HITCHCOCK AND CHASE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 395 



1. Dactylis glomerata L. Sp. PI. 71. 1753. '^' Obchaed gbass. 



A rather coarse roughish perennial commonly about 1 meter tall, with flat 

 blades and panicles of few to several branches naked at base, bearing toward 

 the ends clusters of densely crowded, sparsely pilose spikelets, these 0.8 to 1 cm. 

 long. 



Commonly cultivated in the United States as a meadow grass and frequent 

 as an escape. Found in Jamaica (Hart 744, the locality unknown). 



101. PDA L. 



Spikelets small, few-flowered ; glumes keeled, acute ; lemmas herbaceous 

 with scarious tips, keeled, 5-nerved, awnless. 



Plants annual 1. P. annua. 



Plants perennial, producing rhizomes 2. P. compressa. 



1. Poa annua L. Sp. PI. 68. 1753. Annual bluegrass. 

 Poa infirma H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1 : 158. 1816. 



A low tufted soft smooth annual, the culms decumbent at base, the pale 

 open panicles commonly about 5 cm. long. 



Open ground and grass land throughout the temperate regions of North 

 America and extending southward in the mountains ; introduced from Europe, 

 whence originally described. Poa infirma was described from Colombia. 



Bermuda, Cuba (Habana), and in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. 



2. Poa compressa L. Sp. PI. 69. 1753. Canada bltjegrass. 

 A wiry perennial with extensively creeping slender rhizomes, slender flat 



culms, and narrow, rather densely flowered panicles. 



Open ground and grass land ; throughout the United States, probably intro- 

 duced from Europe. Originally described from Europe and North America. 

 Found introduced at high altitudes in Jamaica (near summit of Blue Mountain 

 Peak, Hitchcock 9371) and Haiti (Morne Franchant, alt. 1,900 meters, Picarda 

 1019). 



102. FESTUCA L. 



Spikelets few to several-flowered ; glumes small ; lemmas firm, convex or 

 keeled toward the summit only, awned from the tip. 



First glume more than half as long as the second 1. F. bromoides. 



First glume less than half as long as the second 2. F. myurus. 



1. Festuca bromoides L. Sp. PI. 75. 1753. 



A slender tufted annual 30 to 50 cm. tall, with narrow blades and narrow, 

 nearly simple panicles of short-pediceled slender-awned 4 to 6-flowered spike- 

 lets. 



Open and waste places, introduced in the United States, especially on the 

 Pacific coast. Originally described from Europe. Found in the Blue Moun- 

 tains of Jamaica. 



2. Festuca myurus L. Sp. PI. 74. 1753. 



Similar to the preceding, the culms weaker, the panicle longer and narrower, 

 the spikelets 2 or 3-flowered, the awns more delicate. 



Waste places and open ground, introduced in America. Originally described 

 from Europe. Found in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. 



Festuca eiatiob L. Sp. PI. 75. 1753. Meadow fescue. An erect perennial 

 with awnless spikelets, frequently cultivated in the United States as a meadow 

 grass; represented from Jamaica by a specimen without locality (Hart 743). 



