HITCHCOCK: A PECUUAR SPECIES OF LASIACIS 37 



Sterile lemma. To those unfamiliar with the morphology 

 of the grass spikelet it may be explained that the spikelets of 

 the tribe Paniceae are characterized by two membranaceous 

 bracts (glumes) at the base or outside, a third bract (sterile 

 lemma) like the glumes in texture, and often enclosing a staminate 

 flower but producing no seed, and finally a fertile lemma, which 

 is indurate or at least thicker than the glumes, and which in- 

 closes a seed. The presence of a second sterile lemma is contrary 

 to our concept of the whole tribe and if found here and there 

 among our specimens would be looked upon as a teratological 

 development. A priori one would be inclined to assign generic 

 rank to a species or group of species possessing this character. 

 In the case before us, however, the specimens possessing this 

 character are indistinguishable in other respects from L. rusci- 

 folia. Even specific rank is granted only because of the distinct 

 range and the uniformity of the specimens. A technical diag- 

 nosis follows: 



Lasiacis anomala Hitchc. n. sp. 



Stems woody, branching, clambering over bushes, glabrous, the 

 main culm as much as 5.5 mm. thick, and 5 meters long; sheaths 

 glabrous or more or less pilose, striate, ciliate on the margin, densely 

 villous on the collar; ligule a short ciliate membrane; blades ovate- 

 lanceolate or elliptic lanceolate, as much as 10 cm. long and 3 cm. 

 wide on the main flowering culms, usually 4-6 cm. long and 1-2 cm. 

 wide on the lateral flowering branches, rather thin, narrowed and 

 usually asymmetric at base, sometimes a little cordate-clasping, 

 puberulent, or sometimes glabrate on the upper surface; panicles 

 oblong-ovoid, 7-10 cm. long, 3-5 cm. wide, those on the lateral branches 

 smaller, the lower branches somewhat distant, spreading or somewhat 

 reflexed, all rather compactly flowered, puberulent, the pedicels angled, 

 rather stout, 1-2 mm. long; spikelets ovoid, becoming nearly globose 

 at maturity, 3-4 mm. long; first glume about one-third, second glume 

 about two-thirds, as long as the spikelet; first and second sterile 

 lemma about equal and about as long as the fertile lemma, the glumes 

 and lemmas slightly woolly at the tip, the second sterile lemma in- 

 folding the fruit more closely than usual for the first lemma in other 

 species; fruit ovoid-globose, obtuse, because of the presence of a second 

 sterile lemma the palea side facing the second glume. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 865557, collected along 

 the edge of jungle, Fort George Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad, Novem- 

 ber 27, 1912, by A, S. Hitchcock (Amer. Gr. Nat. Herb. no. 595). 



