PLANTS JAVANIC^E RARIORES. 571 



ATAXIA HORSFIELDII. i* 



Tab. III. 



Ataxia, Br. in Chlor. Melv.p. 35. Kunth, Agrost. 

 Synopt. y p. 39. 



Char. Gen. Gluma locustam trifloram subsequans. 

 Floscidus inferior masculus bivalvis ; intermedins univalvis 

 neuter : uterque dorso aristatus ; terminalis hermaphro- 

 ditus diandrus. 



Gram en tarn habitu quam structurd inter Anthoxanthum 

 et Hierocbloam medium, pariterque odoratuni. Gluma 

 incequivalvis. Flosculi a basi br evissim a persist enti racheos 

 conjunctim solubiles. Valvula superior hermaphroditi flos- 

 culi uninervis ) staminibus axibus valvularum oppositis. 



Obs. Ataxia along with Hierochloe and Anthoxanthum 

 form a very •natural and well characterised section, which 

 belongs rather to the tribe Avenacece than to Phalaridece ; 

 and these three genera are in reality so nearly related that 

 they may perhaps be more properly considered as sections 

 of one and the same genus ; or at least Hierochloe and 

 Ataxia might be united. It is deserving of notice that in 

 all of them the upper valve of the hermaphrodite flosculus 

 has a single nerve occupying its axis, and that one of the 

 two stamina is placed opposite to this nerve. The co- 

 existence of these two characters, both of which are remark- 

 able deviations from the usual arrangement in Graminese, 

 seems to invalidate the hypothesis respecting the com- 

 position of the inner valve of the flower in this family. 1 It 

 might, however, be assumed that the median nerve in these 

 genera is formed of two confluent cords, a view to a 

 certain extent supported by the somewhat analogous struc- 

 ture in the corolla of Compositse. It might also be assumed 



1 General Remarks, &c. in Flinders's Voyage, vol. ii, App. p. 5 SO [vol. i, 

 p. 55]. 



