256 TRiANDRiA DiGYNiA. Anthistiria. 



Hermaphrodite Flowers. Calyx two-valved — Fa/w/efs 

 nearly equal, obtuse, smooth, of a firm texture.— Co/ 0/ one-valved, 

 the place of the second is occupied by a long, twisted awn.— S/a- 

 viens three, &c. as in the genus. 



Male FLOWiiKS. Calyx two-valved, the exterior valve fringed 

 with many strong hairs about the apex.— Co/o/ one-valved.— Sta- 

 mens three. 



7. A. arundinacea. R- 



Perennial, straight, from six to twelve feet high ; leaves from four to 

 eio-ht feet long, accessary fore! s male, wiih both calyces aiid corols 

 two-valved; the exterior valvclet of the former shaggy. 



A native of Bengal. flowering time the beginning of the cool 



season. 



Root perennial.— Cw//?is straight ; jointed, glaucous, between the 

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

 the large plant as thick as the fore fn.gei ; every part tilled with white 

 spongy pith ; height of the whole plant when in llower, from six to 

 sixteen feet. In the Botanic Garden where the soil is rich some 

 plants are full sixteen feet high.— Xeaz;es from six to eight feet long, 

 slender, deeply channelled toward the base, recurvate, margins his- 

 pid. The radical ones aie bifarious, the floral ones ahernate, 

 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.— (7»n6e/- 



lets numerous, long, slender, pedicelled, drooping, each one is com- 

 posed of four, sessile, awnless accessary male flowers surrounding, 

 and inserted on a short clavate pedicel, which supports an herma- 

 phrodite awned flower, and two pedicelled awnless ones. 



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

 clothed with much diverging fulvous hair, ma'ing it quite shaggy.— 

 Corol, glume, two-valved, linear, memt)ranac.eous.— Nec^arj/ of two 

 cuneate, truncated scdles.— Stamens three — Pesfj/ oone. 



