﻿io6 
  

  

  AZETTE. 
  [ 
  May, 
  

  

  A 
  new 
  grass. 
  

  

  GEORGE 
  VASEV 
  

  

  (with 
  plate 
  XII.) 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  plants 
  recently 
  collected 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Ed. 
  Palmer, 
  

   at 
  La 
  Paz, 
  in 
  Lower 
  California, 
  is 
  a 
  grass 
  which 
  presents 
  

   many 
  peculiar 
  and 
  interesting 
  points, 
  and 
  whose 
  relationship 
  

   IS 
  very 
  obscure. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  dioBcious 
  grass, 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  inches 
  high, 
  of 
  a 
  rigid 
  

   habit, 
  with 
  erect 
  culms 
  from 
  a 
  creeping 
  rhizome 
  ; 
  the 
  rigid, 
  

   pungently-pomted, 
  conduplicate 
  leaves 
  crowded 
  toward 
  the 
  

   base 
  with 
  loose 
  overlapping 
  sheaths. 
  The 
  culms 
  are 
  branch- 
  

   ing 
  below, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  continue 
  to 
  emit 
  short 
  fascicled 
  

   branches 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  panicle 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  the 
  panicle 
  itself, 
  in 
  

   the 
  lemale 
  plant, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  similar 
  branches 
  

  

  reduced 
  anH 
  mnrHfiorJ 
  

  

  _ 
  ^"^ 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  V^ 
  V* 
  * 
  1 
  A 
  V^ 
  VI 
  ^ 
  

  

  . 
  The 
  male 
  plants 
  have 
  a 
  racemose-spicate 
  inflorescence, 
  

   consistmg 
  of 
  a 
  smgle 
  terminal 
  sessile 
  panicle 
  of 
  7 
  to 
  ^ 
  alter- 
  

   nate 
  approximate 
  spikelets, 
  which 
  are 
  f 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long, 
  or 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  an 
  umbellate 
  cluster 
  of 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  such 
  racemes, 
  or 
  

   several 
  single 
  lateral 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  same, 
  on 
  pedicels 
  an 
  

  

  \ 
  -t 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  f 
  

  

  F 
  

  

  rk 
  

  

  arated 
  at 
  those 
  places 
  corresponding 
  to 
  the 
  infoldings 
  when 
  

   dry, 
  as 
  shown 
  at 
  b, 
  fig. 
  5. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  the 
  imbibition 
  [ 
  

   of 
  water 
  causes 
  the 
  contents 
  to 
  increase, 
  and 
  the 
  somewhat 
  \ 
  

   collapsed 
  outer 
  wall 
  is 
  distended 
  by 
  the 
  thin 
  hyaline 
  inner 
  I 
  

   and 
  continuous 
  coat. 
  This 
  causes 
  the 
  separation 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  [ 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  denser 
  outer 
  coat 
  and 
  brings 
  into 
  prominence 
  

   the 
  belts 
  of 
  the 
  exposed 
  inner 
  walls. 
  These 
  belts 
  are 
  like 
  [ 
  

   broad 
  meridians 
  upon 
  the 
  sphere 
  that 
  reach 
  from 
  near 
  one 
  

   so-called 
  pole 
  to 
  the 
  other. 
  Midway, 
  or 
  at 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  \ 
  

   termed 
  the 
  equator, 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  evident 
  circular 
  spot 
  called 
  

   the 
  pore, 
  and 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  the 
  pollen 
  tube 
  protrudes 
  

   in 
  germination. 
  At 
  this 
  equator 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  two 
  evident 
  

   radiating 
  belts 
  for 
  each 
  pore, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   equatorial 
  line, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  direct 
  view 
  upon 
  a 
  pore 
  often 
  gives 
  

   the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  cross. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  size 
  varies 
  in 
  the 
  order, 
  and 
  is 
  quite 
  constant 
  for 
  

  

  the 
  species, 
  the 
  micrometer 
  may 
  become 
  a 
  material 
  aid 
  in 
  

   classification. 
  

  

  Rutgers 
  College, 
  Neiv 
  Brunswick, 
  A\ 
  J. 
  

  

  ( 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  