lyo Memoirs ItCDiirc f. nisli(>f> Muscniii 



W'ccil in licld; iiiirocluced. Originally described from Hvn-upe. 

 Oaliu: Schofield Barracks, Hitchcock 13915. 

 Maui: 1 lak-akala. iiitclu-nck i4<;88. 



Rice (Orvca soli7v I,. Sp. I'l. 333. 1753) is cultivated rind is occasionally fdiiiid growing 

 spontaneously in fields and ditclu-s. 



Aruiidiiiclhi atirosloidcs Triii. is included douhlfn'ly hy 1 lilklirand'- hut should he omit- 

 ted as the locality "Oalui" is prohahly an error. 



7,2. VALOTA Adans. 



Spikelets lanceolate, in ])airs. sli<)rt-]X'iliccled. in tun rows alon<^ one side of a narrow, 

 rachis ; first tjlunic niinntc. ulahrous ; second shiine and sterile leninia alxnit as louij as the fruit. 

 3 to 5 nerved, co])iously silkv : fertile lemma cartilai^^inous, lanceolate, acuminate, usually hrown, 

 the flat white hj'aline mar.t,nns hroad. Perennial grasses, the slender racemes erect or nearly so, 

 aggregate along the up])er part of the main axis, forming a pale or hrownish woolly panicle. 



I. Valota insularis (!,. 1 Chase, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 19:188. 1906. Sour gr.^ss. 



Andropogon insiihiris L. Syst. Xat. ed. 10. 2:1304. 1759. 



Paiiicimi lencophaciiin II. 15. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1:97. 1816. 



Culms erect, or decumbent at base, alxnit i meter tall, glabrous; sheaths sparsely hirsute 

 or glabrous: blades flat, elongate, 5 to 10 mm. wide; panicle 15 to 20 cm. long, nodding, the 

 numerous racemes alxjut 10 cm. long; spikelets narrow, about 4 mm. long, appressed along the 

 rachis; second glume and sterile lemma obscured by the long silky tawny hairs; fruit acuminate, 

 3 mm. long ("fig. 60 ). 



.\l(ing' roadsides and in waste ])laces, infre(|uent : inlnuluced. Originally 

 described from Jamaica. 

 Oahu: Honolulu, Hitchcock 13841. 



33. SYNTHERISMA Wall. 

 (Digitaria Hall. ) 



Spikelets solitary or in twos or threes, subsessile or short-pediceled, alternate in two rows 

 on one side of a three-angled winged or wingless rachis ; spikelets lanceolate or elliptic, plano- 

 convex : first glume minute or wanting; second glume equaling the .sterile lemma or shorter; 

 fertile lemma cartilaginous, the hyaline margins pale. Annual or sometimes perennial, erect or 

 prostrate grasses, the slender racemes digitate or .somew'hat scattered, but aggregate at the 

 summit of the culms. Our species are all annuals. 



Spikelets 1.5 mm. long, obtuse. 



Stems creeping, the sterile shoots with .short broad l)lades i to 2 cm. long., i. S. longiflora.^ 



Stems erect, or decumbent at base; blades all linear 2. S. chinensis. ^ 



Spikelets 3 mm. long, acute. j 



Racemes several, erect, remaining close together even at matmity 3. S. pruriens 



Racemes ascending or spreading at maturity. 



First glume evident, 0.5 mm. long; second glume alxmt two-thirds as long as the 



sjiikelet. x'illous on the margins 4 S. sanguinalis. 



First glume wanting or only alxjut 0.2 mm. long; second glume usually not over half 

 as k)ng as the spikelet. 

 Second glume acute, about half as long as the spikelet, slightly villous ; racemes 



2 to 4 5. S. debilis. 



Second glume obtuse, less than one-fourth as long as the spikelet ; racemes several 

 6. S. microbachne. 



'"Op. cit.. p. 514. 



[72] 



