80 
= 
The grass is said to be a native of Southern Italy and other 
Mediterranean countries. : : 
A difficulty exists as to what this plant “ Phalaris commutata 
of the Australians may be. According to Parlatori (FI. Ital. I. 
p. 70) Phalaris commutata, R. & S. was described from a mika 
of the vegetative parts of Phalaris nodosa and the panicle of P. minor. 
Unfortunately there are no specimens of this grass from Australia 
at. Kew so that it is not possible to assign it a definite name. It 
cannot well be P. minor, since this is an annual rarely attaining 
a height of more than two feet. P. nodosa however frequently 
grows in dry places. Until specimens have been seen, it will be 
hest to refer to this grass as “ P. commutata of Australia. : 
According to the Journal Dep. Agric. W. Australia, 1907, p. 652, 
this grass was introduced into Queensland in 1884 by Mr. Harding, 
Curator of the Toowomba Botanic Gardens, being one of man 
grasses obtained by him from the Dept. of Agriculture of the 
United States of America. 
Commelina nudiflora—In July last,a letter was received from 
British North Borneo, giving information about a creeper which 
was said to kill the Lalang erass in rubber plantations. Specimens 
of the weed were enclosed and proved to be the common tropical 
weed Commelina nudi ora, L. 
: R 
Mr. H. N. Ridley, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, 
short note on the plant, by Mr. T. W. Main, in the Agricul- 
tural Bulletin of the Straits for J anuary, 1909, p. 8, is as follows :— 
“Tt is said to be a splendid plant for destr 
been recommended to Owners and managers of rubber plantations 
for this purpose. How such an inobtrusive little plant should have 
gained such notoriety is ble 
“The habit and crow 
for such purposes, In the first place, it grows best in damp swampy 
there or by the sides of 
F ms, and I have never seen it growing on drier 
Lalang land or In Conjunction with Lalang. It is not by any means 
more than six or eight inches 
; the property of climbing 
his property of climbing over other plants 
ich recommends a plant as an eradicator 0 
: : Joetida is recommended by many 
use it possesses this habit, 
mre 
