Mr. Woops on the Genera of European Grasses. 35 
Glumes nearly equal, membranous. Pale of equal length, membranous, 
the outer much the broadest, and embracing the other. 
2. Dactyloctenium. Spikes fingered; spicule many-flowered: inner glume 
mucronate. Palez unequal, the outer ventricose, membranous ; the inner 
scariose. 
3. Leptochloa. Spikes in a raceme. Spiculæ 2- or many-flowered. Glumes 
keeled. Outer palea keeled, 3-nerved. Awn straight. 
4. Beckmannia. Spikes in a raceme; spiculæ 1—3-flowered. Glumes equal, 
deeply navicular, quite obtuse, and enlarging towards the apex. Paleæ 
membranous, less firm than the glume, awnless. 
5. Spartina. Spikes upright, in a raceme. Glumes very unequal, the inner 
large, acuminate, and almost including the solitary floret. Pales un- 
armed, membranous, but less firm than the glume, the outer retuse. 
Styles united. 
The single floret seems to be the principal distinction between Cynopon 
and Chloris. There is no European species of this latter genus. DacryLocre- 
NIUM cgyptiacum, Willd., the only species with which I have any concern, was 
considered by Linnæus as a Cynosurus; and, in fact, these two genera may 
be taken as the connecting links which unite the Chloridew and Festucaceæ. 
Michaux ranked it as Chloris, to which its fingered spikes give it a consider- 
able resemblance. It is said by Steudel to be the Cenchrus wgyptius of Lin- 
neus. Lamarck placed it with Eleusine. Walter (Carolin.) with Ægilops. At 
last Willdenow established for this and one or two more species a new genus 
with a bad name, which I have not presumed to alter. BEckwANNIA is inserted 
by Kunth among the Phalarideæ, but it has no trace of an external imperfect 
floret, and the structure of the flower, as well as the one-sided spikes, point 
out its strong affinity with Chloris. Spartina is the only genus whose position 
is doubtful, yet the description approaches nearly to that of Cynodon. 
AVENACEZ. 
The necessary insertion of the drundinacee and Chlorideæ has somewhat 
interrupted the natural series which might pass from Stipa to Anm. Au the 
genera have glumes, which are scariose on the margin (except in Gaudinia), 
F2 
