TRIANDRIA. MONOGTNIA. 51 



"aristis brevibus, subdivaricaiis.'* Desfontaines remarks 

 in his ^ Flora Atlantica' of the same pi int as growing in 

 Northern \irica "ghiniae — mucroiiai?e, mucrone brevissi- 

 mo, horizontahter conniveiites;" — 2. * )acemosumf-\ {Jigros- 

 tis rucemosa, Mich.) Of this genus tiere aie now 5 spe- 

 cies described. Tiie P. mons})eIiense {ov crinUutn) on tlie 

 sea-coasts of France and England, and probably in the 

 United 8tati s; 2 the /*. maritlmnm discovered by Bon- 

 pland, near Koc'.ielle in France, 3 the P. vaghiatimi 

 found by Pallas m the Crimea, and lastly, the P. fascicu- 

 latum near Estremadura in Spain. 



78. ALOPECURUS. L. (Foxtail Grass.) 



Calix 2-vd\ved, 1 flowered. Corolla 1-valved, 

 awned from tlie base. 



Culm generally simple, terminating in a dense and usu- 

 ally cylindric, simple or iobed spike. In the ^. pratensis 

 and the A. agrestis, the glumes of the calix are connate 



f Culm very tall, compressed, branched, and somew hat de- 

 cumbent; panicles interruptedly spiked, both axillary and ter- 

 minal; many-flowered; flowers conglomerated in approxi- 

 mating lobes; calix glumes nearly equal, narrow lanceoia'e, 1- 

 nerved, each nerve terminating in a very long scabrous seta 

 (after the manner of /^s/^ica); corolla glumes nearly equal, al- 

 most terete, much shorter than the calix (the exterior valve 

 terminating m a straight awn, nearly its length) pilose belowj 

 seed cylindric. 



Ha::Itat. On the alluvions of the Missisippi and Missou- 

 ri; abundant around St. Eouis, (Louisiana.) 



Obs. Arista of the calix more than its length; leaves smooth 

 and linear, culm much branched, often 8 feet high, and decum- 

 bent upon the neighbouring plants. Pubescence of the corolla 

 hairy, principally near the base, but not as long as the coroUai 

 the awn of the flower appears to be often wanting. This spe- 

 cies seems to be somewhat allied to the P. fascicidntum of 

 Spain, but differs very essentially in the nearly equal length of 

 the calix valves, and indeed from the genus in the rather rigid 

 structure of the awns, and the entire but membranaceous mar- 

 gins of the calix; (m P. Monspelieme the calix is cleft at the 

 point;) the pubescence also near the base of tlie coroila, but not 

 absolutely so, and much shorter than it in length, separates it 

 from Calamagrostis; neither is this pubescence disposed in 2 

 lateral tufts as in Agrostisy at the same time it is in this genus 

 an anomalous circumstance. 



