96 TRIANDUIA— DIGYNIA. Digitaria. 



G. Dactylon, radice repcnte, sive officinarum. Tourn. Inst. 520. 



Scheuchz. Agr. 104. t. 2./. 11,1. 

 G. dactiloides, radice repente. Ger. Em. 28./. 

 G. Canarium alteram. Lob. Ic. v. 1.23./. 



On the sandy shores of Cornwall abundantly, first noticed by 

 Mr. Newton in the time of Ray. 



Perennial. July, August. 



The roots are tough and creeping, almost woody, with smooth 

 fibres. Stems also creeping to a great extent, matted, round, 

 jointed, leafy, very smooth. Leaves tapering, sharp-pointed, 

 ribbed, hairy, a little glaucous ; with long, striated, smooth 

 sheaths, and a hairy stipula. Flowering-branches a span high, 

 leafy, simple, terminating in 4 or 5 nearly equal, crowded, erect, 

 many-flowered, linear spikes ; the common stalk of each trian- 

 gular, roughish ; flat and slightly bordered on one side, along 

 which the nearly sessile, shining, purplishyZowm are ranged in 

 2 close alternate rows. The cor. is longer than the calyx, very 

 much compressed, opposite, not, as I once thought, alternate, 

 with respect to the latter. 



37. DIGITARIA. Finger-grass. 



Hall. Hist. v. 2. 2 44. Juss. 29. Nutt. Gen. Amer. 55. Beauv.Agr. 

 50. t. 10./. 12. 



Syntherisma. Schrad. Germ. v. 1. 160. 



Cal. single-flowered, of 3 very unequal, close-pressed, awnless 

 valves; the outermost minute, triangular, occasionally 

 wanting; the next largest, as long as the corolla, concave, 

 ribbed ; the third innermost, opposite to the latter, hardly 

 one fourth its size, lanceolate, flattish, slightly ribbed. 

 Cor. of 2 unequal, elliptical, awnless, finally horny valves; 

 the outer shaped like the larger valve of the calyx, and 

 about as large, inflexed at the edges ; inner narrower, 

 flat. Filam. capillary, rather longer than the glumes. 

 Anth. short, cloven at each end. Germ, ovate. Styles 

 thread-shaped, about the length of the stamens. Stigmas 

 short, feathery, dense. Seed ovate, coated by the harden- 

 ed polished corolla. 



Hoot fibrous, generally annual. Herbage coarse. Leaves 

 broad, ribbed, with long, warty, often hairy, sheaths. 

 Spikes several, alternate, rather close together, i 7 /. on 

 short, divided, partial stalks, unilateral, alternate, in 2 

 rows, on a zigzag, bordered common stalk. 



1. D. sanguinalis. Cock's-foot Finger-grass. 

 Leaves and their sheaths somewhat hairy. Flowers in pairs. 

 Calyx rough at the edges of its largest valve only. 



