MR. G. BENTHAM ON GRAMINEE. 75 
Series B. POACEA. 
Havine already explained the difference between the two 
primary divisions of Gramines, I need only repeat here that 
the main characters of Poacer consist, firstly, in the want of any 
articulation of the pedicel below the lower empty glumes, which 
remain persistent after the fruiting one has fallen away, or fall 
away separately, and, secondly, in the male or imperfect or rudi- 
mentary flowers, when present, being above, not below, the fertile 
one. The former character is all but universal; but from the 
latter one exceptions are not very rare, besides that, where there 
is only one flower without any continuation of the rhachilla 
beyond it, the character entirely fails. I should add that in 
some tribes of Poace& there are two or more perfect flowers in the 
spikelet, which is not the case in Panicacee ; and may now pro- 
ceed to examine in detail the eight tribes into which this second 
series may be divided. 
Tribe VII. PHALARIDEXZ. 
The close affinity of this tribe and the Oryzew has been 
generally admitted, and the two are usually placed in juxtapo- 
sition ; I had even proposed their consolidation into a single one 
in the “Flora Australiensis. They have in common the im- 
portant character of the scale immediately under the single 
perfect terminal flower being keeled or one-nerved, so as to make 
it a matter of discussion whether it be a glume terminal on the 
main axis or rhachilla of the spikelet, or a palea at the base ofa 
secondary floralaxis. The deciduous part of the spikelet of Phala- 
ride with its four glumes(or three glumes and a palea)is precisely 
asin Oryzee ; but there are in addition, below the articulation, 
the two persistent empty glumes characteristic of Poacew. The 
spikelet, therefore, in this tribe consists of six glumes (or five and 
a palea), the lowest pair empty below the articulation; the second 
pair, above the articulation, corresponding to the lowest two glumes 
of Oryzeæ, are usually empty and small, sometimes reduced to a 
small bristle, rarely enclosing each a small palea or a male flower; 
the upper pair (or glume and similar palea) enclosing the terminal 
fertile flower and fruit, without any continuation of the rhachilla 
above it. A slight apparent exception will be mentioned under 
Phalaris itself ; and in the genus Cinna of Agrostidex and a very 
few Bambusee the palea of the fertile flower is, at least apparently, 
