﻿10(3 Bicknell: Two new Grasses 



roughened towards the top and finely pubescent just below the 

 spike ; spike rather slender, even slightly flexuous, 2,5-7 cm - 

 long, about 5 mm. thick or across the bristles 1.5 cm., simple, the 

 rachis and pedicels of the spikelets finely hispidulous-pubescent ; 

 spikelets single or rarely two together, on pedicels 0.5 mm. long, 

 about 2.5 mm. long, and 1.25 mm. wide; first scale ovate, acute 

 or obtuse, 3-nerved, about one-half the length of the flower ; 

 second scale acute, 3-nerved or imperfectly 5-nerved, two-thirds 

 to three-fourths the length of the subequal third and fourth 

 scales; third scale 5-nerved, ovate-oblong, incurved-apiculate; 

 fourth scale ovate-oblong, rather pointed, boat-shaped, the depth 

 slightly more than half the width, the dorsal curve gradually de- 

 scending, often with a slight concavity, into the somewhat beak- 

 like incurved-apiculate apex, finely transversely rugulose, and ob- 

 scurely 3-nerved, at maturity deep purple, at least toward the end, 

 giving the spikes a squarrulose appearance ; bristles in two nearly 

 united clusters of mostly 5 bristles each, very slender, 6-10 mm. 

 long, ascending or spreading, pale yellowish-green or sometimes 

 purplish. (Plate 329.) 



Plants that have been cut early in the season later become 

 closely fastigiate-branched from the base, and bear shorter and 

 thicker spikes and more purplish bristles. 



Borders of salt and brackish marshes Van Cortlandt Park and 



Green's Farms, Connecticut, on 



Kin 



Long Island Sound ; also in Florida. 



From the manner of its occurrence at New York and in Con- 

 necticut this grass has every appearance of being a common coast- 

 wise species. That it has hitherto been overlooked is to be ex- 

 plained through its similarity to C. viridis and C. glauca. With the 

 former it is not closely related and need not be critically com- 

 pared. Its affinity with C. glauca is much closer, yet it is perfectly 

 distinct. It differs from C glauca mainly in its perennial instead of 

 annual underground system, more slender culms, much narrower 

 and paler leaves, never pilose at the base, more slenderly peduncled 

 spike, which is narrower and less densely flowered, the spikelets 



me 



different in relative length and venation, the glume of the perfect 

 flower much less convex and rugose and becoming deep purple, 

 the bristles longer and weaker and. never tawny-orange as in 



C. glauca. 



Chaetochloa versicolor finds its nearest relative in the following 

 imperfectly known species of the Southern States : 



