Fhira iif Adxtridia. 297 



(3.) The ;nvn is short. 



(-i.) In Lininas, the style branches ure united above the middle 

 oi' their lenfjth. 



The fact that the elassitication adopted for the Agrostideae 

 brings these two widely dissimilar grasses close together is sutfi- 

 cient to show its artificial character. The fruit of Sarga shows 

 niuch external resemblance to that of Stipa. This would be 

 still further increased by the loss of the lateral male spikelets 

 aiid their stalks, leaving the short pointed disarticulating com- 

 mon stalk as the basal point of the Stipa fruit. The latter is, 

 however, within the outer ghimes in Stipa, but below them in 

 Sarga, so that the two mechanisms are morphologically dis- 

 similar, in spite of their honmplastic resemblance. 



This feature, and the readily separated awn of Sarga, thus 

 shows the lieginnings of a parallel development of the dispersal 

 mechanism, so highly perfected in Stipa. On l>entham's classi- 

 fication, the grassi would form the type of a new sub-section 

 " Sargaceae ' intermediate between the Stipaceae and Agrosti- 

 deae, and with the following characters: — 



" Spikelets one-tlowered, two njale spikelets, and a single 

 hermaphrodite one, on a common stalk : awn long, dorsal, loosely 

 attached, twi^ited and bent : fruiting gliuue thin, but the fruit 

 enclosed by the outer hard persistent glumes, and the persis- 

 tent pedicels of the male flowers, hairs present on the pointed 

 axis below the articulation of the 3 spikelets.'' 



Sah<;a stipoidka, Ewart and White, n. sp. (Gramineae). 

 (PL LV., Figs. 1-7). 



Stems very long, round, solid, with SM'ollen nodes, attaining 

 5 to 8 or 10 feet in height, and 4 to 10 cms. in diameter; appa- 

 rently perennial at the base' — erect, glabrous, with conspicuous 

 nodes. Leaves about 4 lines in breadth, with a very promi- 

 nent central midrib, glabrous on the upper surface, but very 

 .slightly hairy underneath, with short split sheaths at the base, and 

 longer ones enclosing the stem higher up. Ligule small, mem- 

 branous, the notch between it and the stem filled with hairs. 



Panicle loose, about 1 foot or a little more in length, pedicels 

 very slender and numerous, situated in whorls along the main 



