8 



HYDKOCHABITACEAE. 



stalked, rugose or nearly echinate, opening by many valves. Seeds numerous. 

 [Greek, referring to its growth in the ocean.] Two known species, the follow- 

 ing typical. 



1. Thalassia testudinum Konig & Sims. 

 TURTLE GRASS. (Fig. 5.) Submersed, glabrous. 

 Rootstocks creeping, elongated; stems short, 

 arising from the nodes of the rootstock ; leaves 

 2-5, sheathing the stem; blades linear, strap- 

 like, 6'-l long, obtuse, withering-persistent; 

 scapes solitary, central; fruit globose or oval, 

 echinate-pubescent, pointed. 



Common in shallow salt water. Native. 

 Coasts of Florida and the West Indies. Doubtless 

 transported to Bermuda by floating. 



The leaves are similar to those of Zostera, 

 for which the plant is often mistaken ; Zostera 

 apparently inhabits deeper water; we did not ob- 

 serve it rooted, but it doubtless occurs in place on 

 the Bermuda banks, for quantities were seen on 

 the north shores after a storm. 



Order 4. POALES. 



Grasses and sedges. Monocotyledonous plants, mostly herbaceous, 

 with leafy or leafless, usually simple, stems (culms), the leaves usually nar- 

 row and elongated, entire or minutely serrulate. Flowers mostly perfect, 

 small, incomplete, in the axils of dry, chaffy scales (glumes) arranged in 

 spikes or spikelets. 



Fruit a caryopsls (grain) ; culm mostly hollow. 

 Fruit an achene ; culm solid. 



Fam. 1. POACEAE. 

 Fam. 2. CYPERACEAE. 



Family 1. POACEAE R. Br. 



GRASS FAMILY. 



Annual or perennial herbs, of various habit, rarely shrubs or trees. 

 Culms (sterns) generally hollow, but occasionally solid, the nodes closed. 

 Leaves sheathing, the sheaths usually open to the base on the side oppo- 

 site the blade; a scarious or cartilaginous ring, naked or hairy, rarely 

 wanting, called the ligule, is borne at the orifice of the sheath. Inflo- 

 rescence spicate, racemose or paniculate, consisting of spikelets composed 

 of two to many, 2-ranked imbricated bracts, called scales (glumes), the 

 two lowest in the complete spikelet always empty, one or both of these 

 sometimes wanting. One or more of the upper scales, except sometimes 

 the terminal ones, contains in the axil a flower, which is usually enclosed 

 by a bract-like awnless organ called the palet, placed opposite the scale 

 and with its back toward the axis (rachilla) of the spikelet, generally 2- 

 keeled; sometimes the palet is present without the flower, and vice versa. 

 Flowers perfect or staminate, sometimes monoecious or dioecious, subtended 

 by 1-3 minute hyaline scales called the lodicules. Stamens 1-6, usually 3. 



