14S 



The above name is here adopted out of deference to our best 

 American authorities, but the description of J^. nigricans, Br., in 

 Flora Australiensis, quoted below, defines the essential characters of 

 our plant so well, that, guided by the description alone, I should 

 scarcely hesitate to refer it to that species. I have examined tvvo 

 forms of P. nigricans from Australia, one of which has nearly the 

 habit as our plant.* 



''Pappophorum nigricans, Br. Stems a foot to a foot and a half 

 high ; leaves flat or convolute, usually narrow, sometimes quite 

 setaceous, glabrous, pubescent or villous ; the nodes glabrous or 

 bearded. Panicle dense and spike- like, varying from ovoid to oblong 

 and under one-half an inch long, to narrow cylindrical and 3 

 in. long, or broader and more branched and 2 to 3 inches long, 

 but always dense, pale or dark colored. Outer glumes varying 

 from one to rather above two lines long, obtuse or acute, 

 striate with usually 7-9 nerves, but sometimes, especially on the 

 lowest glume, reduced to five, and two of these short. Flowering 

 glume not above a line long, more or less hairy outside, especially at 

 the base, with 9 fine, spreading, plumose awns varying from the 

 length of theglumeto twice as long. Above the flowering-glume 

 and enclosed in it, is usually a similar smaller one with a male or 

 rudimentary flower, and one or two still smaller empty ones." — Flora 

 Australiensis, Vol. vii., p. 600. 



4 61.* Pappophoruni apertum, Munro in herb. Benth.(?). — Culm 1-2 



ft. high, erect, branched at the base. Panicle, 6-8 inches long, 

 contracted and spike-like, densely flowered, interrupted below and 

 at first more or less enclosed in the upper sheath. Outer glumes 

 about two lines long, the lower a little shorter, oblong or ovate 

 lanceolate, obtuse and two-lobed or notched at the tip. Flowering- 

 glumes 2-4, with 2 to 3 stipitate rudimentary florets above, about *a 

 ine and a half long and nearly as broad, convex and coriaceous, 

 hirsute below on the dorsal and lateral nerves, otherwise smooth; 

 awns 10-15, those appearing as continuations of the nerves of the 

 glume, stouter and longer (2 lines) than the intermediate ones. 



_£r_CaTnj2J,;0wel^^ 

 This grass is the same as No. 1,360 of E. Palmer's Mexican col- 

 lection, 1880, which is enumerated in the Kew list of Palmer's plants 

 as near F. lagnroideum, Schrad. Grisebach, in Flor. Br. W. Ind , p. 

 537, has followed Trinius in uniting Schrader's species with P alo~ 

 pecuroideum, Vahl. Pringle's specimens were at first referred to the 

 the last-named species from the correspondence in habit and inflor- 

 escence to the descriptions by Steudel and by Grisebach; but I have 

 since been able to compare Pringle's specimens with the West Indian 



2-4 flowtrfn'J'Sume; ^,^'^""^'""1' <^on,..ci.A and spike-like. Spikelets with 

 2 4 tlowenng glumes, the lower perfect, the upper smaller and sterile Emotv 



tTZoZ' "F!oweX";r' --l-^'/^-ding'^'Ihe flowering glumes the S 

 thepalet, free.-Kunth. ' '^•^' '"'°°"'- ^^^""^"^ ^'""°'^' enclosed by 



/ 



