NORTH AMKKICAN SPECIES OF LKPT< »('HL(»A, 13 



Leptochloa muticu Steiid. S\ni. 1: 'JOS. 1854. ••Siirinain Am. Austr." Type 



exainiin^d. 

 DisTKiBLTio.N: Rnatan Mund: Gaiimer. Mc.victi: Liebmanii i.'.")!, 2.")J; Nelson 



2768.2483. Cuba: Rugel 19:3; Wright 3436. 740 (in part), 741 (in part); 



Comlis 2r)(). Porto Rico: Heller 4o3r)- Sintenis 844. MoHitiiqiie: Bourgean 



237.1; Hahn 163. St. Vincent: Smith 577. ,S7. Croix: Ricksecker 2.")S. St. 



Thontds: Eggers 68. Galapogos: Anderson 44. Brozil: Riedel. Traill l',>74. 



Paraguay: Morong 970. 



LEPTOCHLOA DOMINGENSIS Trin. Fnnd. Agrost.. 133. 1820. Transfers 

 i'jjiiosnrits (loniingotsis Jactj. (PI. II, figs. 1, 2; text figs. 4. 5. 6. ) 



Cynosin-Kfi (torn iugensis Jacq. Misc. 2: 363. 1781. •• Faeie infra niedinni jnlosa 

 dorsa glabra." 



Bromus capillaris Moench. Meth. 194. 1794. " Sub nomine Poae cajjillaris semina 

 accepi." no locality given. Knnth refers this to L. dominginsis (Ennni. 1; 

 269) and the description applies, especially. "Folia lata infra glabra, supra 

 deorsum scabra, basin versus pilosa," but Moench also says, • vaginie glabne."" 

 However, the pubescence is confined to the margin of the .sheath. 



Eletisiiie domingensi.s IPeTH. 1: 87. 180r). " Hab. in Jamaica. St. Domingo." 



Rahdochloa doiii i )ige)isis Beanv. Agrost. 176. 1S12. Transfers ^ 7///o.\/(/;/.s- (/(/»<- 

 ingensis, p. 84. He also refers Poa domingensis Pars. Syn. 1 : 88 to his genus 

 Rahdochloa, and in this is followed by Kunth (1. c). 



Pig. 4. — L.d(>inin<jen.<tis, FlQ. 5. — L.domiiKjensix, FlO. 6. — L. domiiKjcnsis, 



from Hidalgo, Tex. from Florida. from Central America. 



Leptontachy.s domingensis Meyer. Esseq. 74. isis. Transfers Eleusine domin- 

 gensis Pers. 



LejitocJdoa {jracilis'Nees. Syll. Ratisb. , 1: 4. 1824. Transfers Chloris gnicilis 

 H. B. K. See note Tinder L. dubia. Nees in Agrost. Bras., 433. 1829. gives 

 " Habitat in Brasiliis . . . (Sellow. Vidi in Herb. Reg. Berol.)*' 



Chloris gracilis H. B. K. Nov. Gen. 1: 168. 1815. "Crescit in calidis Pro- 

 vincite Jaen de Biacamoros prope Tomependa, alt., 207 hex." 



Leptostachys gracilis Meyer. Fl. Esseq., 74. 1818. Transfers Chloris gracilis 

 to his new genus Leptostachys. 



Our plants have the rigid, glaucoiis appearance of L. virgata. with involute 

 leaves, but resemble L. domingensis in having the margin of the sheaths and 

 the upper surface of the lower part of the blades ciliate or pilose. The awns 

 are almost the length of the flowering glume. Grisebach distinguishes these 

 by the length of the spikes and of the awns (Fl. Br. W. I.), thus, L. virgata 

 with spikes 3-6 in. long and awns short or none; var. gracilis, awns about as 

 long as glume, spikes 1^-2 in. long; var. domingensis, spikes 3-5 in. long and 

 awns longer. The length of the awn can not be depended upon to distinguish 

 these forms. 



Stems + to 1 m. high, smooth and somewhat shining or glaucous, leaves long and 

 narrowed to a slender point, involute; the tropical specimens have softer, flat 

 leaves. Our specimens are probably introduced as the plant is not common 

 within our borders. The drier climate would account for the involute leaves. 

 The upper surface of blade near base is sparsely pilose with long weak hairs, 

 the margin of the sheath is more densely ciliate. Panicles 1 to 2 dm. long 



