64 PANICAt'E.E. 



Gnrher 300; Aliibimm, McUdr/hij ; Mexico (Ivio Bhiuco), Palmer 

 679, 580, rr(ii(/k' 820. 



South Ciiroliua to Floriclfi, Mexico, and South America. 



32. A. contortus L. Sp. PL 1045 ^1753). 



Perennial ; culiuri ascending or erect, 40-100 cm. liigh. 

 Sheatlis compressed, very smooth ; ligule short, truncate, ciliate ; 

 blades soon condiiplicate, narrow, ciliate with a few hairs, the lower 

 acute, 8-20 cm. long, 3-8 mm. wide, the upper very short, erect. 

 Kacemes (besides the awns) 4-7 cm. long, erect or curved. Pistil- 

 late spilvelets sliglitly curved, on a callus 3 mm. long, first glume 

 hard, brown, liaiiy, nerves obsolete, fourth awned, 0.5-12 cm. 

 long; palea 0. Grain linear, white. The staminate s})ikelets lan- 

 ceolate, pedicellate, 8-10 mm. long, tii'st glume herbaceous, rather 

 obtuse, keeled, second inequilateral, obscurely 13-nerved, eciualling 

 or exceeding the lirst, membranous, acute, 3-G-nerved; palea very 

 short, ciliate. 



Very variable and widely distributed over tropical Asia, Africa, 

 Australia, Texas and ^rexico of Korth America; also South America. 

 Ko attempt has been nnule to place these in subvarieties after Hackel. 



Mexico, Palmn- 207, 707, 707a. 1150 ; S. Calif., PaJNicr 122; 

 Nrizona. Pri/if/Ic; Cent. Mex., Pdrri/ and Fitlmer !)55; Cuba, 

 iVn';/Itf 15!)5. 



Sul)gonus 8. Cymhopogon". Hack. D. C. Monog. Phau. : 592 

 (188!»). ('//nil/opoyon Spreng. as a genus. PI. Min. Cogn. Pug. 

 2 : 14 (1815). 



IJacH'mes simple, in pairs, at the apex of the branches, usually 

 included by the sheath, one subsessile, the other pedicellate. Two, 

 rarely 7-9 of the lowest spikelets of the subsessile racemes stami- 

 niitc or neuter, awnless. The flowers of the upper sessile S2)ikelets 

 perfect, flattened on the back or subcyliridrical, usually awned. 



Tall trojiical or subtropical grasses ; rare in America. 



33. A. Ruprechti Hack. Flora OS : 120 (1885). I/i/jKirrlteiita 

 Jhiprpihti Fourn. Afex. PI. Euum, (Jram. 07 (1880). A. Kit- 

 fJiisfiroidrs Kupr. Hull. Acad. Hrux. \) : 21:) (1842), '")t Tlochst. 



I'ereiinial ; culms solid, simple below, much branched aliove, 

 l..')-2.5 m. high. Sheaths slightly compressed, more or loss hii'sute ; 



