HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 387 
93. ERAGROSTIS Host. 
Spikelets few to many-flowered, strongly compressed; glumes and lemmas 
keeled, the lemmas 3-nerved; rachilla often continuous, the paleas usually per- 
sistent after the fall of the fruit. 
Palea ciliate on the keels, the cilia usually as long as the width of the lemma. 
Plants perennial; cilia rather soft, approximate___--.----_- 8. E. leonina. 
Plants annual; cilia stiff and somewhat distant. 
Spikelets about 2 mim. long___-_-_--- - 1. E. amabilis. 
Spikelets usually 3 to 4 mm. long, sometimes many-flowered, mostly 
subsessile; panicle close and spikelike or, in var. lara, somewhat 
lax and open. - aoa 2. E. ciliaris. 
Palea not ciliate on the keels. 
Spikelets dicecious; plants creeping -------------------- 4, E. hypnoides. 
Spikelets perfect; plants not creeping. 
Plants annual. 
Lemmas glandular on the keel____------------- 7%. E. cilianensis. 
Lemmas not glandular. 
Margins of blades glandular___-__---___.-__ 8. E. eragrostis. 
Margins of blades not glandular. 
Panicle elongate, contracted, the minute spikelets crowded 
or glomerate_____-_----.-------- 10. E. glomerata. 
Panicle not elongate, at least half as wide as long, the 
spikelets not crowded. 
Spikelets 1.5 mm. wide - 5. E. pilosa. 
Spikelets 2 mm. wide. 
Spikelets ovate-lanceoiate, mostly less than 5 mm. 
long; panicle rather lax. 
6. E. tephrosanthos. 
Spikelets linear, mostly 8 to 10 mm. long; panicle 
rather firm, the branches and branchlets 
somewhat stiffly and divaricately spreading. 
9. E. barrelieri. 
Plants perennial ; spikelets 4 to 10 mm. or more long. 
Plants low, mostly not over 20 cm. high, the culms wiry. 
Inflorescence a strict raceme, the spikelets subsessile, rather 
remote_ 12. E. bahamensis. 
Inflorescence a narrow or open panicle. 
Panicle branches viscid___-___---------- 11. E. glutinosa. 
Panicle branches not viscid. 
Sheaths glabrous_________-___-____-- 13. E. cubensis. 
Sheaths sparsely pilose_________ 14. E. berteroniana. 
Plants taller, often robust, over 30 cm. tall. 
Branchlets of panicle elongate, capillary, stiffly spreading, 
bearing mostly single terminal spikelets__15. E. elliottii. 
Branchlets of panicle bearing several mostly short-pediceled 
spikelets. 
Lemmas acuminate; axils of panicle with a tuft of long 
hairs____.-___-_-_-_-_ 16. E. acutiflora. 
Lemmas acute; axils of panicle naked or but rarely bear- 
ing a few hairs, 
