Studies of West Indian plants XIII 



Nathaniel Lord Britton 



74. UNDESCRIBED SPECIES FROM CUBA 



Andropogon virginicus graciliformis Leon, var. nov. 



Lower sheaths not equitant, rather terete, glabrous; culms 

 slender and cylindrical from the base, usually producing one or 

 two flowering branches, only from the two or three upper nodes; 

 nodes of the inflorescence long pilose; blades at first narrowly in- 

 volute or conduplicate from base to apex, becoming flat and 

 flexuous in age, only about 1.5 mm. wide, devoid of long hairs 

 towards the base; spathes becoming reddish, the upper ones 6 

 to 9 cm. long, much longer than the racemes. 



Gravelly soil, Sabana de Motembo, Santa Clara, Cuba {Leon 

 and Loustalot 11343). This variety may be readily recognized 

 by its basal sheaths not strongly compressed and equitant as 

 those of typical Andropogon virginicus and in its long and very 

 slender stems and narrow leaves. The type specimen is pre- 

 served in the herbarium of Colegio de la Salle, Vedado, Havana. 

 We are indebted to Prof. A. S. Hitchcock and Mrs. Agnes Chase 

 for suggestions and help. 



Paspalum motembense Leon, sp. nov. 



Perennial, glabrous, with a rhizome; culm erect or nearly so, 

 glabrous, about 60 cm. high, simple, the nodes glabrous; sheaths 

 much longer than the internodes, glabrous, striate, compressed, 

 the basal ones overlapping; ligule a delicate membrane 1-1.5 mm. 

 long; blades 20 to 30 cm. long, up to 5 mm. wide, glabrous on 

 both surfaces, scaberulous on the border, conduplicate, acuminate 

 at the convolute apex; panicle short exerted, 15 cm. long, the 

 rachis angled; racemes several, ascending, 2 to 5 cm. long, erect 

 or falcate, their rachis about 1 mm. wide, glabrous, scaberulous 

 on the border; spikelets in pairs, elliptic, 2.5 mm. long, 1.2 to 

 1.4 mm. wide, the pedicels scaberulous, one of them 1 mm. long, 

 the other two-thirds as long; glumes covering the fruit, thin, 

 glabrous, brownish-yellow; second glume 5-nerved, short pointed; 

 sterile lemma faintly 3-nerved, fruit brown, slightly rugose, 

 shining. 



Grassy place, Sabana de Motembo, Santa Clara, Cuba {Leon 

 and Loustalot 9354)- Related to the South American P. hydro- 

 phyllum Henr., a much more robust plant, and to the Cuban 

 P. JVrightii; this is taller and stiffer than P. motembense, from 



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