GRASS FAMILY. 407 



tivated grounds, or about houses. It ought to .be most carefully and 

 thoroughly extirpated, on its first appearance in any agricultural region. 



31. TKIP'SACUM, L. GAMA GRASS. 



[Greek, tribo, to rub ; perhaps in allusion to its polished fertile spikes.] ' 



Spikelets monoecious, in terminal and subterminal jointed spikes which 

 are solitary, or often digitate in twos or threes, staminate above and 

 fertile below. STAGNATE SPIKELETS in pairs on each triangular joint, 

 longer than the joint, collateral, 2-flowered ; glumes coriaceous, the 

 outer one nerved, the inner one boat-shaped ; palece very thin and mem- 

 branaceous, awnless ; stamens 3 ; anthers orange-colored, opening by 2 

 pores at summit. PISTILLATE SPIKELETS single, 2-flowered (the lower 

 one neutral), deeply imbedded in each oblong joint of the cartilaginous 

 thickened rachis, and occupying a boat-shaped cavity which is closed by 

 the polished cartilaginous ovate outer glume ; inner glume much thinner, 

 boat-shaped ; palece very thin, hyaline and closely packed together. 

 Style long ; stigmas very long, plumose, dark-purple. Grain ovoid, free. 

 Perennials with caespitose tall branching culms which are hard, smooth 

 and solid ; leaves very long, sublinear, acuminate ; spikes separating at 

 the articulations spontaneously, at maturity. 



1, T. dactyloi'des, L. Spikes usually 2-3, aggregated or digitate 

 sometimes solitary, the upper half staminate, the lower pistillate. 



FINGER-LIKE TRIPSACUM. Gama Grass. Sesame Grass. 



Culms 3 or 4 -6 feet high , hard and glabrous, solid with pith, the internodes broadly 

 channelled on alternate sides ; nodes smooth, with a dark-brown contracted ring at tho 

 base of the sheaths. Leaves 1 or 2-4 feet long, and half an inch to an inch or more in 

 width, lance-linear, keeled, smooth beneath, roughish on the upper surface, serrulate on 

 the margin, contracted and sparingly pilose at base; sheaths nerved, glabrous ; liguU 

 very short, ciliate. Spikes 4-6 or 8 inches long, not unfrequently single ; when solitary, 

 the pistillate portion of the spike is terete, when in pairs, semi-terete as if split down. 

 and when teruate the spikes are somewhat triquetrous. Caryopsis ovoid, smooth, the 

 pericarp thin and tender. 



Moist meadows, banks of streams, &c. : Middle and Western States. Fl. July. Fr. 

 September. 



Obs. This stout and remarkable Grass is not very common on the 

 Atlantic slope of our continent ; but it is said to be abundant in the 

 valley of the Mississippi. Some years ago it was highly extolled, by a 

 few western correspondents of our Agricultural Journals, as an article 

 of fodder for stock ; but I have not heard much of it, latterly. The 

 leaves and young culms may probably answer a good purpose where 

 better materials are scarce ; but any one who will examine the coarse 

 hard steins of the full-grown or mature plant, may soon satisfy himself 

 that it can never supersede the valuable grasses, or the good hay, now in 

 use, nor compete, in any respect, with common Indian-corn fodder. 



