ANDROPOGONE^ 



16- 



coarse grass with broad blades and a large woolly plume- 

 like panicle as much as 2 feet long. The unawned spike- 

 lets are similar to those of the preceding genus, but the 

 axis of the racemes is articu- 

 lated. The native country of 

 sugar-cane is not known, but it 

 is now cultivated in all tropical 

 countries. Although it produces 

 seed occasionally it is propa- 

 gated by cuttings of the stem. 



206. Erianthus Michx.—The 

 inflorescence resembles that of 

 the preceding genus, but the 

 spikelets are awned. One species 

 {E. Ravennm Beauv.), a native 

 of the Mediterranean region, is 

 cultivated for ornament under 

 the name of plume-grass, wool- 

 grass, Ravenna-grass, or hardy 



pampas-grass. It is a tall peren- Fig. 14. Saccharum officinarum. 



• ^ .,^ 111 1 Plant much reduced; three joints 



nial with narrow blades and a oftherachis (a),aspikelet (6),and 



. ,., . , 1 r. a flower (c), X3. (U.S. Dept.Agr., 



plume-like panicle, as much as 2 Div. Agrost., buU. 20.) 



feet long. 



SuBTRiBE EUANDROPOGONE^ 



207. Spikelets not all alike, the sessile one of each pair 

 fertile, the pedicelled sterile, sometimes reduced to the 

 pedicel. The genera described below are included by 

 ?ome authors as sub-genera of the large genus Andro- 

 pogon. The axis of the raceme is articulated. The 

 awn is very large and strong in some genera (Hetero- 

 pogon, Chrysopogon), is geniculate and twisted, and 

 bears at the base of the spikelet a strong sharp hairy 



