328 TRIANDRIA DIGYNTA. Chhlis. 



Culms ascending, from two to four feet high, firm, smooth, 

 about as thick as a fine quill. Leaves bifarious, lanceolate, 

 striated, smooth ; margins waved, unequally divided by the 

 nerves, about an inch and a half broad, and six inches long" ; 

 month of the sheaths projecting- above in a membranaceous 

 process. Panicles large, thin, oblong-, bowing' a little, com- 

 posed of sub-alternate, simple, spreading racemes. Flowers 

 awnless. Calyx two-flowered, with the characteristic corpus- 

 cle, which is also here pedicelled, but awnless. Corol, exte- 

 rior valve of the inner one has its margins and keel ciliate. 

 Stamens two. 



4. M. latifolia. R. 



Perennial ; culms erect, simple, from four to eight feethioh. 

 Leaves lanceolate. Panicles large and open, with alternate, 

 compound drooping- branches. 



A native of the Garrow hills, from thence it was brought 

 to the Botanic garden, by Mr. Robert Kyd, where it blos- 

 soms in March, at which period and indeed at all times it is 

 one of the most elegant plants in the whole order. 



Stems very numerous from the same root, erect, straight, 

 and always without branches, more or less invested in the 

 sheaths of the leaves; very smooth, texture remarkably hard, 

 and filled with firm pith, generally about as thick as a goose- 

 quill, and when in flower from six to eight feet high. Leaves 

 sessile on their sheaths, lanceolate, smooth ; from six to twen- 

 ty inches long-, and from one to four broad. They are much 

 like the leaves employed by the Chinese to put between the 

 boxes and lead canisters in which their teas are packed. 

 Seed ventricose-oval, smooth, both ends rather pointed. 



CHLORIS. 

 Polygamous. Calyx two-valved, from two to six-flower- 

 ed ; hermaphrodite flowers sessile ; male, or neuter ones pe- 



