ately deciduous,
1-nerved or the second 3-nerved, usually membranous. Flowering glumes
are imbricating, at length deciduous from the rachilla, 3-nerved, all
bisexual or the uppermost and rarely the lowest imperfect, ovate to
lanceolate, membranous to chartaceous, usually glabrous, the lateral
nerves short not reaching the mid nerve; palea are broad, membranous,
deciduous with its glume or persistent on the rachilla with two ciliate
smooth or scabrid keels. Stamens are three rarely two. Ovary is glabrous
with two styles ending in plumose stigmas. Grain is minute, globose,
obgloboid or obovoid, free in the glume and the palea.

KEY TO THE SPECIES.

A. Spikelets panicled.

B. Rachilla of spikelets more or
less jointed and breaking up from
above downwards.

Panicle more or less contracted
and margin of flowering
glumes not ciliate.

Spikelets 1/20 to 1/6 inch
long; grain obovoid;
stamens 2; panicle narrow
interrupted, 6 to 18 inches
long 1. E. interrupta.

BB. Rachilla of spikelets tough, persistent;
flowering glumes falling
away from base upwards.

C. Spikelets pedicellate.

Spikelets flat, ovate-elliptic
or oblong, lateral nerves of
flowering glumes very prominent
and straight, almost
percurrent; palea deciduous
with their glumes 2. E. amabilis.

Spikelets less compressed,
linear or linear-oblong;
lateral nerves less prominent;
not fascicled, long
pedicellate and divaricate
when ripe.

Leaf margins without
glands. Spikelets versatile,
narrow, linear 1
inch or more long,
branches of panicle
solitary 3. E. tremula.

Leaf margins glandular.

First glume 1-nerved and
second glume 3-nerved 4. E. major.

First glume and second
glume 1-nerved 5. E. Willdenoviana.

Spikelets small, 1/4 inch or
less, branches of panicle
whorled 6. E. pilosa.

CC. Spikelets sessile and
jointed on the very short
densely crowded branchlets
of a tall, narrow raceme
like panicle, deciduous,
acute, much compressed,
imbricate and secund 7. E. cynosuroides.

AA. Spikelets in a long terminal spike.
Spikelets distichously spre