ANDROPOGONEM 173 



to be of value as a forage crop in the southern states. 

 Tunis-grass, resembUng Sudan-grass, is another variety 

 of the sorghum. (See, "Some New Grasses for the South," 

 Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agr. 1912.) 



Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash, a species of a related 

 genus, is a common constituent of native meadows over 

 the same region that Andropogon furcatus is found. It is 

 a tall slender perennial with bronze-colored panicles with 

 brilliant yellow anthers. 



Tribe III. NAZIE^ (ZOYSIE.E) 



212. This is an unimportant tribe of about a dozen 

 small genera. The spikelets are similar to those of Andro- 

 pogoneae but having membranaceous awnless instead of 

 hyaline usually awned lemmas, are single or in groups and 

 fall entire from the continuous rachis. In the genera found 

 in the United States the spikelets are in groups. 



Key to Genera of Nazie^ 



A. Second glume beset with hooked spines Nazia. 



AA. Second glume without hooked spines. 



B. Groups of spikelets spreading or drooping 



along one side of the main axis ^gopogon. 



BB. Groups of spikelets erect, not secund. 



c. Plants stoloniferous Hilaria. 



cc. Plants not stoloniferous Pleuraphis. 



The most important genus is Hilaria, with the species 

 H. cenchroides H.B.K. (Fig. 18), curly mesquite. This 

 grass is common on the uplands of Texas and Mexico 

 where it is an important range-grass. It resembles buf- 

 falo-grass in being short, in producing stolons and in 

 forming a sod, and by stockmen is often confused with 

 that grass. In curly mesquite, the spikelets are in clus- 

 ters of 3, the groups borne on the upright axis forming 



