18 POACEAE. 



Racemes 6 or fewer; blades usually 4-8 mm. wide or 



less ; stems slender. 

 Racemes numerous, usually 10 or more; blades up to 

 1 cm. wide or more; stems stout. 

 Rachis of the spikelet glabrous ; sheaths not 



nodulose. 

 Rachis sparingly pilose ; lower sheaths nodulose. 

 Spikelets with a fimbriate wing. 

 Racemes in pairs at the summit of the stem ; spikelets singly 

 disposed. 

 Racemes long and slender; spikelets less than 2 mm. long, 



nearly orbicular. 

 Racemes short and stout ; spikelets over 2 mm. long, ovate. 

 Spikelets pubescent, ovate, 2.5-3 mm. long. 

 Spikelets glabrous, ovate-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long. 



1. Paspalum Poiretii E. & S. Syst. 2: 878. 1817. 



Perennial ; culms densely tufted, 5 dm. high or less, slender, glabrous, 

 simple, or sometimes branched at the base. Leaves 5-10 em. long, 3-6 mm. 

 wide, glabrous or sparingly hirsute, or ciliate ; racemes 1-3, erect or ascending, 

 2-4 em. long, the rachis about 0.5 mm. wide; spikelets 1.5 mm. long, 0.9 mm. 

 wide, elliptic, appressed-pubescent, singly disposed, the scales 3-nerved, the 

 fruiting one oval. 



Savanna, Andros : Cuba ; Hispaniola ; Porto Rico ; Jamaica. Poiket's Pas- 

 palum. 



2. Paspalum caespitosum Fluege, Gram. Monog. 161. 1810. 



Paspalum Blodgettii Chapm. PI. S. U. S. 571. 1860. 



Tufted; culms slender, 3-6 dm. high. Leaves glabrous, narrowly linear, 

 flat, 5-20 cm. long, 3-7 mm. wide, erect or nearly so, with glabrous sheaths; 

 racemes 2-6, erect, 1-5 cm. long, the rachis very narrow; spikelets in paira, a 

 little less than 2 mm. long and nearly 1 mm. wide, elliptic, the first scale want- 

 ing, the second and third sparingly papillose-pubescent with appressed hairs, 

 3-nerved, the fruiting scale yellowish white. 



Pine-lands, scrub-lands, and clearings, Abaco. Great Bahama, Berry Islands, 

 South Bimini, Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Great Exuma, Inagua, 

 and the Anguilla Isles : Florida ; Cuba to Porto Rico ; Jamaica. Slender Pas- 

 palum. 



3. Paspalum portoricense Nash, Bull. Torr. Club 30: 377. 1903. 



Culms tufted, glabrous, very slender, spreading, 6 dm. long or less, simple or 

 rarely branched. Leaves flat, 5-12 cm. long, 3-5 mm. wide, with a few long 

 hairs at the base; racemes 1-3, very slender, 2-6 cm. long, ascending; spikelets 

 geminate, oblong-elliptic, acute, about 1.8 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, glabrous, 

 about as long as the primary pedicel, the first and second scales 3-nerved. 



Crooked Island (according to Hitchcock) ; Porto Rico. 



4. Paspalum Simpsoni Nash, Bull. Torr. Club 24: 39. 1897. 



Paspalum gracillimum Nash, in Small, El. SE. U. S. 73. 1903. 



Tufted, similar to P. caespitosum ; culms slender, 4-8 dm. high. Basal 

 sheaths hirsute, the upper glabrous; leaves flat, linear-lanceolate, 4-10 cm. long, 

 3-10 mm. wide, glabrous on both sides, the margins ciliate; racemes 3-5, 

 spreading, 2-7 cm. long, the rachis narrow ; spikelets in pairs, obovoid, about 

 1.5 mm. long, and 0.8 mm. thick, the first scale wanting, the second and third 

 3-nerved, densely pubescent with short glandular hairs. 



Scrub-lands, white-lands, and clearings, Great Bahama, Abaco, Berry Islands, 

 Andros, New Providence, Cave Cay. Watling*s Island. Little San Salvador, Acklin*s 

 Island, Fortune Island, Mariguana, and Inagua : Florida ; Cuba ; Jamaica ; Porto 

 Rico. Simpson's Paspalum. 



