224 BULLETIN 772, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is chosen as the type, since it is the only species that agrees with his de- 

 scription of the genus in having solitary spikelets. The other species 



that he mentions are now referred to other genera, 

 Milium digitatum to Syntherisma, M. cimicinum to 

 Coridochloa, M. paniceum to Syntherisma. In a 

 subsequent paragraph the author briefly describes 

 a new species, A. aureus, which he thinks ought 

 to belong to this genus. Nash 1 selects A. aureus 

 as the type of Axonopus. 



Cabrera Lag., Gen. and Sp. Nov. 5. 1816. The 

 type is C. chrysoblepharis Lag., the only species 

 mentioned. To this group belongs Axonopus aureus 

 mentioned above. 



Anastrophus Schlecht., Bot. Zeit. 8: 681. 1850. 

 The type is Paspalum platyculmum Du Petit-Thou., 

 the first of several species referred to the genus. 

 This is probably the same as Axonopus compressus, 

 or at least closely allied to that species. 



Lappagopsis Steud., Syn. PI. Glum. 1 : 112. 1854. 

 The type is L. bijuga Steud., the only species de- 

 scribed. 



The most important species of the genus 

 in the United States is Axonopus compres- 

 sus (Swartz) Beauv. (fig. 135), 

 usually called carpet grass in the 

 South. This is a stolonif erous per- 

 ennial, with compressed stems, 

 comparatively short, flat, broadly 

 linear, abruptly pointed blades, 

 and slender spikes somewhat digi- 

 tate at the summit of the culms. 

 Carpet grass is common in the 

 Tropics and extends in the United 

 States from Virginia to Florida 

 and Texas in the lowland along 

 the coast. It thrives particularly 

 in alluvial or mucky open ground, 

 where it becomes the dominant 



FIG. 135. Carpet grass, Axonopus compressus. Plant, X \ ; two views of spikelet and 



fertile floret, X 10. 



grass. Carpet grass is the predominant pasture grass in the region 

 mentioned, but is of little importance on sandy soil and does not thrive 

 on the uplands. In the region where it thrives as a pasture grass 



Amer. Fl. 17: 165. 1912. 



