252 TRIANDRIA DIGYNTA. A HlhopOffOn. 



the joints much contracted, round and very smooth, the lower 

 joints of* the large plant as thick as the fore finger; every 

 part filled with white spongy pith ; height of the whole plant 

 when in flower, from six to sixteen feet. In the Botanic gar- 

 den where the soil is rich some plants are full sixteen feet 

 high. Leaves from six to eight feet long, slender, deeply 

 channelled toward the base, recurvate, margins hispid. The 

 radical ones are bifarious, the floral ones alternate, sheaths 

 smooth, compressed, much shorter than the joints of the culm. 

 Panicle, the whole upper half of each culm may be so call- 

 ed, and is composed of numerous, axillary, very ramous 

 branches, bending elegantly to one side, particularly with a 

 breeze of wind. Bractes one to each umbellet of flowers, 

 boat-shaped. Unibellets numerous, long, slender, pedicelled, 

 drooping, each one is composed of four, sessile, awnless ac- 

 cessary male flowers surrounding, and inserted on a short 

 clavate pedicel, which supports an hermaphrodite awned 

 flower, and two pedicelled awnless ones. 



Male Flowers. Calyx, glume, two-valved, the exterior 

 valve clothed with much diverging fulvous hair, making it 

 quite shaggy. Corol, glume, two-valved, linear, membranace- 

 ous. Nectary of two cuneate, truncated scales. Stamens three. 

 Pistil none. 



Hermaphrodite Flowers. Calyx two-valved, villous. 

 Corol one-valved, a long arista occupies the place of the usual 

 second valve. JSI'ectary and stamen as in the male. Germ 

 oblong ; styles two, villous. 



ANDROPOGON. Schreb. gen. N. 1566.. 

 Polygamous. Flowers in pairs, hermaphrodite, sessile. 

 Calyx two-valved, one-flowered. Corol for the most part 

 two-valved, and generally awned. Male, or neuter pedicel- 

 led. Calyx as in the hermaphrodite. Corol for the most part 

 two-valved, generally awnless. 



