114 MR. G. BENTHAM ON GRAMINE XA. 
23. SESLERTA, Scop., about eight European or West-Asiatic 
species, is an old-established distinet genus which has been but 
little interfered with, except that S. tenella, Host, has been pro- 
posed as a genus by Link under the name of Psilathera, but 
upon characters which do not appear to be of more than specific 
value. 
24. Erytropuorvs, Beauv. (Echinolysium, Trin.), is a single 
exceptionally tropieal species, widely spread, but limited to the 
Old World. The little heads of minute spikelets forming a spike 
longer than usual in the subtribe, and often interrupted, and the 
wings on one or both the keels of the palea readily distinguish 
the genus. 
25. FINGERHUTHIA, Nees, a single species figured in the last 
part of Hooker's Icones, is exceptional in the whole primary 
division Poacee in having the very short pedicels articulate 
below the spikelet as in Panicacew, whilst the male flower or 
empty glume is above the fertile flower as in Poacew. Its geo- 
graphical range is also peculiar: rather common in South Africa, 
it bas been recently gathered by Dr. Aitchison in Afghanistan, 
without its ever having been observed in any intermediate station. 
All the preceding genera have the long styles of the subtribe ; 
but there remain two with the styles scarcely longer than in the 
other Festucege, whilst the barren spikelets at the base of the 
dense inflorescence or of its branches are very conspicuous, and 
show a close affinity with the Sesleriez;. These are 26. La- 
MARCKIA, Meench (Chrysurus, Pers., Pterium, Desv. Tinea, 
Garzia), a single Mediterranean species, and 27. CYNOSURUS, 
Linn., three or four species with a much wider geographical 
range over the temperate regions of the Old World, and one of 
them at least now naturalized in several other countries within or 
without the tropies. Both genera are remarkable for the lower 
barren spikelets of the clusters or spikes elegantly pinnate with 
numerous bifarious empty glumes. The two were united by the 
older botanists, and have been again brought together by some 
modern ones under the Linnean name Cynosurus ; but they appear 
to be sufficiently different in habit and character to be maintained 
as separate genera ; and Cynosurus itself has two very distinct sec- 
tions, raised by some to the rank of genera :— Cynosurus proper 
for the C. cristatus, Linn., and its annual Algerine variety C. 
polybracteatus, Poir., altered to C. multibracteatus, Roem. & Schult. 
(C. crista-galli, Munby), in which the spike-like unilateral panicle 
