AiJHOiSTIDKJi;. 291 



bliulos of sterile shoots nuiiu'roiis. eivct, narrow, involute, elonijiit- 

 eil, those of the euliii :» in number, slender, o-lO em. lonj;. I'lin- 

 iele exserted or ineliuled at the l)ase, open, oviite-huiee<>l;ite, lO-i:{ 

 em. lonj;, nivs in wliorls of 5-10, diver<,Mn_«:, llower-hearin;,' alonji; 

 the ui»})er two-thirds. Si)ikelets reddish t)rown ; empty glumeti ovate 

 ueute, 1-nerved, lirst 1.5-3 nun. lonj.', soeond about 3 mm. long; 

 lloral glume like the second empty glume; paleaa little shorter than 

 its glume, broadly oval when spread, truncate, folded in from the 

 baek between the 2 nerves. CJrain compressed, obovoid. 



Florida, Curfiss 3377 ; Georgia. Coulci/. 



Dry soil, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin and southward to Florida. 



11. S. purpurascens Hamilton, Prod. 5 (1S25). 



Culms simple, (J0-!>0 em. high. Sheaths smooth or hairy; lig- 

 ule a villous ring; blades slightly scabrous above, smooth below, 

 those of the sterile shoots '^0-50 cm. long, fiat or involute. 3-5 mm. 

 wide, the upper one of the culm 1—1 em. long. Panicle race- 

 mose, simple, 10-15 cm. long; rays in close whorls of about 0. the 

 longest 3 cm. long, flower-bearing for nearly its whole length. 

 Spikelets short-pedicelled, smooth, shining, light lead-color; empty 

 glumes l-nerved, first ovate-lanceolate, 'Z nun. long, second ovate, 

 barely acute when spread, 3.3 mm. long; floral glume 1-nerved, 

 oval, obtuse or refuse, nearly as long as the second glume; palea 

 broad, a little shorter than its glume. 



Cuba, Wright 3427; Texas, liurkley. 



Some use has been made of the meagre description by Chapman 

 found in Coult. Bot. Gaz. 3: 18 (1878). 



Texas and South Florida. 



VI. S. tricholepis (Torr.) Coult. Man. Rocky Blount. Rot. 411 

 (1885). Vilf a tricholepis Torr. Pacif. II. M. Uep. 4: 155 (1857). 



A tufted erect perennial, 40-60 cm. high; culms solid as in 

 Maize. Sheaths longer than the internodes; ligule short, or 2.5 

 mm. long on the Mexican specimens mentioned below; blades glab- 

 rous, strongly involute and curved, those of sterile shoots numer- 

 ous, mostly 1.5-3 cm. long, those of the culm 4 in number, 8-15 em. 

 long. Panicle barely exserted, linear, or becoming ovate, 10-18 cm. 

 long, rays mostly single, erect, some in twos or threes, the longest 



