GENERA OF GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES. 255 



Xiphagrostis Coville, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 9: 399, pi. 69. 1905. Two 

 spec'ies are included, X. floridula (Labill.) Coville and X. japonica (Thunb.) 

 Coville. Saccharum floridulum Labill., on which the first species is based, is 

 designated as the type. Coville assumed M. capensis to be the type of Miscan- 

 thus, as it was the first species described (see Miscanthus, p. 254), and referred 

 Mi Acanthus sinensis and its allies, which were not congeneric with M. capensis, 

 to Xiphagrostis. 



Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. (PI. XVIII; fig. 155) is cultivated in 

 the United States as an ornamental. Commercially it is known as 

 Eulalia japonica or merely eulalia. This is a reedy grass 4 to 8 feet 

 high, growing in large bunches, with flat mostly basal blades, 2 to 3 

 feet long and about half an inch wide, gradually narrowed to a 

 slender point, the panicle somewhat fan shaped, consisting of nu- 

 merous silky racemes 4 to 8 inches long, aggregate at the summit of 

 the culm. Eulalia has escaped from cultivation and is found grow- 

 ing wild in some localities. There are two varieties of Miscanthus 

 sinensis with variegated leaves, var. variegatus Beal, with striped 

 blades, and var. zebrinus Beal, with banded blades. Miscanthus 

 sinensis gracillimus is a variety with very narrow blades. Another 

 species, M. nepalensis (Trin.) Hack., is occasionally cultivated under 

 the name of Himalaya fairy grass. This has spikelets about one- 

 fourth as long as the hairs at their base. 



130. SACCHARTJM L. 



Spikelets in pairs, one sessile, the other pedicellate, both perfect, 

 awnless, arranged in panicled racemes, the axis disarticulating below 

 the spikelets; glumes somewhat indurate, sterile lemma similar but 

 hyaline ; fertile lemma hyaline, sometimes wanting. 



Perennial grasses of tropical regions, including about 10 species. 



Type species : Saccharum offldnarum L. 



Saccharum L., Sp. PI. 54, 1753 ; Gen. PL, ed. 5, 28. 1754. Two species are de- 

 scribed. The first is chosen as the type, because it is a well-known economic 

 species. The second species, S. spicatum, is now referred to the genus Imperata. 



Saccharum officmarwn (fig. 156), the sugar cane, is cultivated in 

 Louisiana and to a limited degree in some of the other Gulf States. 

 It is a tall stout grass, 8 to 15 feet tall or even taller, with solid juicy 

 stems, broad flat blades, and large plumelike panicles 1 to 2 feet 

 long, with numerous small spikelets about 3 mm. long, each sur- 

 rounded at the base by a tuft of silky hairs two or three times as 

 long as the spikelet. The glumes and the delicate sterile lemma are 

 about the same length, the fertile lemma and palea being absent. 

 Sugar cane is cultivated chiefly for the production of sugar and 

 molasses; but, especially in the Gulf States outside of Louisiana, it is 

 also used for forage. 



131. ERIANTHUS Michx. 



Spikelets all alike, in pairs along a slender axis, one sessile, the other 

 pedicellate, the rachis disarticulating below the spikelets, the rachis 



