Naturalisation in Extra-Tromcal Countries. 467 



monti (Kunth) are also highly spoken of as pasture-grasses in the 

 West-Indian Islands. Dr. Bancroft found one species to luxuriate 

 particularly within tide-marshes of sul^-tropic Australia as pastur- 

 age. Several other congeners deserve attention, but S. elongatus 

 (Brown), though a very resisting grass, is rather too hard for 

 fodder-purposes. 



Stachys tuberifera, Naudin. (S. affinis, Bunge.) 



Xorth-China. Illustrated in the Gardeners' Chronicle of January, 

 1888. The tubers of this herb are the " Crosnes " of the Parisian 

 markets. They are small, but produced in great numbers. 

 Mr. P. Middleton recommends the tubers as an admixture to salad, 

 as material for pickles and as a companion to radish ; also excellent 

 in a fried state. They are very nourishing and easily digestible. 

 When fresh they contain about 16 per cent, galactan. The roots 

 bearing frost well, can be relied on for fresh vegetable even in an 

 English mid-winter. They can be left in the ground even during 

 the coldest weather. The yield of tubers is comparatively large : 

 as much as 4 tons have been raised from an acre. Can in porous 

 soil remain unattended to for years. Prof. Naudin remarks, that 

 the plant accommodates itself to all sorts of soil. It is the most 

 easily cultivated of all kitchen-vegetables, but difficult to eradicate. 

 Only fit for culture in cold regions. The tubers are planted 9 to 

 12 inches apart, in rows about 2 feet distant. Introduced by Mons. 

 Pailleux. 



Stenopetalum nutans, F. v. Mueller. 



Central Australia. An excellent annual herb for sheep-pastures, 

 disseminating itself over the ground readily [Rev. H. Kempe]. 

 The naturalization of other species, all Australian, might be 

 effected in arid hot sandy deserts. 



Stenotaphrum dimidiatum, Trinius.* (8. Americanum, Schrank). 



South -Asia, North- Australia, Africa, warmer countries of 

 America ; not known as really indigenous from any part of Europe. 

 Here called the Buffalo-grass. It is perennial, creeping, and 

 admirably adapted for binding sea-sand and loose soil of river- 

 banks, also for forming garden-edges, and for establishing a grass- 

 sward on lawns much subjected to traffic. Generally not liked by 

 pasture-animals, and for this very reason all the more eligible for 

 consolidating rolling coast-sand. It keeps alive in the hottest and 

 driest regions of Central Australia, where it was first introduced 

 by the writer of this work ; it endures also some frost, even the 

 tender portions of its blade, and has shown itself adapted for 

 recently reclaimed swamp-land. The chemical analysis, instituted 

 late in spring, gave the following results : Water, 80'25 ; albumen, 

 0.50; gluten, 5'44; starch, 0'08 ; gum, 1-60; sugar, 1-60; fibre, 

 10*53 [F. v. Mueller and L. B/ummel]. It was this grass, which 



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