3860 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
spikelet densely covered with long straight hairs, that of each lateral spikelet about 
3mm. and of the upper one about 4 mm. long, the first glume of each Jateral spikelet 
less hairy and only 2 mm. long, that of the upper spikelet reduced to a broad fan- 
shaped, nerveless scale scarcely | mm. in length; lemmas of the lower spikelets 
sparsely short-hairy, coriaceous, 2 to 3 mm. long, short-awned; palets convolute, 2- 
nerved, slightly scabrous at the tip, not awned; awns of palet of third spikelet about 
2mm. long and more scabrous, the parts of the third floret much reduced; caryopsis 
not seen. (liaures 22, 23.) 
The above description is drawn from Pringle’s no 8707, upon which the large spikes 
are by far the most abundant, but upon the same specimens there are other spikes 
which are the same as those of the type. 
The Haenke specimen is uniform in having small spikes with the lateral spikelets 
more or less aborted. The Pringle specimen, on the contrary, shows the species to 
be dimorphic. 
Fournier refers one of Schatfner’s specimens without locality to this species, but | 
have seen only the fragment of the type mentioned above and Pringle 8707, collected 
on limestone hills near 
Jojutla, Morelos, Mexico. 
It is more than likely 
that the description will 
have to be modified 
somewhat in the future, 
for all specimens seen 
are immature. 
2. Cathestecum mul- 
tifidum sp. nov. 
DESCRIPTION. 
A delicate, upright, 
hairy, cespitose peren- 
nial, about 40 cm, high; 
culms erect, delicate, 
& simple; sheaths striate, 
, / 
Fia. 24.— Cathestecum multifidum. a, Spike; b, uppermost spikelet; c, d, close, with a few scat- 
lemma and palet of first floret; ¢, f, lemmas of second and third florets; tered hairs above; ligule 
g, h, two views of caryopsis; i, one of lower pair of spikelets; j,k, lemma 
and palet of lower floret. a, Scale 5; b-f, scale 7.5; g-i, scale 10; j, k, scale 
> 
7.5. From type specimen. 
a fringe of a few long 
white hairs; bladesabun- 
dant below, flat, long and 
narrow, 10 to15em. long, a trifle over 1 mm. wide, the upper reduced, thinly beset with 
long, straight or flexuous, white hairs, 2 to 3 mm. long, arising from papille; panicle 
racemose, 5 to 6 cm. long, on a zigzag axis; spikes about 15, small, 4 to 5 mm. long 
over all, roughly triangular in outline, the rachis prolonged asa barbed, simple or bifid 
awn, usually less than 2 mm. long, with or without a very small winged expansion 
on one side; lateral spikelets 2-flowered, the rachilla prolonged into a blunt or bifid 
awn behind the palet of the second floret, or often the upper floret aborted and reduced 
toa bunch of awns upon a naked stipe; central spikelet 2-flowered, with a well-devel- 
oped third floret consisting of 6 to LO expanded awns on a naked stipe; glumes pubcs- 
cent, narrow, acuminate or short-awned, the first about 2 mm. long, the upper about 
3mm, long; lemma of the lower floret about 2.5 mm. long overall, bearing a few scattered 
hairs, 3-nerved,3-awned, theawns very short; palet plicate, about 2.5 mm. long, scarcely 
awned; lemma of the second floret becoming 5 to 7-awned by the splitting of each 
of the normal lateral nerves into 2 or 3, 3 to 5 mm. long; lower floret of upper spike- 
let apparently pistillate only, the others staminate; caryopsisnot seen. (Figure 24.) 
The type of this species was collected by myself at Iguala, Mexico, September 9, 
1909, It was later collected at Oaxaca, Mexico, by Hitchcock (no. 6164). It is an 
