Victorian Plants. 487 



ERZOCKX.OA. 



2056. Spikes few or several, scattered. 



Rather tall ; leaves generally flat ; spikes forming a con- 

 tracted panicle, very narrow, unilaterally flowering, often 

 beset with soft hairlets ; spikelets pointed, their short 

 stalks at the summit dilated and there often dark-colored ; 

 fruit-supporting bract ending in a very short awn ; fruit 

 free within its bracts. 



(E. punctata.) E. polystachya. 



ALOFECURUS. 



2057. Stems prostrate in the lower portion, thence often 



abruptly bent upwards. 



Annual or of short duration ; leaves lax, flat ; leaf-stalks 

 often somewhat inflated, particularly those of the upper 

 leaves ; spike-like inflorescence dense, rather short, cylin- 

 drical ; outer bracts along their keel ciliolate, only near 

 the base connected ; fruit-supporting bract emitting from 

 near or below the middle a very short awn ; fruit free 

 within its bracts, but retained by them. (Possibly immi- 

 grated.) A. geniculatus. 



SPOROBOX.US. 



2058. Mostly prostrate. 



Coast-plant, never tall ; leaves rigid, short, narrow, 

 gradually pointed, longitudinally incurved, almost form- 

 ing two rows ; panicle short, closely contracted ; outer 

 and inner bracts of nearly equal length, often somewhat 

 dark-colored ; stamens three ; fruit obovate-ellipsoid, 

 minute. S. Virginicus. 



Mostly erect ... 



2059. Panicle spikelike-contracted. 



Rigid; lower leaves elongated, upper but few, all narrow, 

 gradually pointed, longitudinally incurved ; panicle 

 rather long but almost cylindrically contracted, occa- 

 sionally interrupted ; bracts somewhat dark-colored, the 

 outer transparent, hardly blunt, unequal in length but 

 both shorter than the inner ; fruit obovate- or globular- 

 ellipsoid, minute. S, Iiidicus. 



Panicle quite spreading. 



Desert-plant, never tall ; leaves narrow, very acute ; panicle 

 somewhat elongated, its lowest branches whorled ; bracts 

 pointed, the lowest quite narrow and shorter than the 

 two next, all somewhat dark-colored ; anthers very 

 minute ; fruit obovate -globular, minute, loosely enveloped. 



S. Lindleyi. 



