No. 47. 

 ERAGROSTIS LUGENS Nees. (^raf/ros//.s pi7?/ero Scheele?) 



Plant perennial, from a slightly bulbous base. 



Roots numerous, rather coarse, long, not branching, and with few fibrillae. 



Culms tufted, slender, erect, simple, solid, nearly terete, smooth, 1^ to 3 feet 

 tall. 



Leaves ; the lower from aljortive culms, with scarious sheaths, and slender, 

 involute blades, 3 to G inches long ; of stem 3 or -4; sheaths | length of internode, 

 striate, loose, smooth; blade flat below, involute toward the long, tapering point, 

 a few scattered hairs above the ligule, otherwise smooth, 3 to G inches long; ligule 

 a prominent line of crowded, white hairs, 3 lines long. 



Inflorescence a loose, erect, pyramidal panicle, 8 to 10 inches long, included at 

 base in upper sheath when young, rachis grooved above each branch; branches 

 capillary, mostly alternate, minutely scabrous toward the ends, and bearing a few 

 white hairs at the axils, fiexuous, lower ones 3 to 6 inches long, subdividing nearly 

 to the base, bearing 15 to 20 spikelets on the long, filiform branchlets. 



Spikelefs linear-lanceolate, 4 to 5 lines long, on slender pedicels as long as them- 

 selves, or much longer, 5- to 11-flowered; internodes of rachilla J line long; first 

 and second glumes nearly alike, scarious margined, broadly ovate, nearly acute, 

 obscurely 1-nerved, 1 line long; floral glumes scarious above, broadly ovate, 

 obscurely 3-nerved, smooth, 1 to li lines long; palet linear, membranaceous, 

 arched, smooth, 1 line long. 



Grain reddish brown, rhomboidal, i line long. 



Plate XLVII ; a, spikelet with pedicel; h, empty glumes; c, floral glume 

 dorsal and side views; d, palet and stigmas. The plate does not represent the hairs 

 of the ligule. 



Texas and New Mexico. 



This species is very near our E. capillaris, and varies considerably in the length 

 of leaves and size of panicle; it is also near Erutjrustis Mexicana Link. 



