/.ONSIE.1-: 



[29 



Trachys mucronata. Per* 



This is a diffusely branching, softly villous annual grass,. The 

 stems are many from the root, 16 to l8 inches long, ascending or 

 decumbent and prostrate, leafy, glabrous, rooting freely at the 

 lower nodes, especially when procumbent. 



The leaf-sheaths are loose, inflated, hairy or rarely glabrous. 

 The ligule is a thin membrane, or a ridge of fine closely set hairs. 

 Nodes are villous. 



The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate acuminate, 

 flaccid, softly villous on both the surfaces, margins often crisped, 

 base rounded, 2 to 6 inches by % to % inch. 



The inflorescence consists of a long or short, slender, shining 

 peduncle bearing two or three rigid, flattened, flexuous, jointed 

 spikes, the rachis is broad, herbaceous, with a flat, broad, closely 

 nerved wing on both the sides and with a distinct flat midrib and 

 jointed, each joint bears on the under surface at the articulation, a 

 solitary, globose cluster of two to three perfect i-flowered glabrous 

 spikelets surrounded by many short spinescent glumes of imper- 

 fect ones. The spikes vary in length from I to 2 inches and in 

 breadth from r/io to % inch and are glabrous. 



The clusters of spikelets are about % inch in diameter, often 

 partially sunk, in a concavity of the rachis ; the perfect spikelets 

 are 1/5 to % inch long and the imperfect are shorter. 



FlG. i 2 r . — Trachys mueronata. 



A and B. The spikelets ; I, a and 3. the first, second and the third glume, respecti- 

 vely ; 4. palea of the tlvrd glume ; 5 and 6. the fourth glume- and its palea ; 7. lodicules, 

 ovary and stamens. 



In the perfect spikelet there are four very unequal glumes. The 

 first glume is minute, tooth-like, triangular or lanceolate, acute, 

 nerveless, 1/16 to 1/12 inch long. The second glume is elongate.' 

 linear-lanceolate, acute, sometimes ciliate below the middle, 

 membranous, narrower than the third glume, hyaline, strongly 3- 

 nerved, r/16 by % inch. The third glume is 1/5 by % inch the 

 largest in the spikelet. broadly and obliquely ovate or obovate, 

 17 



