184 Chase — Notes on Genera of Paniceas. III. 



haying been seen by Nees. Trinius' specimen of O.floribunda is closely 

 related to Strephium strictiflorum Fourn., though much smaller in all its 

 (•arts, hut these are closely congeneric with 0. polypodioides. This is well 

 brought out in the detailed drawings of 0. polypodioides and O.floribunda 

 in plate 45, Doell in Mart. Fl. Bras. vol. 2, pt. 2. 



Kunth (1833, Enum. 1:70) recognizes Strephium as a genus (see note 

 under Lithachne. ) 



Trinius (1835, Pan. Gen. 29)* places 0. floribunda Radd. and a new 

 species, 0. polypodioides Trin. in Olyra (see note above under Lithachne) 

 and in the Icones (1836, pi. 345) the former is figured. 



Steudel (1854, Syn. PL Glum. 1:36) includes these forms in Olyra (see 

 note above under Lithachne). 



Wright (1871, Anal. Acad. Cien. Habana 8:202; 1873, Sauv. Fl. Cub. 

 193) transfers Digitaria pulchella Griseb. to Strephium with the mark of 

 doubt. 



For the disposition of these forms by Founder (1870, Bull. Soc. Bot. 

 Belg. 15:405; and 1881, Mex. Fl. 2:4); Doell (1*77, Mart. Fl. Bras. 

 2:-:!15); Bentham & Hooker (1883. Gen. PI. 3:1110); Hemsley (1885, 

 Biol. Gent. Am. 3:510), and Hackel (1887, Engler & Prantl, Pfl. Fam. 

 2: 2 39) see notes above under Lithachne. 



Description. — Spikelets unisexual, unlike in appearance; the staminate 

 and pistillate in distinct small panicles, the staminate terminal or from 

 the upper nodes; the pistillate axillary, short-exserted, 

 few-flowered, usually from the lower nodes (a few stami- 

 nate spikelets sometimes borne below the pistillate spike- 

 lets in Strephium strictiflorum ) ; pistillate spikelets lanceo- 

 late, first glume wanting, second glume and sterile lemma 

 membranaceous, strongly nerved, subequal, acuminate; 

 Raddia fruit dorsally subcompressed, lanceolate, acute; lemma 



polypodioides. and palea bony-indurated but less so than in Olyra and 

 Lithachne, the margins fiat, nearly meeting over the palea. 

 Staminate spikelets linear-lanceolate. Low caespitose herbaceous peren- 

 nials with simple culms and blades narrowed at the base, the creases in- 

 distinct, usually conspicuously distichous and turned with the surfaces on 

 a single plane. Five known species, natives of the tropics and subtropics 

 of America. 



Raddia brasii.iensis Bertol. 1819, Bologn. Opusc. Sc. :! : 410. 

 Olyra floribunda Radd. 1823, Agros. Bras. (See above. ) 

 Olyra brasiliensis Spreng. isi'7, Syst. 4: Cur. Post. 20, based on Raddia 

 bras Hi ni g /' * Bert* >1 . 



Strephium floribundum Nees 1854; Steud. Syn. PL Glum. I : 36, based 

 on Olyra floribunda Radd. 



Raddia distichophylla (.'■(•brad.). 



Strephium disiichophyllum Schrad. 1829, in Nees Agros. Bras. 298. 

 " Habitat in sylvis priniaevis, prov. Bahiensisad viam Felisherti alibique." 



•Mem. Acad. Petersb. Ser. VI, 3: 2 1T7. 



