180 



A TEXT-BOOK OF GRASSES 



215. Axonopus Beauv. By many authorities this 

 group has been included in the genus Paspalum, but it 

 forms a distinct natural group. Several species are 

 found in tropical America but only 

 2 extend as far north as the United 

 States. One of these, A . compressus 

 (Swartz) Beauv., is the carpet-grass 

 of the Gulf States, where it is an 

 important grazing-grass and also a 

 lawn-grass. It is a stolonifer- 

 ous perennial with flattened 

 stems, comparatively short, 

 broadly linear, abruptly 

 pointed blades, and slender 

 spikes more or less digitate or 

 clustered at the summit of the 

 stem. (Anastrophus Schrad.) 



216. Syntherisma Walt. 

 This distinct group is con- 

 sidered by some to be a sec- 

 tion of Panicum. Perennial or 

 annual grasses with slender 

 mostly digitate spike -like 

 racemes. The perennial species 

 are natives of the southern 

 United States and southward 

 and are of little importance. 

 Most of the an- 

 nuals are intro- 

 duced from 

 Europe and are 

 troublesome 



FIG. 20. Syntherisma sanguinalis. Plant, X/^J two , ^ 



views of spikelet, X5. W 6 6 d S . UliG 



