HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 345 
44. ECHINOCHLOA Beauv. 
Inflorescence paniculate, the usually compact, densely flowered panicle com- 
posed of 1-sided racemes or of subsimple branches; spikelets hispid or spiny; 
glumes usually mucronate; sterile lemma usually awned; fruit subindurate, 
acuminate-pointed, the summit of the palea not inclosed. 
Spikelets awnless or mucronate only; racemes simple, rather remote. 
1. E. colonum. 
Spikelets more or less awned ; racemes subcompound, approximate. 
Awn not longer than the body of the spikelet; racemes slender, the lower 
as much as 7 cm. long; plants robust, as much as 2 meters tall. 
2. E. pyramidalis, 
Awn conspicuous. 
Ligule obsolete; spikelets, excluding the awns, 3 to 4.5 mm. long. 
3. E. sabulicola, 
Ligule of stiff yellow hairs; spikelets, excluding the awns, 5 to 6 mm. 
long____ - _-4. E. spectabilis. 
1. Echinochloa colonum (L.) Link, Hort. Berol. 2: 209. 1833. 
Panicum colonium LL. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 2: 870. 1759. 
A glabrous tufted annual, the culms compressed, branching at the more or 
less decumbent base; blades flat, linear, about 5 mm. wide, sometimes barred 
with purplish brown; racemes usually 5 to 10, ascending, distant nearly their 
own length on the strict axis. 
Ditches and moist places in the warmer parts of both hemispheres. Intro- 
duced into America. Originally described from Jamaica. A common weed to 
be found on probably all of the islands of the West Indies. In Cuba the zonate 
form is called “ grama pintada.” 
2. Echinochloa pyramidalis (lLam.). 
Panicum pyramidale Lam, Tabl, Encycl, 1: 171. 1791. 
Panicum spectabile var. guadeloupense Hack. Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 1: 
328. 1897. 
A glabrous, sparingly branching, somewhat fleshy annual 2 meters or more 
tall, with elongate blades 1 to 1.5 cm. wide and a long tapering panicle, the 
relatively slender branches ascending or slightly drooping. 
In ditches, Guadeloupe, introduced from Africa. Originally described from 
Senegal. Panicum spectabile var. guadeloupense was described from Guade- 
loupe. 
8. Echinochloa sabulicola (Nees) Hitche. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 17: 257. 
1913. . 
Panicum sabulicola Nees, Agrost. Bras. 258. 1829. 
Panicum aristatum Macfad. Bot. Mise. Hook. 2: 115. 1831. 
Oplismenus jamaicensis Kunth, Enum. Pl. 1: 147. 1833. 
Panicum jamaicense Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 2: 257. 1841. 
An erect, often robust, usually fleshy annual, with nearly simple culms often 
decumbent and rooting at base, and long narrow nodding panicles of usually 
long-awned spikelets; sheaths sometimes hirsute or papillose. 
Swamps and ditches, Mexico and the West Indies to South America. Origi- 
nally described from Brazil. Panicum aristatum, upon which are based Oplis- 
menus jamaicensis and Panicum jamaicense, was described from Jamaica. A 
part of Wright 3879 has hirsute sheaths and was referred to Echinochloa wal- 
teri.’ Some of the specimens referred to this species may belong to FH. crus- 
* Hitche. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 213. 1909, 
