No. 70. 

 UNIOLA PALMERI Vasey, Gard. & For. ii. 101 (1889). 



I'Idiit ixToiiiiial, with a stroiij;- rootst/)ck, di(Pcious. 



Ciihiix nearly erect, rijcid, suiootli, U to 1 feet tall. 



LeanH numerous, distiebous, with smooth, close, scarions-margined shoatlis open 

 above, and erect or sliglitly sitreadiiij,', smooth, involute, shari)iioiiited blades 4 to 8 

 inches Ion},', more numerous and longer above; ligule nearly obsolete, with slight 

 woolly tufts at the angles. 



InJIorincenvc of staminate plant a firm, erect or slightly nodding panicle, 8 to 10 

 nches long, somewhat secund; rays mostly in twos or threes, erect, unequal, the lower 

 ones 1 to 1 inches long and often subdivided. 



tSpilcclct.s linear oblong, compressed, 7- to 9 -flowered,8 to 10 lines long; empty glumes 

 narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acute, smooth, the first l-uerved, 3J lines long, the second 

 i line longer, obscurely .'{-nerved; Horal glumes lance-ovate, acute, smooth, 9- to 11- 

 nerved, 4 lines long, the lower 1 or U lioral glumes and some of the uppermost usually 

 empty; palet linear-oblong, smooth on the 2 keels, 3J to 4 lines long; stamens 3. 



Tuflorc.scnicc of pistillate i)laiit an oblong panicle included at the base, 4 to 6 

 inches long, denser than the staminate iiaiiiehr, rays few and short. 



Spikelein turgid, lance-oblong, 7- to 9-flowered, 1 to 1^ inches long; first empty 

 glume linearlam-eolate, acute, smooth, 1-nerved, 4 to (J lines long; second emi)ty glume 

 ovat(^, acute, carinate, 3-nerved, 4 to <» lines long; tloral glumes ovate-lanceolate, acute, 

 scarious-margined, 11- to 15-nerved, G to 7 Hues long, 1 or 2 of the lower floral glumes 

 usually empty; palet lance-ovate, nearly acute, smooth, obscurely 3-nervcd on each 

 side of the 2 -keels, 4 to ."> lines long; grain linear oblong, with a scar on one sidi^ 

 aud a shallow channel on the ojipositc side, brown, about 3 lines long including the 

 persistent, triangular, bilid style; internodes of the rachilla smooth, nearly 1 line 

 long, disarticulating between the flowers. All the glumes aud palets iu each sex are 

 rather thick aud rigid. 



Plate LXX; 1, staminate panicle; 2, i)istillatc i)aniele; n, staminate spikelet 

 opened; h, i)istinate spikelet opened, showing the grain from tlie side next the palet. 



Sonora, Mexico. Covering large areas on the banks of the Colorado Kiver near 

 its mouth, growing only where flooded at high tide; jjrobably also along the river 

 into Arizona. The graiu is gathered aud used by the Indians of the region. 



