HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 357 
Stenotaphrum glabrum var. americanum Doell in Mart. Fl. Bras, 27: 300. 1877. 
Stenotaphrum dimidiatum var. americanum Hack. in Stuck, Anal, Mus. Nac. 
Buenos Aires 21: 57. 1911. 
An extensively creeping glabrous perennial, the stolons with long internodes 
and short leafy branches, the sheaths equitant, the blades short, obtuse; flower- 
ing culms 10 to 80 em. tall, the blades commonly 10 to 15 cm. long; spikes 
terminal and axillary, 5 to 10 cm. long. 
Open grass land, at low altitudes, especially near the coast, southern United 
States to South America. An excellent pasture grass. Originally described 
from South Carolina. Rottboellia stolonifera was described from Porto Rico. 
To be found on probably all of the West Indian islands. In Cuba called 
“ camalote,” “ cambute,” “ gram6én de costa,” and “ caflamazo amargo.” 
52. OLYRA L. 
Plants monecious; inflorescence paniculate; pistillate spikelets borne on the 
upper branches and on the ends of the lower branches of loose terminal 
panicles, the smaller staminate spikelets pedicellate along the lower branches; 
pistillate spikelets rather large; first glume wanting; second glume and sterile 
lemma herbaceous, caudate-acuminate; fruit bony-indurate; staminate spikelets 
readily deciduous; glumes and sterile lemma wanting, the lemma and palea 
membranaceous, 
Fruit smooth and shining; plants usually over 3 meters tall____- 1. O. latifolia. 
Fruit clothed with thick silky hairs at base and summit; plants less than |! 
meter tall________-_-------- -------- + 2. O. ciliatifolia. 
1. Olyra latifolia L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 2: 1261. 1759, 
Olyra paniculata Swartz, Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 21. 1788. 
Glabrous perennial, bamboo-like in aspect, commonly 5 meters tall, the strong 
hollow culms sometimes 1 cm. thick, erect and unsupported, the summit only arch- 
ing (or weaker culms leanin@among brush), the lower half to two-thirds simple 
and naked, the short sheaths bladeless or nearly so, the elongate internodes 
blotched with dull purple, branching from the upper nodes, the branches com- 
monly fascicled, divaricate, often 1 meter long, sometimes again branching; 
blades convolute in the bud, spreading, flat, firm, unsymmetrically lanceolate- 
oblong, abruptly acuminate, commonly 20 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, those of 
the ultimate branches smaller, the lowermost on both primary culm and 
branches rudimentary; panicles 10 to 15 cm. long, about two-thirds as wide, 
those of the secondary branches reduced, the branches stiffly ascending or 
spreading, each bearing a single large long-acuminate pistillate spikelet at the 
thickened summit and several small slender-pediceled staminate spikelets along 
the rachis. 
Copses and shady banks, Mexico and West Indies to South America. Origi- 
nally described from Jamaica; O. paniculata also described from Jamaica. In 
Cuba this is one of the grasses called “tibisf.” 
A searcely distinct form has been named O. arundinacea H. B. K.* (0. lati- 
folia var. arundinacea Griseb.?. This is distinguished by its glabrous sheaths 
and more loosely flowered green panicle. It is found in the West Indies chiefly 
from Porto Rico to Trinidad and extends to Brazil. Originally described from 
Colombia. The typical form of O. latifolia, with hispid sheaths and denser 
purple panicle, is found chiefly in Cuba and Jamaica, but extends from Mexico 
to Brazil. The differences mentioned above are best seen in the primary culms 
und panicles. 
*Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1: 197. 1816. 7 Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 535. 1864. 
