No. 6. 

 CENCHRUS MYOSUROIDES H. B. K. 



Culms erect or ivom an asceiuling ba.e, usually simple. 2 to 4 feet high, stout, 



glabrous, glaucous. 



Lmws of the stem G to 10; sheaths glabrous, nearly contiguous; blade glabrous 

 to minutely strigose. flat or sometimes involute. 2 to 4 lines wi^de commonly 5 to 

 13 inches long; ligule fimbriate to the base. Radical leaves early dymg. 



Inflorescence a short-pedunculate or partly sheathed, compact, erect spike 3 to 

 4 lines thick. 3 to 8 inches long, rachis minutely pubescent, spikelets borne singly. 



Spikelets 2 to 2i lines long surrounded at the base by a ring of many retrose y 

 barbed stiff bristles of different lengths, the longest equaling the spikelets; body 



lanceolate, acute, terete. " i ic u . 1o,.^+t, 



Glumes 4; first membranaceous, ovate. 1- to3-nerved, acute, one-half the length 

 of the spikelet; second membranaceous, ovate. 5- to 7-nerved, acute, equa mg the 

 spikelet- third like the second, but subtending a hyaline 2-nerved palet (this 

 lanceolate when in position); fourth (flowering) like the second and third, but 

 rather coriaceous, the nerves more obsciire and seldom green. 



Flotoer hermaphrodite. Palet similar in shape and texture to its glume, but 

 2-nerved Stamens 3, anthers linear, about 1 line long. Stigmas 2, linear. 



Grain f line long, somewhat obcompressed. quadrangular, oblong, very obtuse 

 with an embryo three-fourths as long, when mature inclosed m the glumes and 

 bristles, the whole falling off together. 



Plate VI- o. spikelet closed; h. spikelet opened, the bristles removed. On the 

 right in b are the first glume, third glume and sterile palet, on the left the second 

 glume, flowering glume, and its palet. 



This grass will grow in very dry soil, and will produce a good crop of forage, 

 but is somewhat objectionable on account of the prickly seed-envelopes. 



