person and attire belonging to the Blessed Virgin. As patroness of those flowers which are dedicated to her under the name of “ Lady” the Virgin has an ever-living wardrobe, including even her nightcap, and furnishing purse and thimble, though for possession of her comb she has to dispute, not only with the ever-beautiful goddess but also with that personage who is reported as going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it, and who, with scant use for toilet articles, was evidently thought by our ancestors to have required the same plant for darning needles! 187 The Book of Grasses Lady’s Hair, or Quaking-grass, is not often seen in American fields, yet it has become sparingly naturalized in the Eastern States reco ' Lady’s Hair Briza media Be where it has escaped from that cultivation as an ornamental grass for which it was brought from Europe long ago. This grass is a slender perennial, blooming in late spring, and bearing numerous inflated, heart-shaped spikelets of lavender and green, which droop on pedicels so slender that the slightest breath causes them to tremble. In the old Doctrine of Signatures, which saw more things in heaven and earth than philosophy dared dream, that which shook was a panacea for diseases of trembling, and in older days, in many counties of England, Quaking-grass was gathered to ensure free- dom from ague. Lady’s Hair. Quaking-grass. Shak- ing-grass Briza média L. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 6'-24' tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-4’ long, 1’’-23”’ wide, flat. Panicle 13'-5’ long, pyramidal, open, branches slender, not numerous. Spikelets 5-12-flow- ered, 2’’-3”’ long, purplish, inflated, ovate or heart-shaped, borne on drooping pedicels. Outer scales nearly equal, broad, concave; flowering scales concave, broader than outer scales; palets much shorter than flowering scales. Stamens 3. Fields and waste places. May to July. Ontario to southern New England. ORCHARD GRASS Spreading tufts of the blue-green leaves of Orchard Grass are very noticeable by the waysides of early spring, before the pageant of summer brings a score of grasses to every lane and byway. In many states this is one of the most common species, and is 188 | ee na ORCHARD GRASS (Dactylis glomerata) Three quarters natural size ANOSAA MOGVAN GNV ‘SSVY9-AN1G AMNONLNAM ‘AHLOWLIL ‘SSV¥D GUVHOUO ‘SSVAO-IVNUGA LAAMS ANNO FAV HOIHM NI ATA AHL Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses the first of the larger grasses to bloom. The stout stems grow rapidly, and when clover fields are sweet with blossoms the coarse panicles of Orchard Grass are painted with large an- thers of purple and yellow, terra-cotta and pink, the colour varying with the soil and the abundance of light. The few branches of the flowering-head spreadstiffly, and near their extremities the spikelets are crowded in dense, one-sided clusters. Orchard Grass is one of the most widely known of cultivated grasses, and is one that is highly valued by the farmer, since the rank growth, both in the pasture and as aftermath in the field, makes it for him the earliest grass in spring and the latest in autumn. It grows especially well in shaded places, where few grasses attain luxuriant growth, and in old orchards the coarse tussocks are very common. The sheaths differ from those of the majority of grasses in that they are perfectly closed until the inflorescence, forcing its way up, causes them to split. Like many grasses that were brought from Europe at an early date, Orchard Grass attracted little at- tention in England until re- introduced to that country jO rcnarad © | Dactylis glomerata The Book of Grasses from America. The English name of Cock’s-foot Grass is derived from a fancied resemblance between the branching panicle and s\W Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus a bird’s foot. Orchard Grass. Cock’s-foot Grass. Déctylis glomerata L. Perennial, tufted. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, coarse, erect. Ligule 1-3’’ long. Leaves 4’-14’ long, rough, flat or slightly keeled. Panicle 3'-9' long, branches coarse, rough, widely spreading in flower. Spikelets 3-5-flowered, 3/’-4” long, green or purple, in dense t-sided clusters at the ends of the branches. Outer scales unequal, keeled, sharply pointed; flowering scales awn- pointed, rough. Stamens 3, anthers yellow, terra- cotta, pink, or purple. Fields, waysides, and dooryards. May to July. New Brunswick to Manitoba, south to South Carolina, Kansas, and Colorado. CRESTED DOG’S-TAIL The rough, narrow, spike-like panicles of Crested Dog’s-tail are seldom found save in waste places and by waysides, since this grass, as yet, has hardly become naturalized in America. It is a slender species and differs from our common grasses in that it bears both sterile and perfect spikelets which are arranged in clusters. In the perfect flowers the scales are much broader than are the rough scales of the sterile spikelets. As the roots of the Crested Dog’s-tail penetrate deeply into the earth the leaves remain fresh and green when other grasses are partially withered, and Sinclair, who carried on extensive researches in the study of English grasses, found this species to yield a large part of the herbage of the most celebrated pastures he examined in that country. The grass blooms in midsummer, and so fine and strong are the slender stems that in foreign coun- tries, when material for straw-plaiting is gathered, taller grasses are passed by for this, which is said to be much used in the making of Leghorn hats. 194 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Crested Dog’s-tail. Dog’s-tail Grass. Cynosurus cristatus L. Perennial. Introduced from Europe. Stem 1-2} ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-5’ long, 3-2" wide, flat. Sptke-like Panicle 2'-4' long, narrow. Spikelets of two kinds in small clusters; lower spikelets of the clusters larger, consisting of several or many rough, narrow, empty scales; upper spikelets consisting of a few sharp-pointed, broader scales enclosing perfect flowers; flowering scales about 13”” long. Stamens 3. Fields, waysides, and waste places. June to August. Newfoundland to Ontario, south to New Jersey. THE POAS LOW SPEAR-GRASS, KENTUCKY BLUE-GRASS, ROUGH-STALKED MEADOW-GRASS, WOOD SPEAR-GRASS, CANADA BLUE- GRASS, AND FALSE RED-TOP These meadow grasses should be listed among the plants that give us “The flower of every valley, the flower of all the year;” since from early spring until late autumn some representative of the genus may be found in bloom, and in the most Southern States there is rarely a month when Low Spear-Grass is not in flower. In the Northern States this species is one of the earliest plants to change the brown hillsides to living green, and on lawns and by waysides small tufts of this modest little grass are common throughout nearly the whole country. Even between the flag- stones of the city, Low Spear-grass tries to obtain foothold, often succeeding and blossoming, though choked by dust and daily trodden under foot. The flattened stems, usually but six or eight inches in height, bear short, yellowish green panicles which, un- like the flowers of other early grasses, are sent up during the entire summer. Closely following the blossoming of Sweet Vernal-grass the famous Kentucky Blue-grass adds the delicacy of its graceful panicles to the common garden of the wayside. Although well known, by name at least, few seem acquainted with the fact that this is one of our most common grasses from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its most luxuriant growth is attained in the far-noted blue-grass region of Kentucky, on limestone soils in the counties 195 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses about Lexington, that “city of the Blue-grass,’’ but even in the more eastern states the slender stems are seen as frequently as are those of any other grass of early summer, and the profusion of dark green leaves, together with the habit of spread- ing by sending off numerous running rootstocks, renders it an ideal turf-form- ing grass. June Grass, as this species is often called, is really a more appropriate name than Blue-grass, as the plants lack the deep blue-green colour which char- acterizes Canada Blue-grass, the true “blue-grass’’ of the genus. The blos- soming head, in varying shades of green, lavender, and purple, is in form a perfect pyramid, and as the flowers bloom in June, before the summer grasses, the plants should be easily recognized. In dry or sandy soil the grass is small and harsh, but in richer grounds the stems are from two to four feet tall, and later in the season, when the green has faded, they stand like threads of shining gold by every wayside. Rough-stalked Meadow-grass (Poa trivialis) resembles Kentucky Blue-grass, but is less common, and may be distin- guished by its long ligule and rough sheaths. It is usually more slender than the preceding species, and it does not spread by rootstocks. Wood Spear-grass (Pda alsodes), a slender grass of wooded hillsides, blooms in May and June and shows narrow, rather loose panicles of small green spike- lets. The sheaths are longer than the internodes, and the upper sheath fre- quently encloses the base of the panicle. In early spring the leafy shoots of Canada Blue-grass (Poa compréssa), the Poa pratensis 197 | VBL OE- KENT rucky, GRASS, The Book of Grasses bluest of the Poas, are noticeable in every soil; on sandy hills and in the thickets that border deep woods, on scantily covered rocks and by trodden paths. The whitish summits of the sheaths are very conspicuous against the blue-green leaves, and although the plants vary greatly in size they are rarely more than two feet tall, and are constant in their character- istic colour and in the strongly flattened stems. Unlike the Kentucky Blue-grass, which soon ripens, the Canada \. Blue-grass blooms the entire season. Its panicles are short and narrow (usually one-sided), with short branches and greenish spike- SS lets. Me. False Red-top, the tall- * est of the common Poas, blooms in swampy places and in wet meadows, where the green spikelets show each a tawny orange tip and sometimes change to dull purple as the seeds ripen. The large, gracefully droop- ing panicles could hardly be mistaken for those of the Red-top of the fields, and assuredly not if the spikelets were exam- ined, showing several tiny flowers in each spikelet where the Red-top has but one. In many places this species is known as Fowl Meadow-grass, and the tradition is that it received that name from the fact that wild ducks and other water-fowl brought the seed to a low meadow near Dedham, Mass. Flexuous Spear-grass and Short-leaved False Red-top, or Fowl § hes Meadow-grass. Poa triflora Spear-grass (Poa autumnalis and P. brachy- 190 CANADA BLUE-GRASS (Poa compressa). One half natural size FAT.SE RED-TOP. OR FOWL MEADOW-GRASS (Poa triflora). Three quarters natural size NI i Zz xt . |s val WOOD SPEAR-GRASS (Poa sylvestris). Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses phylla) are the earliest of the genus and are found in woods from New York State southward. They bloom in March, when the first arbutus opens, and are slender grasses, with loose panicles which bear but a few green spikelets at the extremities of the branches. Each flowering scale in the majority of the species of this genus shows a small tuft of cobwebby hairs at the base, and under the microscope this tuft forms a distinguishing feature by which the grasses may be recognized. In Canada Blue-grass and Flexuous Spear-grass the tufts are lacking, but the flowering scales are downy below the middle. Low Spear-grass. Dwarf Meadow-grass. Poa dénnua L. Root annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 2'-12' tall, erect or spreading, flattened. Sheaths loose. Ligule about 1” long. Leaves 3’-4’ long, about 1” wide, flat. Panicle 3'-4' long, pyramidal, open, often 1-sided, branches short. Spike- lets 3-6-flowered, about 2” long. Outer scales slightly unequal, Ist scale acute, 2nd scale obtuse; flowering scales obtuse, hairy at the base. Stamens 3. Fields, waysides, and cultivated grounds. April to October. Throughout nearly the whole of North America. Kentucky Blue-grass. June Grass. Poa pralénsis L. Perennial, with rootstocks. Naturalized in the Eastern States, in- digenous elsewhere. | Stem 8'-4 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’’-3’’ wide, flat, stem leaves 2’-6’ long, basal leaves much longer. Panicle 2'-8' long, pyramidal, open, branches slender, lower branches 3’-3' long. Spikelets 3-5-flowered, about 2” long, green or purplish. Outer scales acute, unequal, roughish on keels; flowering scales acute, webby at base, downy below on marginal nerves and mid-nerve; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3, anthers often deep purple. Waysides, fields, and meadows. May to August. Throughout nearly the whole of North America. False Red-Top. Fowl Meadow-grass. Poa irifléra Gilib. Perennial. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, erect, rather slender. Ligule 1’-2’’ long. Leaves 4’-10’ long, 1’’-2’” wide, flat. Panicle 6'-12' long, branches rough, slender, divided and spikelet-bearing above the middle, lower branches 2’-5’ long. Spikelets 2-5-flowered, 12’’-2’ long, on short pedicels. Outer scales acute, slightly unequal; "flowering scales obtuse, webby at base, downy below on marginal 205 The Book of Grasses nerves and mid-nerve, usually tawny orange or reddish at apex; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3. Wet meadows and swampy places. June to August. Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island, south to New Jersey, Illinois, and Nebraska. THE MANNA-GRASSES NERVED MANNA-GRASS, TALL MANNA-GRASS, RATTLESNAKE ‘GRASS, DENSELY FLOWERED MANNA-GRASS, FLOATING MANNA-GRASS, AND SHARP-SCALED MANNA-GRASS In June, when the low swales by the brooks are full of interest, and a score of flowering plants may be gathered from the vantage ground of a drier tussock in the marsh, the graceful Manna-grasses cover large areas and bloom in tones of dull green and purple, darker where the sun has burned them longer, but typical of spring as are the nearby orchids, and ever lacking that suggestion of mid- summer heat which the reddish purple Bent-grasses bring to July fields. Nerved Manna-grass usually precedes the other species by a fortnight, and is perhaps the most common in a majority of the states. Growing luxuriantly in the borderland between pasture and marsh it furnishes an important part of the herbage of wet meadows, and, though it varies greatly in different soils, the gracefully drooping panicles may be recognized by their spread- ing and drooping branches and their tiny, purple and green spikelets. Tall Manna-grass (Glycéria grandis), a stout, handsome species, is often seen in wet grounds, where the ample panicles and broad leaves rise above sedges and low grasses. Like others of the genus, Tall Manna-grass is a species of which cattle are fond and wade through miry bogs to reach, and water fowl, during the fall migration, find resting places along streams where these grasses grow abundantly, as the seeds yield a feast to thousands of birds. Tall Manna-grass is from three to five feet in height and bears large panicles of many spikelets. Heavy, drooping panicles of Rattlesnake Grass are found lean- ing over narrow brooks and ditches, and by damp waysides where meadow-rue and sedges luxuriate. With pendent, inflated spike- lets of pale green and purple this grass is the most beautiful of the 206 = il Densely flowered Manna-grass. Glyceria obtusa Rattlesnake Grass. Glyceria canadensis 207 The Book of Grasses * ,- genus, and isin its greatest ~~, perfection in late June, when the low grounds are “paynted all with variable flowers, And all the meades adorned with daintie gemmes.” The flowering-heads of this grass retain their beauty until late fall, and are easily recog- nized throughout the season, though the colours which tinge the broad scales fade as the seeds ripen. Densely flowered Manna-grass is less widely distributed, and in bloom is quite unlike other marsh grasses. It should be recognized by the erect, bunch-like inflorescence of crowded spike- lets. Floating Manna-grass is often found in shal- low, running water, but the long panicles bear little resemblance to the flowering-heads of Nerved Manna-grass or Rattlesnake Grass. The spikelets of Floating Manna-grass are long and narrow, and the branches, at first closely | \ appressed, at last spread rather stiffly from the ——, stem. The manna crop of Germany and Poland ? is gathered from a species similar to this, and © the seeds are there considered desirable in soups and gruels. Bread made from the meal is said to be very little inferior to that made from V7 wheat, but the American farmer has little time | to experiment with so small a grain when the 5 product of years of cultivation is ready for his Sp epee ayet ia sowing, and in this country birds gather the harvest by the water’s edge, while, as the tall stems lean over streams, the fallen seeds are eagerly eaten by fish. Sharp-scaled Manna-grass (Glycéria acutiflora) is a pale green 208 gary oor coay? URTA -(9pIjP4 2440287) SSVAO-VNNWWN ATV azis JeINyLU Jey suo ajsruTg “(sIpuD4T 0149947) SSVEO-VNNVW TIVL NERVED MANNA-GRASS (Glyceria nervata). One half natural size Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses grass, recognized by the long, narrow spikelets which protrude through the enclosing sheaths as the plant begins to bloom. This grass has a slight resemblance to Floating Manna-egrass, but is much smaller, though the spikelets are longer, being from one to one and three quarters inches in length. The panicles are long and narrow, with short, erect branches, and the acute flower- ing scales are shorter than the long-pointed palets. Rattlesnake Grass. Gly- ceria canadénsis (Michx.) Trin. Perennial. Stem 2-3 ft. tall, erect. Ligule about 1’ long. Leaves 6’-15’ long, 2”’-4’’wide, rough, flat, spreading at right angles to stem. Panicle 5’-10' long, nodding, branches rough, spread- ing or drooping, lower branches 2’-6’ long. Spike- lets 5-12-flowered, 24’’-4’’ long, broad, inflated, flattened, green tinged with purple. Outer scales acute, unequal, shorter than flowering scales; flowering scales broad, obtuse or acute, ob- scurely 7-nerved; palets broad, slightly shorter than flowering scales. Stamens commonly 2. Wet meadows, brooksides, marshes, and swamps. June to August. Newfoundland to Ontario and Minnesota, south to New Jersey and Kansas. Densely flowered Manna-grass. Gly- céria obtusa (Muhl.) Trin. Perennial. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, stout, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 6’-15’ long, 2’’-4"" wide, flat, dark green. Panicle 3'-8’ long, densely flowered, contracted, ‘ branches erect. Spikelets 3-7-flowered, 2’’-3” long, somewhat inflated. Outer scales acute, | unequal, shorter than flowering scales; flowering scales broad, obtuse, obscurely 7-nerved; palets slightly shorter than flowering scales. Stamens E 2 or 3. Floating Manna-erass | Swamps and wet places. July to September. Glyceria scptentrionalis NewBrunswick to NewYork,south toNorthCarolina. 213 The Book of Grasses j _Nerved Manna-grass. Glycéria nervata (Willd.) ¢ Trin. yy Perennial. Stem 1-33 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule 1-2’ long. Leaves 6’-12’ long, 2’’-5’’ wide, flat, smooth on lower surface, rough above. Panicle 3'-10' long, pyramidal, open, somewhat nodding, branches slender, spreading or drooping, rough, lower branches 2’-6’ long. Spikelets numerous, 3-7-flowered, 1’-2" long, dark green tinged with purple. Outer scales obtuse, unequal, shorter than flowering scales; flowering scales obtuse, sharply 7-nerved; palets as long as flowering scale. Stamens 2 or 3. Wet meadows, brooksides, and marshes. June to Sep- tember. Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to Florida and Mexico. Floating Manna-grass. Glycéria septentriondlis Hitchc. Perennial. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, rather stout, somewhat flattened, erect or spreading at base. Sheaths loose. Ligule 2’’-3’ long. Leaves 6’-15’ long, 2’’-6” wide, flat, roughish. Panicle 8’-14' long, branches appressed, finally spreading, not numerous, lower branches 3’-6’ long. Spikelets 7-13-flowered, 4’’-12’’ long, narrow, green, appressed on the branches. Outer scales unequal; 1st scale obtuse or acute; 2nd scale obtuse; flowering scale obtuse, roughish, 7-nerved; palets slightly longer than flowering scales. Stamens 2 or 3. Wet places and in shallow water. June to September. Maine to North Carolina and westward. GOOSE-GRASS AND SPREADING SPEAR-GRASS These grasses, which in their spikelets bear a resemblance to the Manna-grasses, are found only on the salt marshes and beaches. They are slender i) grasses blossoming in midsummer and later when Goose-grass_ ~— the beautiful sea-pink, or rose of Plymouth, blooms Puccinellia maritima , : in salt meadows, and the marsh rosemary, growing to the water’s edge, colours the sand with a mist of lavender flowers, like purple spray borne inland on the waves. 214 s}jasnyoessvyy JO YINOS UOWWOD JON *(DNLVLUDME DIZJaNIIINT) SSWAD-ASOOD (sunjsip Diqaupond) SSVAO-UVAdS ONIGVAadS Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses From Spreading Spear-grass (Puccinéllia distans) Goose-grass differs in that it rises from rootstocks and bears narrow panicles of long spikelets. Spreading Spear-grass, on the other hand, is tufted, without rootstocks, and opens wide panicles of small, crowded spikelets. The latter species is slightly stouter than Goose-grass, and bears wider leaves. Goose-grass. Sea Spear-grass. Puccinéllia | maritima (Huds.) Parl. Perennial, from rootstocks. Stem 8'-24' tall, slender, erect or spreading at base. Ligule short. Leaves 3’-5’ long, 1’ wide or less, flat or in- volute. Panicle 2'-6’ long, narrow, branches short. Spikelets 3-10-flowered, 3’’-6’ long, narrow. Outer scales un- equal, obtuse or acute; flowering scales broad, obtuse, nerves very obscure; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3. Salt marshes and sea beaches. July and August. Labrador to New Jersey, also on the Pacific Coast. THE FESCUES SLENDER FESCUE, SHEEP’S FESCUE, MEADOW FESCUE, RED FESCUE, AND NODDING FESCUE “The grass-blade, like a long green ribbon, streams from the sod into the summer, checked indeed by the frost, but anon pushing on again, lifting its spear of last year’s hay with the fresh life below.” When the beauty of the earliest grasses is pas- sing the Fescues appear, and in the calendar of the grasses mark the beginning of summer. Fora short time they take the primary position in the fields. Slender Fescue and Sheep’s Fescue are among the first to bloom, and closely following the opening of their flowers the graceful stems of Meadow Fescue, abundant in pastures and meadows, are seen also by the wayside bending over ripening spikes of Sweet Vernal-grass. Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina) and Slender 217 \/ M ¥ Slender Fescue Festuca octoflore The Book of Grasses Fescue, whose narrow panicles rise above tufts of bristle-like gray-green leaves, are the smallest of all, and are usually found in Se dry locations. The latter IP Lie species is distinguished ae by slightly longer flower- a ing-heads, more numer- ¥, ously flowered ‘spikelets, and longer awns. The stems of both these grasses are usually about a foot in height, or in sterile soil they are often much smaller, though one occasionally finds a tall variety of Sheep’s Fescue which bears a more open panicle and larger spikelets. Red Fescue is locally common by waysides and is found in the shade as well as in the sun- light. Like the two preceding species it has a profusion of involute basal leaves, but unlike them it springs from extensively creeping root- stocks and so is one of the useful soil-binders on drier slopes. This species is variable and is perhaps most easily recognized by the tufts of bristle-like, dark leaves which surround the base of the stems. The most common of the genus is the Meadow Fescue, which was introduced from Europe many years ago. For so tall a grass the smooth stems are quite slender, and with their tapering, shining leaves are a wide contrast to Timothy, which begins to bloom before the Meadow Fescue has faded, and is so often asso- ciated with it in the fields. The long spikelets of Meadow Fescue are green, frequently tinged with reddish purple, and in bloom the flowers for a short time are broadly open, giving delicacy to the one-sided, drooping panicle, which after flowering is narrow and closely << iS contracted. = eure Rocky woodlands in nearly all the states Festuca rubra shelter the Nodding Fescue (Festuca nitans), 218 MEADOW FESCUE (Festuca elatior). One half naturai size. Spikelets enlarged by three Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses a slender, dark green grass with loose, few-flowered panicles. The spikelets are small, and as they are borne only at the ends of the panicle branches the plant should not be con- fused with other shade- loving grasses. The plants of this genus are very variable under different conditions of soil and climate, and a number of varieties are listed under the species given. Slender Fescue. Fesizca octo- flora Walt. Root annual, often tufted. Stem 4'-20' tall, slender, erect, wiry. Ligule very short. Leaves bristle-like, 1’-3’ long, in- volute, occasionally downy. Panicle 1'-6' long, narrow, contracted, often 1-sided, branches short. Spikelets 5-13-flowered, 3’’-5” long. Outer scales very acute, slightly unequal, smooth; flowering scales rough, bearing a term- inal awn 1-3’ long; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 2. Dry sterile soil. May to August. New Brunswick to Florida, west to Washington and California. Red Fescue. Festuca rubra L. Perennial, with creeping rootstocks. Stem 1-23 ft. tall, slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves of sterile shoots involute, bristle-like, f B 3’-10’ long, stem leaves shorter, involute in dry- ing, minutely downy on upper surface. Panicle 2’-6’ long, branches ascending, spreading in flower, not numerous, lower branches 1’-3’ long. Spikelets 3-9-flowered, 3’’-5”’ long, green or red- dish. Outer scales acute, unequal; flowering scales bearing each a short terminal awn; palets as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3, anthers yellow or purplish. | Dry soil. June to August. Labrador to Alaska, south to North Carolina and Meadow Fescue Colorado. Festuca elatior 221 The Book of Grasses Meadow Fescue. Tall Fescue. Festica eldtior L. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 2-5 ft. tall, erect. Ligule very _ short. Leaves 3’-15’ long, 2”’- 4” wide, flat, often rough. Panicle 4’-12' long, nar- row, usually nodding at top, branches'spread- ing in flower, erect before and after blos- soming. Spikelets 4- 9-flowered, 4’’-6” long, green or tinged with purple. Outer scales acute, unequal; flowering scales acute or short-pointed; palets nearly as long as flower-scales. Stamens 3, anthers reddish purple or yellow. Meadows, fields, and waysides. June to August. Nova Scotia to Ontario and southward. THE BROME-GRASSES DOWNY BROME-GRASS, FRINGED BROME-GRASS, CHESS, AND UPRIGHT CHESS Many of the Brome-grasses, as emigrants from Europe, have become weeds in this country, and from May until August are found blooming by waysides and in waste places, where the beau- tiful panicles of large drooping spikelets should be quickly recognized. Downy Brome-grass, the earliest species, is common along railway embankments and by dry roadsides and is resembled by closely related species which have a more southern range. The plant is a low, slender annual whose panicles of awned, drooping spikelets resemble the heavier heads of cultivated oats. The stems are reddish near the nodes and soon turn to shining purple, while the ripening flowering-head is tinged with the same colour. In sandy locations the whole plant dries in a few weeks, and, faded to a pale 222 V B Fringed Brome-grass Bromus ciliatus FRINGED BROME-GRASS (Bromus ciliatus). One half natural size | BROME-GRASS (Bromus allissimus). One third natural size. Connecticut to Pennsylvania and westward rd westwa Pennsylvania to Virginia and BROME-GRASS (Bromus incanus). Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses straw-colour, remains throughout the season, the heads bristly and lacking the gracefulness that was theirs in early spring. Fringed Brome- grass, one of the native species, is most frequently / found in low grounds, where mead- ow and wood- land meet in a debatable border of half thicket, half marsh, as the meadow grasses give place to sedges and a few stragglers from the thickets advance toward more open country. The stems of Fringed Brome-grass are stout and leafy, usually rising in groups which are very noticeable above a lower growth of plants. The panicles are large and are composed of slender branches bearing silky, short-awned spikelets. Handsome groups of Chess are frequently seen in old grain fields and on waste land, where this grass appears as a weed, and in midsummer opens heavy panicles of large spikelets. If every plant is sometime ‘‘to be of utility in the arts’ Chess has as yet shown nothing but beauty as its excuse for appearing so often where it is least wanted. The panicles are striking and ornamental, but Chess has met little favour either in this country or abroad. With gifted imagination, and un- troubled by the constancy of Nature, the peas- antry of the Old World considered this grass a degenerated wheat, and supplied the missing links in the lineage by assuming sundry transmutations in which a grain of wheat should send up a stalk of rye, and the rye being sown should produce barley, while from barley a Chess should be grown that later, under favorable conditions, might awaken to life under the form of oats. 229 Lis Downy Brome-grass Bromus tectorum The Book of Grasses Even the earlier farmers of this country thought this grass a wheat that had fallen to low estate, and so called it “Cheat.” Upright Chess (Bromus racemosus), also found in grain fields and in waste places, is sometimes mistaken for Chess, from which it differs in the more slender stem, narrower, shorter, and more erect panicles, plainly nerved flowering scales, and shorter palets. Fringed Brome-grass. Swamp Chess. Bromus ciliatus L. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, erect, usually stout and leafy. Sheaths closed, split near top, frequently downy. Ligule very short. Leaves 5’-12’ long, 2-6" wide, flat, roughish, usually downy on upper surface, dull or pale green. Panicle 4'-10' long, branches slender, widely spreading or drooping, lower branches 2’-5’ long. Spikelets 5-8-flowered, about 1’ long, green. Outer scales acute, unequal, rough on keels; flowering scales 4’’-6” long, obtuse or acute, downy near margins, 2-toothed at apex and bearing a short, straight awn 2’-4” long; palets slightly shorter than flowering scales. Stamens 3. Damp soil in open woods and borders of thickets. June to August. Newfoundland to New Jersey, west to Manitoba and Minnesota. Downy Brome-grass. Bromus _ tec- torum L. Root annual. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 6'-24' tall, slender, erect or spreading. Sheaths downy. Ligule 1-2” long. Leaves 1’-4’ long, 1/’-2" wide, downy, flat. Panicle 2'-6' long, branches slender, drooping. Spikelets 5-8 flowered, 6-12’ long, on slender, drooping pedicels. Outer scales acute, un- equal, rough-hairy, 2nd scale slightly 2-toothed; flowering scale 3’-6’’ long, rough or hairy, acute, 2-toothed and bearing from between the teeth a straight awn 5-8” long. Stamens 3. Waste places and waysides. May to July. Bromus secalinus New England to Illinois and southward. 230 Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses Chess. Cheat. Bromus secalinus L. YEA Annual. Naturalized from Europe. 1 Stem 1-4 ft. tall, erect, rather stout. Sheaths usually smooth. Ligule short. Leaves 3’-10’ long, 2’’-4’’ wide, flat, some- what hairy, conspicuously veined. ‘ Panicle 2'-8’ long, pyramidal, branches spread- ing or drooping, lower branches 3’-4’ long. Spikelets 6-10-flowered, 6-10” long. Outer scales unequal; 1st scale acute; 2nd scale obtuse; flowering scales 3’’-4’’ long, obtuse, often downy on upper margins, awnless or bearing a short, straight awn from between the obtuse teeth; palets about as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3. Fields and waste places, especially in grain fields. June to August. Nearly throughout North America except in the extreme north. y RAY-GRASS, DARNEL, AND ITALIAN RYE-GRASS Honour should be granted the Ray-grass, since it was probably the first of the grasses noticed and cultivated as a forage plant. In Europe its use extends over many scores of years, and it is certain that in England Ray- grass has been held in esteem since the days of Charles II, though it was not until after the middle of the eighteenth century that other grasses were considered worth the care of gathering and sowing. Like many of the field grasses Ray-grass has long been naturalized from Europe, but it is less frequently cultivated in this country than are other grasses more suited to our soil and climate. The slender elongated spikes, rising in midsummer, are beaded with edge- Ray-grass wise placed spikelets which open stiffly in Loltum perenne flower and are light green in colour with pale pendent anthers. Closely related tothis species is the “infelix lolium” of Vergil— 231 The Book of Grasses Lolium temuléntum — supposed by some to have been the “tares among the wheat’ mentioned in St. Matthew’s Gospel. This latter species, the Darnel, an annual occasionally found as a weed in grain fields, is remarkable for the poisonous quality of its seeds which cause serious trouble if the “tares’’ are gathered with the wheat and the seeds find their way to the mill with the pure grain. The most noticeable difference between this grass and Ray-grass, to which the name of Darnel is sometimes erroneously applied, is that in the true Darnel the long outer scale fully equals, and often exceeds, its spikelet in length. In Scotland the name of “Sleep- ies” has been given to Darnel on account of the narcotic effect of its seeds, though more recently it has been said that only the dis- eased, or ergotized, grain is poisonous. Italian Rye-grass (Lolium multiflorum) has been brought in later years to the United States. From either of the preceding species it is distinguished by its ten to twenty-flowered spikelets. Ray-grass. Rye-grass. Ray-darnel. Lolium perénne L. Perennial. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-3 ft. tall, erect. Ligule short. Leaves 2’-8’ long, 1 flat, roughish. Spike 3’-9' long, narrow. Spikelets 5-12-flowered, 4’’-8” long, green, solitary, sessile on alternate notches of the rachis; edge of each spike- let (or backs of the scales) turned toward the rachis. Two empty scales in terminal spikelet, only one empty scale in other spikelets. Empty scale acute or obtuse, dark green, thick, strongly nerved; flowering scales acute or short-awned, occasionally obtuse; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3. Fields, waysides, and waste grounds. June to August. Canada to North Carolina and Tennessee, also in California and Arizona. 21" wide, COUCH-GRASS, BEARDED WHEAT-GRASS, AND PURPLE WHEAT-GRASS In June the Couch-grass suddenly appears by the waysides and as the worst of weeds in cultivated lands; the stout leafy stems and flattened two-sided spikes apparently having sprung up ina night. This species varies greatly in appearance, especially near the seacoast, but it is always unlike other grasses, with the possible exception of Ray-grass from which it is distinguished by the posi- tion of the spikelets, those of Ray-grass being placed edgewise, 232 & RAY-GRASS (Lolium perenne). Natural size. Spikelets enlarged by two CATICH_GR ASS (Avropvron sebens). One half natural size. Spikelets enlarged by two Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses or with their backs to the stem, while in Couch-grass the spikelets are closely placed with their sides against the axis of the spike. Couch-grass grows with the VW energy of the : fabled hydra, SS RNY: and where one \ wN [ of the dark green stems is cut, half a dozen rise to take its place. This grass and the Johnson Grass of the South have the most extensive system of creeping or, more expressively, running rootstocks of any of the inland grasses. The strong, white subterranean stems of Couch-grass form a network and send off innumerable sharp-pointed shoots, which in the garden often pierce roots and tubers and seem to prefer to grow through any permeable object rather than to turn aside. This grass is the worst enemy of the farmer among his cultivated acres, as each breaking of the ground’s surface by sharp-edged tools serves only to cut and scatter the roots, each frag- ment of which, seemingly, “hath in it a Prop- ertie and Spirit, hastily to get up and spread.” . This quality of the plant suggested to Charles Dudley Warner while spending his “Summer in a Garden” the idea of offering Couch-grass to the clergy as an example of total depravity, yet insatiable ambition seems the chief charac- teristic of this plant, whose merits are recog- nized in its tenacity of life through drouth and on sandy soils, as well as in the nutritious hay yielded, while the long rootstocks are valuable in binding the loose soil of railway embankments. On pasture lands of the North- western States other species of the genus furnish an important part of the native grasses. Bearded Wheat-grass (Agropyron caninum), less common in the East, is unlike Couch- ee grass in the absence of rootstocks, in the Agropyron repens 237 The Book of Grasses occasional downiness of the lower sheaths, and in the long-awned scales. Purple Wheat-grass (Agropjron biflérum), a mountain species, is of smaller growth, bearing shorter leaves and smaller spikes, the latter usually tinged with purple. Couch-grass. Quick-grass. Quitch-grass. Devil-grass. Witch-grass. Agropyron répens (L.) Beauv. Perennial, with running rootstocks. Naturalized from Europe. Stem 1-4 ft. tall, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 4’-12’ long, 2’’-5’’ wide, flat, smooth on lower surface, rough above. Spike 2'-8' long, narrow. Spikelets 3-6-flowered, 4’’-10” long, green, solitary, sessile on alternate notches of the rachis, side of each spike- let placed against the rachis. Outer scales acute, or awn-pointed, sometimes obtuse or notched, strongly nerved, about equal; flowering scales acute or short-awned; palets slightly shorter than flowering scales. Stamens 3, anthers large, yellow. A very variable species. Fields, cultivated ground, and waste places. June to September. Newfoundland to the Northwest Territory, south to Virginia, Ohio, and lowa. BARLEY, SQUIRREL-TAIL GRASS, AND WALL BARLEY “First rie and then barlie, the champion saies, Or wheate before barlie, be champion waies: But drink before bread-corn with Middlesex men, Then laie on more compas, and fallow agen.” Occasionally a few grains of the cultivated barley (Hérdeum sativum) are dropped by our waysides, and in midsummer the spike-like heads of this grass appear, rigidly erect, and armed with straight awns which are sometimes half a foot in length. This grain, celebrated by Pliny who called it the most ancient food of older days, is still the most important cereal of the far North, and may be raised nearer the Arctic circle than any other grain, with the exception of rye. The early Britons cultivated barley and held barley bread in high esteem, but since a statute in the reign of Edward I] ordered that, “considering that wheate made into malte is much consumed, ordayned that henceforth it should be made of other graine,” barley, under force of this ancient edict, has come to be the great brewing grain, and little is now heard of “bannocks o’ barley meal.” 238 Illustrated Description of the Grasses The Squirrel-tail Grass, a most unworthy relative of so useful a grain, has reversed the usual order of mae plants and for a number of years has been trav- NS / \\II elling eastward ENN \ | from the es oS nN UR ox sa Middle = ee a WZ States (a WA AE WY and the West. ER BOLE It spreads its bristly ° LL . SN WZ flowering-heads_ in ‘ S& \N\ . WE Za waste grounds and invades dooryards and SQ WZ gardens, a weed wherever it appears, and \ Zn furnished with that facility in transporting r itself which the majority of weeds possess. Those virtues which the optimistic philosopher is sO sure exist in every plant, are as yet un- discovered in this grass, and beautiful as the plant is in bloom, with its squirrel-tails of bearded spikes, its cultivation for ornament is soon abandoned. It is a slender grass, bloom- ing in early summer, and recognized by the many long awns which spread stiffly from the ci F WA — spike. These shining awns, often tinged with 1 ~=— rose and lavender, are of great beauty and | a glisten with metallic lustre. According to a report of the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club these awns perform a quite different office from such awns as those of Sweet Vernal-grass and other grasses. The awns of Squirrel-tail Grass show a backward curving which, wedge- § like, raises each spikelet from those below and soon separates the ripened spike, joint from joint. The awns also, like those of certain other grasses, cling to passers-by and thus secure free transportation for the seeds. The Wall Barley (Hérdeum murinum), whose partiality for growing by walls gave to the plant its common name, is a native of Europe, and in Tapeh E ‘ “ y Squirrel-tail Grass this country is infrequently found in waste — qordexm judctum 239 The Bock of Grasses places. It is a tufted annual, bearing looser sheaths, narrower, more compressed spikes, and larger spikelets than does the Squirrel-tail Grass, but its presence renders hay fully as valueless since the sharp awns, like those of the more com- mon species, penetrate the flesh of sheep and cattle, and occasionally cause death. An English botanist recorded his earlier achievements in science when he wrote of this grass: “In our youth we put inverted spikes of the Wall Barley up our sleeves and found them travel to our shoulders. This was caused by the parts of the spike- lets being compressible, so that by a gentle motion they progressed upward with a kind of spring; but the barbs, on pulling the spike the contrary way, stuck into the clothes and could not easily be dislodged.” Squirrel-tail Grass. Hérdeum jubdtum L. Perennial. Stem o9/-30' tall, slender, erect. Sheaths smooth. Ligule very short. Leaves 1’-6’ long, 1/’-2” wide, flat, rough on margins. Spike 2’-5’ long, cylindrical, densely flowered. Spikelets 1-flowered, usually in 3’s, flower of middle spikelet perfect, lateral spikelets imper- fect. Rachilla prolonged. Outer scales awn-like, spreading, 1’-24’ long; flowering scale of perfect flower terminating in a slender, rough, spreading awn 1’-2’ long, lateral spikelets short-awned; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3. Cultivated lands and waste places, also in saline | soils. June to August. E Labrador to Alaska, south to New Jersey, Colorado, Cultivated Barley and California. 240 ‘TERRELL-GRASS OR WILD RYE (Elymus virginicus) Plant was three feet high. Spikelets enlarged by two SLENDER WILD RYE (Elymus striatus). One half natural size NODDING WILD RYE (Elymus canadensis). One half natural size. Spikelet natural size Illustrated Descriptions of the Grasses SEA LYME-GRASS, TERRELL-GRASS, SLENDER WILD RYE, AND NODDING WILD RYE Members of this genus have proved their usefulness in many ways. The stems have been used for thatching and have been formed into a coarse fabric; the seeds have furnished an article of food to primitive tribes; and even so long ago as the eighteenth century a saline species with extensively creeping rootstocks was cultivated in Europe to preserve the shifting sands of northern coasts. In the reign of William III, the Scottish Parliament passed an act for the preservation of Sea Lyme-grass (Elymus arenarius); later, in the time of George I, the British Parliament extended the operation of this law to the coasts of England, and made it a penal offence for a person to cut the grass or to be found in possession of it within eight miles of the coast. This species, the Sea Lyme-grass, is found in America, but only on the colder shores, where it is as valuable as the Marram Grass which it somewhat resembles. The eastern species of the genus are of comparatively little value and we find them chiefly in the moist soil of river banks and by low thickets, where in early summer the stout green spikes rise, stiffly bearded with upright awns, and in appearance suggest- ing the flowering-heads of certain cultivated grains. Terrell- grass, the one most frequently found, is the least attractive of our three common species of the genus. This grass is from two to four feet tall and may be recognized by its coarse, erect spikes which are rigid and bear shorter awns than do the other species. Slender Wild Rye (Elymus striatus) is much more delicate in appearance, and the spikes, usually less than four inches in length, resemble a small growth of the beautiful Nodding Wild-Rye (Elymus cana- dénsis) which during the summer months ornaments wayside thickets. The stout stems of Nodding Wild Rye are from two to five feet in height and bear dark green, elongated spikes which become nodding as the blossoms open. The outer, empty scales of certain species of this genus are thick and corky, and by adhering to the ripened spikelets act as floats to buoy the seeds as they fall on the water’s surface. This formation of the scales, so advantageous to the new seed, is most noticeable in Terrell-grass, whose spikelets, supported by their 247 The Book of Grasses spongy floats, drift downstream until the little rafts are washed ashore and the seeds find soil on which they may take root far, often, from the parent plant. Terrell-grass. Virginia Wild Rye. Elymus virginicus L. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, erect, rather stout. Ligule very short. Leaves 4’-14' long, 3’’-8” wide, flat, rough, deep green, sometimes downy on upper surface. Spike 2'-7' long, base usually included in loose upper sheath. Spike- lets 2-3-flowered, in pairs on alternate notches of the rachis. Outer scales narrow, thick, and rigid, terminating in rough awns, outer scales 8’’-13’’ long including awns; flowering scales about 4” long, usually smooth, terminating in a rough awn 3-10” long; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3, anthers pale yellow. Moist soil, by streams and borders of thickets. June to September. New Brunswick to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Florida and Arkansas. BOTTLE-BRUSH GRASS While the Red-top is pressing the warmth of its colouring into every conspicuous place, the cool woodlands hold a few strikingly individual grasses that are not found mingling with the bourgeoisie of the fields. Shade-loving grasses of the woods are rarely crowded, and appear to be careless of that striving for position which keeps the grasses of the open pressed so closely leaf against leaf. With the name of Bottle-brush Grass in mind this plant is instantly recognized when seen, since the loose, spreading spike is so unlike the flowering-heads of other grasses, even those of other long-awned species. About this grass there is ever a suggestion of the aristocrat, none of the beggars for a roothold is this, but a plant that condescends in using the earth, and confers a royal favour by appearing in the shadows where the sunlight falls in broken gleams. The tall stems of Bottle-brush Grass rise from among the rocks where there seems no earth in the crevices to support life, and as the pale spikelets open and spread their silvery awns the plant is one of rare beauty, worth many a long tramp in the search for it. The nodes of the leafy stems are very dark, and the lower sheaths are frequently tinged with purple. The thickened bases of the spike- lets are banded with narrow lines of brown, marking the place of abortive scales which in the lower spikelets appear as thread- 248 Bottle-brush Grass. Hystrix patula 249 The Book of Grasses like awns, and in the upper spikelets show as tiny points. The ripened spikelets soon fall from the ribbon-like rachis, but the faded stems endure winter’s cold and remain standing through a second season. Bottle-brush Grass. Hysirix pdtula Moench. Perennial. Stem 2-4 ft. tall, rather slender, erect. Ligule very short. Leaves 5’-10' long, 3-6" wide, flat, roughish, downy on upper surface. Spike 3'-7' long, not densely flowered. Spikelets 2-4-flowered, spreading, in 2’s or 3’s at each joint of the flattened rachis. Outer empty scales awn-like, sometimes 9” long, usually present only in lower spikelets; flowering scales 4’’-6” long terminating in a slender, rough awn 107- 18” long; palets nearly as long as flowering scales. Stamens 3, anthers yellowish green. Rocky woods. June to August. New Brunswick to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Georgia and Arkansas, 250 BOTTLE-BRUSH GRASS (Hystrix patula). One half natural size. Spikelets enlarged by two and a half WOOL GRASS (Scirpus cyperinus). Two stages of the panicle GREAT BULRUSH (Scirpus validus). Natural size THE SEDGE FAMILY THE SEDGE FAMILY CYPERACEAE “This common field, this little brook — What is there hidden in these two?” Memeers of this family are protean in form; some, rising leafless, are like green bayonets and are tipped with cylindrical heads of blossoms; others, broad-leaved and spreading, seem like exotics from tropical lands; some are tiny plants, rising but a few inches from the soil; while others, stout and erect, are higher than one’s shoulder and bear great flowering-heads of innumerable spikelets. The study of these plants is most interesting, and indeed it is impossible to study the common grasses without gathering a large number of these “grass-like’”’ plants which, however, refuse to be included with the grasses, and often prove confusing to the student unless he has a definite idea of the distinguishing characteristics of each family. Resembling the green grasses in colour, sedges are most fre- quently spoken of as “grass,” though they belong to a separate family and show their distinctive traits in flower and growth; the three-ranked leaves easily referring each sedge to its proper family, since in all grasses the leaves are but two-ranked upon the stems. The basal portion of each sedge leaf encloses the stem, as in the grasses, but with this noticeable difference, that the sheaths of sedges are perfectly closed while grass sheaths are usually split on the side of the stem opposite the leaf. With few exceptions the stems of sedges are solid, and in many species are sharply trian- gular. The flowers are small and are arranged in spikelets, but instead of several scales enclosing each flower, as in the grasses, each sedge blossom is protected by but a single scale, though a perianth is sometimes present in the form of small bristles. Many genera are comprised in the family, but the most numer- ous species are found among the sedges that belong to the genus Carex, and these in northern countries equal the grasses in number. 259 The Book of Grasses KEY TO THE GENERA ].— Flowers in each spikelet all, or at least one of them, perfect. II.— Stamens and Pistils in separate flowers. I.— Flowers in each spikelet all, or at least one of them, perfect. Spikelets 2-many-flowered, flat or nearly so, usually clustered in terminal umbels; scales 2-ranked; bristles none; stems leafy near base. Cyperus Spikelets 6-10-flowered, flat, slender, on axillary peduncles; ‘bristles present; stems leafy. Pond Sedge Spikelets solitary, several-many-flowered, terminating the stems; bristles usually present; leaves reduced to basal sheaths. Spike- rushes Spikelets roundish, several-many-flowered, in terminal umbels; bristles none; stems leafy near base. Leaves thread-like. Sand-mat Leaves narrow, flat. Fimbristylis : Spikelets solitary or many, roundish, several- -many-flowered; terminal or in terminal umbels or clusters; bristles usually pres- ent; stems leafy or the leaves reduced to basal sheaths. Club-rushes, or Bulrushes Spikelets solitary or several, several-many-flowered, terminal or in terminal umbels or clusters; bristles usually many, long and silky, at maturity much exceeding the scales in length; stems more or less leafy. Cotton-grasses : Spikelets few-flowered, in terminal and axillary clusters; lower scales empty; bristles usually present; stems leafy. Beaked-rushes II.— Stamens and Pistils in separate flowers. Staminate and pistillate spikelets in the same or in different clusters; staminate spikelets many-flowered, pistillate spikelets 1-flowered; bristles none; seed not enclosed in a sac; stems leafy. Nut-rushes 2 Staminate and pistillate flowers in the same or in different spikes; seed enclosed in a sac; stems leafy. Sedges CYPERUS. (Cypérus) 260 270 272 272 272 280 300 300 303 304 The sedges of this genus have been known under different , names, and as “Galingale,’ “Farth-nuts,” and “Bulrushes,” many species have served the world since the days of remote antiquity. The far-famed Papyrus of the Nile is a Cyperus whose many uses it is unnecessary to recount, and in Isaiah we note the 260 YELLOW NUT-GRASS (Cyperus esculentus). Natural size BRISTLE-SPIKED CYPERUS (Cyperus strigosus). Three quarters natural size CYPERUS HYSTRICINUS. Natural size. Spikelets natural size ural size. Spikelets enlarged by three in illustration at lower right CYPERUS DIANDRUS. First three illustrations nat The Sedge Family mention of sedges as we read that “the land shadowing with wings” sent ambassadors, “‘even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters.” — The nut-like tubers of certain sed- ges of this genus are edible, and the roots of a few species are & HX! fragrant and aromatic, yielding agreeable perfumes. Our common species grow in clumps, most frequently in moist places, and bloom during midsummer and later. The stems are leafy at the base and are triangular. The flowers are borne in spikelets which are usually flat and linear and are clustered on branches at the summit of the stems. A conspicuous terminal flowering-head is thus formed, of which a distinguishing feature is the presence of one, several, or many leaves surrounding the base of the flower-cluster. A typical plant of this genus is the Bristle- spiked Cyperus (Cypérus strigosus), a species that is common in moist or dry soil by the waysides and is also frequent near cultivated grounds, where it is often found with Edible Cyperus, or Yellow Nut-grass (Cypérus esculéntus), which it somewhat resembles, and © which is noted for the small, edible tubers borne on the roots. This latter species, also called “Chufa,” is cultivated in southern Europe for the nut-like tubers which are said to have a sweet taste when boiled or roasted. The spikelets of the Bristle-spiked Cyperus are of greenish straw-colour, but in several other members of the genus the spikelets are noticeably coloured in stripes of , Bristle-spiked Cyperus brown and yellowish green. Cyperus strigosus 269 The Book of Grasses On dry hillsides and in sterile soil we often notice a small, slender plant bearing globose flowering-heads of dull greenish fe see sj : a brown. This is the Slen a der Cyperus (Cypérus filichlmis) whose wiry stems rise from hard, S Zag yao roundish corms, or tubers. The Slender Cyperus is common throughout the country, and although under different conditions of soil and climate the plants vary in size and in the number of flowering- heads the stems are seldom more than fif- teen inches in height. POND SEDGE. (Dulichium) The Pond Sedge (Dulichium arundi- naceum) is a plant that bears little resem- blance to other members of the large family of Cyperaceae, and the casual observer who assumed the leafy stems to belong to some flowering plant of a different order might easily be pardoned. The hollow, jointed stems, one to three feet tall, are very leafy, but the three-ranked leaves are short, being one to four inches long, and are not sedge-like in appearance. The flowers are borne with the leaves along the stem and are in spikes which are composed of narrow, green spikelets, one half to one inch long. y This plant, the only species of the genus, is common from Nova Scotia to Florida, and during midsummer and later it is frequently seen by the borders of ponds and streams where it grows with Seder Gren the yellow loosestrife and other plants Cyperus filiculmis of the marshes. 270 B Hic Pond Sedge Slender Spike-rush Dulichium arundinaceum Eleocharis tenuis o7i The Book of Grasses THE SPIKE-RUSHES. (Eleécharis) Shining, hair-like stems of Spike-rushes often cover the soil between clumps of coarser sedges, and in many places the Large Spike-rush occupies low ground by streams and ditches where its roots are sometimes under water. The smallest species are but a few inches in height, but the largest Spike-rushes are occasion- ally five feet tall. All are similar in appearance and are very unlike other sedges. The round or four-angled stems are slender, usually rather soft or weak, and grow closely together, and the leaves are reduced to basal sheaths tinged with reddish brown. The flowers are always borne in a small, solitary spikelet which caps the stem, and in some species the spikelet is so narrow as to be no wider than the stem itself. Under the lens a perianth of bristles is noticed, and the triangular or roundish seed is seen to be tipped with the persistent base of the style. Slender Spike-rush (Eleécharis ténuis), is very common in open marshes from Canada to the Gulf, and even before the plant blooms the soft, dark green, hair-like stems may be recognized as they glisten in the sunlight and sway with the slightest breeze. With the Slender Spike-rush, which is usually about a foot in height, the smaller species are often seen forming loose mats above the mud, and in shallow water or in the edges of ponds the round, erect stems, two to four feet high, of the Large Spike-rush (Eledcharis palustris) are common. SAND-MAT. (Stenophillus) In walking along railway tracks one may often find on the embankments a rich harvest of flowers that are less common else- where. Even on the road-bed beneath the cars or in the sand between the tracks many sturdy little plants find place to grow and to mature seeds amid seemingly the most adverse conditions. The Sand-mat (Stenophyllus capillaris) is one of the low-growing plants found in such locations, and between railway ties the tufts of dark green thread-like stems capped with blackish green spike- lets are frequently common. The plant also grows in moister places but wherever it is found it is always low and slender, rarely a foot in height, and usually rising but a few inches from the soil. FIMBRISTYLIS. (Fimbristylis) The Slender Fimbristylis (Fimbristylis Frankii), and a closely related species (Fimbristylis autumnalis), are small, grassy plants 272 —<——— LARGE SPIKE-RUSH (Eleocharis palustris). Natural size azis [eANJEN *(Psnjgo $140420017) HSA Y-AMIdS azis [enjeN *(s#nuay s14420977) HSNA-ANIdS AAANATS am nd a half Spikelets enlarged by two a a). One half natural size. intermedi MATTED SPIKE-RUSH (Eleocharis The Book of Grasses that bloom in midsummer and are usually found in moist soils. The stems are low and slender (three to sixteen inches in height) with narrow leaves and very narrow greenish brown spikelets borne on the slender branches of the umbels. There are no bristles surrounding the triangular whitish seed, and as the spike- lets are not clustered, but are borne in loose terminal umbels, these sedges can hardly be mistaken for others that grow in similar locations. CLUB-RUSHES and BULRUSHES. (Scérpus) “Can the rush grow up without mire?” The sedges of this genus are usually known as “rushes,” and are common in shallow streams, in swamps, and in marshes. The species vary greatly in appearance; some are low and slender, being but a few inches in height, others are tall, leafless, and rush- like, while still others are broad-leaved and bear conspicuous flowering umbels. Several of these plants were long ago noticed in homely arts. Mats and ropes have been made of Bulrushes, and in early colonial days chair-bottoms of beautiful workmanship were fashioned of the Chair-maker’s Rush (Scirpus americanus) and the Great Bul- rush (Scirpis vdlidus), plants which are common in shallow water and by the borders of ponds throughout North America. Chair-maker’s Rush, recognized by its stiff, triangular stems, is found in salt-water marshes and also by inland streams. The stems, often shoulder-high, bear one to three leaves, and. the flowers are borne in one to seven oblong, brown spikelets about one half an inch long. Although the cluster of spikelets is term- inal it appears as if it were lateral, since the solitary leaf at the base of the cluster rises like a continuation of the stem. The Salt-marsh Bulrush (Scirpus robustus) is a striking plant of the genus and is found most frequently near the coasts. The stout, sharply angled stems are from one to five feet tall and bear a dense, compact inflorescence composed of a cluster of five to twenty large, oblong, brownish spikelets, some of which are sessile while others are borne on short rays one to two inches in length. ‘ The Great Bulrush, occasionally nine feet in height, and some- times an inch in diameter at the base, is leafless and stout. The 280 CHAIR-MAKERS RUSH (Scirpus americanus). Natural size il b Salt-marsh Bulrush Scirpus robustus Great Bulrush Scirpus validus 283 \| Wool-grass Scirpus cyperinus fB Meadow Bulrush Scirpus atrovirens 284 WOOL-GRASS (Scirpus cyperinus) growing in marsh. River Bulrush (Scirpus fluviatilus) growing around the Wool-grass CAYUGA LAKE SHORE. Chair-maker’s Rush (Scirpus americanus) and Great Bulrush (Scirpus validus) (growing in foreground sespes Auvw pue ‘ysnipng Jeary ‘sseiry Joo, ‘sserg yurof-anyg ‘ary PILAA Mord a194as 9A09 BUT, “HSUVIN VONAVO RIVER BULRUSH (Scirpus fluviatilus). Plant was four feet high. Stem natural size. Cross-section stem natural size By "lets natural size pinnae tions MEADOW BULRUSH (Scirpus atrovirens). One half natural size SALT-MARSH BULRUSH (Scirpus robustus) growing in marsh About three quarters size & 3 = & y & ia) ee n [4 5 a m wn) 4 ae The narrow divisions of the perianth are sharp-pointed and are reddish brown in colour. The Grass-leaved Rush (Juncus margina- \ tus) is found in moist sandy places. The stem, seldom more than two feet tall, is erect and somewhat flattened, and, as the common name indicates, the leaves are long, flat, and grass- like. The inflorescence is composed of three to twenty small, brownish green heads of flowers. There are but three stamens and the anthers are reddish brown in colour. In the following species the flowers are placed singly on the branches of the inflorescence and are never in true heads. The leaves are grass-like. Yard Rush (Juncus ténuis), common in country dooryards and by footpaths, seems to thrive best when it is trodden under foot each day. This rush grows in low-spreading clumps of wiry, glistening stems which are leafless except at the base fsefn whence numerous narrow leaves rise. The leaves are shorter than the stems, but the inflorescence is much | exceeded by the lowest involucral leaf which Hi is usually from three to seven inches long. | Through June, July, and August the plant is in bloom and the tiny flowers, scattered along, ( the branches of the inflorescence, or crowded (I at their tips, are like pale stars. The perianth, / = green on its outer surface, is whitish within, — poe ae = and the six short anthers and the feathery Juncus tenuis 331 {i Wh Il ee W/ i Y/ The Book of Grasses stigmas are also white. The flowers are widely open in the early hours of the morning but close during the heat of the day. The Toad Rush (Juncus bufonius) is an “Wy odd little plant, rarely eight inches tall, which often spreads in tangled mats over low ground by the waysides and on the borders of dried-up pools. The flowers are larger than in our other common rushes, and are dark wy green; the stems branch abundantly f at the base and bear one or two short, narrow leaves. Like Y the preceding species the Toad Rush is found throughout nearly the whole of North America. Black-grass (Juncus Gerardi), easily recognized by its char- acteristic dark-green colour, | blooms in midsummer and is VY u; common along the Atlantic coast Wi and by tidal waters of rivers from ng Canada to Florida. The plant is grass-like, and with dark leaves and blackish flowers covers large areas on the salt marshes, where it is often associated with Fox- grass (Spartina patens). The slender wiry stems of Black-grass rise from creeping rootstocks and are usually from one to two feet in height; the perianth divisions WY f] are rounded and are shorter than Ne the dark seed-capsule. This rush is the most highly valued of the 4 common species, as it yields a large part of the salt hay that is taken each year from our coast- A) wise marshes. See = Other rushes will occasionally Juncus bufonins be found by the student and may 332 azis [VANJVU PILY] OUQ *(SusNf2 sNUNL) HSNA DOW azis [BIN}JUN “(SMIDUNUNID SHUN) SNA GCALINAA-duVHS Rushes be distinguished by the general manner of growth, the form of the small divisions of the perianth, and the relative length OF these DO DOoOa ae Grass Juncus Gerardi divisions in comparison with the length of the seed-capsules. The gathering of rushes was an important task when the floors of English dwelling houses were cov- ered with these plants of the marsh, and the sov- ereign could require, as did William the Conqueror of his subjects upon Ayles- bury land, that the people furnish “ straw for his bed- chamber . . . andin summer straw rushes.” To this floor-covering Eras- mus ascribed pestilences, since the lowest layer of rushes was often left un- changed for years. In the days of “ Merrie Eng- land” such rush-strewn floors were an evidence of barbarism to the courts of southern Europe, where a Frenchman of the eigh- teenth century reported to Henry III of France that there were but three re- markable things to be seen in England, of which one was the custom of the people to “strew all their best rooms with hay.” We also read that in olden days the pathways of pro- cessions were made green 337 Common Wood-rusbh Luzula campestris The Book of Grasses with scattered rushes, and that in Shakespeare’s time the stage was strewn with these plants. Rush-lights of bygone days were prepared from the pith of certain plants of this genus. The round stems were gathered in late summer and were placed in water for a short time. The pith was then carefully taken from the stems, and after being left out in the dew for several nights was dried, and dipped in scalding fat. THE WOOD-RUSHES. (Luzula) While searching for the earliest hepatica or arbutus the soft, reddish green leaves of the Common Wood-rush (Lizula campéstris) are often seen. This rush is one of our earliest flowering plants, and appears while the turf still remains brown from winter’s frosts. Common Wood-rush grows in tiny tufts and is found in many locations from dry, open woodlands to low marshes, and through all the summer months the plant remains noticeable as its ripening seeds bend the slender stems earthward with increas- ing weight. There is seldom a rocky pasture that does not show a few of the reddish umbels spreading from the low growth that so universally surrounds each firmly embedded stone, while a favour- ite location is near the borders of open woods, where later the Pennsylvania Sedge carpets the ground beneath white birches and low-growing oaks. When the flat, rather broad leaves first appear they are sparingly fringed with silky white hairs. The plant is rarely more than a foot in height and the blossoming umbel is composed of short branches which bear small, densely flowered spikes. The Hairy Wood-rush (Lizula saltuénsis) prefers dry, wooded banks and is distinguished from the more common species by the one-flowered, hairdike divisions of the umbel, by the more numer- ous long hairs on the leaves, and by the perianth which differs from that of the other in being shorter than its capsule. The generic name of the Wood-rushes, Luzula, is said to have been derived from the Italian word for glow-worm, and probably referred to the shining seed-capsules. 338 INDEX TO ENGLISH NAMES INDEX TO ENGLISH NAMES Aristida, Purplish, Sea-beach, Barley, Wall, Bamboo, . Beach Grass, Beaked-rush, Clustered, White, .. : Bearded Wheat-grass, : Beard-grass, Bushy, Forked, Bent-grass, Brown, Bermuda Grass, Big Blue-stem, Black-grained ‘Mountain 1 Rice, Black-grass, . . Black Oat-grass, . Bladder Sedge, Blue-grass, Canada, Kentucky, Blue-joint Grass Blue-stem, Big, Little, Bonnet-grass, . . Bottle-brush Grass, Bristly Foxtail, Bristle-spiked Cyperus. Broad-leaved Spike-grass, Brome-grass, Downy, . Fringed, Broom Sedge . Brown Bent-grass, : 128 - 102 105 238 » 239 13 Bulrush, Dark green, Great, Salt-marsh,. . . Bushy Beard-grass,. Canada Blue-grass, Canary-grass, Reed, Cane, Large, Small, Catch-fly Grass, Cat’s-tail Grass, Chair-maker’s Rush, . Chess, Swamp, . Upright, Chufa, ie Club-rush ., . Clustered Beaked- mish, Cock’s-foot Grass, Cockspur Grass, Cord-grass, Corn, Cotton-grass, Slender, Virginian, Couch-grass, Crab-grass, Large, Small, . Creek Sedge, Creek Thatch, Creeping Eragrostis, . Crested Dog’s-tail, Cultivated Barley, Cultivated Oats, . Cultivated Rye, Cultivated Wheat, 341 The Book of Grasses Cyperus, ; Bristle-spiked, Edible, Slender, Darnel, Densely flowered Manna-grass, Devil-burs, Dog’s-tail Grass, Downy Brome-grass, . Dropseed, Mexican, Northern, Sand, Dwarf Meadow-grass, Dwarf’s Grass, Early Bunch-grass, Earth-nuts, : Edible Cyperus, Egyptian Grass, English Grass, Eragrostis, Creeping, Purple, Pursh’s, : Strong-scented, . Tufted, False Red-top, Feather-grass, . Fescue, Meadow, Nodding, Red, : Sheep’s, . Slender, Tall, : Fescue Sedge, . Field Paspalum, Fimbristylis, Fioren, Flattened Oat- -grass, Forked Beard-grass, Forked Panic-grass, Fowl Meadow-grass, : Fox-grass, Fox Sedge,. Foxtail, Bristly, Green, Marsh, Meadow, Yellow, French-grass, Fringed Brome-grass, ; Fringed Sedge, Galingale, Gama Grass, Gardner’s Garters, Gauze-grass, Ginger Grass, . Goose-grass, Grama, Tall, Grass of the Audes; : Green Foxtail, Hair-grass, Rough, Silvery, Tufted, Wavy, ; Hairy Panic-grass, Hedgehog Grass, Herd’s Grass, . Holy Grass, Hop Sedge, Indian Grass, Indian Rice, Italian Millet, Italian Rye-Grass, Job’s Tears, Johnson Grass, June Grass, Kentucky Blue-grass,. Lace-grass, Lady’s Hair, Lady’s Ribbons, Large Crab-grass, Large-fruited Panic-grass, .112, Large Spike-rush, . Lemon Grass, . Little Blue-stem, : Little Prickly Sedge, . Long-awned Hair-grass, Long-awned Wood-grass, ; Long-leaved Rush-grass, . Long Sedge, Low Nut-rush, Low Spear-grass, . Manna-grass, Densely flowered, Floating, Nerved, Sharp-scaled, Tall, Marram Grass, Marsh Foxtail, Marsh Muhlenbergia, Marsh Oats, jae Marsh Spike-Grass, Meadow Fescue, Meadow Foxtail, : Meadow Muhlenbergia, Meadow Oat-grass, Meadow Soft-grass, Meadow Sphenopholis, Melic-grass, Narrow, . Mesquites, . Mexican Dropseed, Mexican Muhlenbergia, Millet, Soe Mountain Rice, Black-grained, Slender, White-grained, Muhlenbergia, Marsh, Meadow, Mexican, Rock, Wood, Narrow Melic-grass, . Nerved Manna-grass, . Nimble Will, 4. 3322 . 107 . 108 » TTA . 310 . 302 - 195 - 133 - 134 . 181 . 164 . 107 i. 107 . 292 I2 55 . 208 . 208 . 206 . 208 . 206 iy) i ET? . 106 - 134 . 184 . 218 . I12 . 106 142 77 . I00 99 99 . 106 106 107 . I106 . 106 2 TOL . 206 . 106 Index to English Names Nodding Fescue, we oe B18 Nodding Wild Rye, ee 247 Northern Dropseed, . . . 115 Nut-rush, : . . 303 Nuttall’s Reed- grass, em (22 Oat-grass, Flattened; 4 « « = = 143 Meadow, ger ae, eee Silky “is as ods eh oe oe EA Wild, pe ae tie oe vo TALS: Oats; ¢ & %& See a) cso Purpley . . . . . . I8I Wild, : ee . 140 Old Witch-grass, ee ee Orchard Grass, . . . . 188 Painted-grass,. . . . . 94 Panic-grass, . . . . . OF Papyrus, . . . . . . 260 Paspalum, Slender, S 4h ots ae SOP Field 2 ee ce Ge Gs 4 COE Pennsylvania Sedge, . . . 308 Pigeon-grass, . . . . . 78 Pond Sedge, =. «© « «= « 270 Porcupine Sedge,. . . ~. 310 Porter’s Panic-grass, . . . 7! Poverty Grass, . . . . 102 Southern 2 en Se ee - STS Purple Eragrostis, . . . 172 Purple Finger-grass, . . . 59 Purple Oat, . . . . . I8I Purple Wheat-grass, . . . 238 Purplish Aristida, Sa 4 FO2 Quaking-grass. . . . . 187 Racemed Bouteloua,. . . 164 Rattlesnake Grass, . . . 206 Ray Darnel, . . - + + 232 Ray-grass, . . - + + + 231 Red-top, . . . . «+ + IQ Wallis 2h oles ce ok Sy Ha © Ribbon-grass,. . . - - 94 Rice, . . © « « © «+ I2 Rice Cut-grass, . . . - 89 343 The Book of Grasses Reed, : Reed Canary- grass, Reed-grass, Nuttall’s, Wood, . Slender Wood, Salt, Reeds, ... Rock Muhlenbergia, Rough Hair-grass, Rough-stalked Meadow- -grass, Round-fruited Panic-grass, Rye, Rye-grass, Rush, Beaked, Bog, ; Common Wood, Chair-maker’s, Grass-leaved, Hairy Wood, Jointed, Nut, Toad, Yard, Salem Grass, Sand Dropseed, Sand-grass, Salt-grass, Sand-mat, Salt- carn Bulrush, Salt-meadow Leptochloa,. Salt-meadow Grass, Salt Reed-grass, Scutch-grass, Sea-beach Panic-grass, Sea-beach Aristida, Sea Sand-reed,. Sea Lyme-grass, Sea Spear-grass, Seaside Oats, Seneca Grass, . Shaking-grass, . Sharp-scaled Manna-grass, Shear-grass, . Sheathed Rush- -grass, Sheep’s Fescue, Side-oats, Silky Oat-grass, Silvery Hair-grass, . Slender Aristida, : Slender Sphenopholis, . Slender Fescue, Slender Finger-grass, . Slender Mountain Rice, Slender Paspalum, Slender Sedge, . Slender Spike-grass, Slender Spike-rush, Slender Wild Rye, : Slender Wood ee Small Cane, Small Crab-grass, : Small-fruited Panic-grass, Small Rush-grass, Smooth Marsh-grass, . Snake Grass, Southern Poverty-grass, Sphenopholis, Meadow, Slender, . Spike-rush, Large, Slender, Spreading Panic-grass, Spreading Spear-grass, Squirrel-tail Grass, Starved Panic-grass, Strong-scented Eragrostis, Swamp Chess, . Sweet Vernal-grass, Switch Grass, Tall Fescue, Tall Grama, Tall Manna-grass, . Tall Red-top, . Tall Smooth Panic-grass, Terrell-grass, Tickle-grass, Thin-grass, Timothy, ae Tufted Eragrostis, Tufted Hair-grass, Tufted Sedge, . 344 Index to English Names Upright Chess, . . . . 330 Wild Oat-grass, . . . . 143 Wild Rice;. « « « « # 83 Vanilla Grass, om oon oe Wild Rye, Velvet Grass, .. SS pa nied : ew & a Bee Virginian Cotton-grass, « ~~ 200 Virginian, Gui fa Sag nae sa Virginia Wild Rye. . . . 248 Wireeras, oa 6s Wood Muhlenbergia, a & 6 TOO, Wall Barley, . . . . . 239 Wood Reed-grass,. . . . 128 Wavy Hair-grass,. . . . 136 Slender, . . . . « « I3I Wheat, - . . . . . 12 Wood Spear-grass, . . . 197 Wheat-grass, Wool-grass. . . -« - «+ 299 Bearded,. . . . . . 237 Purple, . . . . . 238 Yard-grass, . . . . . 166 White Beaked- rush, ren 303 Yard-rush, ee Se mw 332 White-grained Mountain Rice, 99 Yellow Foxtail, . . . . 77 White-grass, . . . . . 8g Yellow Nut-grass, . . . 269 Wild Oats, . . « « . 140 Yorkshire Fog, . . . «. 134 345 INDEX TO LATIN NAMES INDEX TO LATIN NAMES Agropyron caninum - repens . biflorum Agrostis alba ca canina hyemalis . perennans . Aira caryophyllea . Alopecurus geniculatus MS pratensis . Ammophila arenaria . Andropogon furcatus . “ “ “ “o “ scoparius virginicus Anthoxanthum odoratum Aristida dichotoma a gracilis purpurascens tuberculosa Arrhenatherum elatius Arundinaria tecta Avena sativa “ fatua “ “ “o Bouteloua curtipendula Brachyelytrum erectum . Briza media Bromus ciliatu Pe racemosus secalinus tectorum «o “ Calamagrostis canadensis ms cinnoides Carex crinita “ festucacea “~ folliculata gracillima hystricina glomeratus . 5/239 . 238 Carex intumescens “ jupulina pennsylvanica . scirpoides stricta vulpinoidea Cenchrus carolinianus Cinna arundinacea “latifolia Cynodon Dactylon Cynosurus cristatus Cyperaceae Cyperus esculentus se filiculmis . oe strigosus . Dactylis glomerata Dactyloctenium aegyptium Danthonia compressa . S sericea spicata Deschampsia caespitosa ue flexuosa Digitaria filiformis a humifusa sanguinalis . Distichlis spicata . Dulichium arundinaceum “ “ Echinochloa crusgalli Eleocharis palustris o tenuis . Eleusine indica Elymus arenarius “canadensis striatus virginicus Eragrostis capillaris e hypnoides . megastachya . “ “ “ The Book of Grasses Eragrostis pectinacea “ pilosa Eriophorum gracile a virginicum Festuca elatior oe nutans octoflora . ovina rubra : Fimbristylis autumnalis be Frankii Glyceria acutiflora canadensis grandis nervata obtusa septentrionalis Hierochloé odorata Holcus lanatus Hordeum jubatum murinum . sativum Hystrix patula “ Juncaceae Juncus acuminatus bufonius effusus . Gerardi marginatus tenuis . Leptochloa fasicularis. Leersia lenticularis e oryzoides virginica Lolium multiflorum “perenne . temulentum Luzula campestris “saltuensis . “ “ Melica mutica ate “striata Fame Muhlenbergia capillaris - mexicana racemosa is Schreberi sobolifera vs sylvatica Oryzopsis asperifolia pungens a racemosa Panicum amaroides e Boscii capillare . clandestinum depauperatum dichotomiflorum dichotomum latifolium microcarpon. Scribnerianum sphaerocarpon virgatum Paspalum laeve oe setaceum Phalaris arundinaceae ee canariensis Phleum pratense Phragmites communis Poa alsodes “annua . autumnalis brachyphylla . compressa pratensis triflora trivialis : Puccinellia distans as maritima . “ Rhynchospora alba . . glomerata Scirpus americanus . . “ cyperinus “~~ polyphyllus ““yobustus . . . “ Usylvaticus: . . Scirpus validus. Scleria verticillata Setaria glauca “italica . verticillata virides Sorghastrum nutans Sorghum halepense Spartina cynosuroides “glabra Michauxiana patens Sphenopholis nitida i obtusata pallens . palustris Sporobolus asper . “ “ « “ “ oe 280 Sporobolus cryptandrus . 303 be heterolepis . 78 ss neglectus a7. ‘ uniflorus 77 We vaginaeflorus 77 Stenophyllus capillaris 56 Stipa avenacea 54 162 Tridens flavus 162 Triplasis purpurea 162 Tripsacum dactyloides 162 135 Uniola latifolia 135 “ Jaxa 136 “paniculata Bs 115 Zizania palustris THE END. Index to Latin Names 351 IIS » tS . 114 . TrS . IIS . 272 . 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