﻿1890.] 
  BOTANICAL 
  GAZETTE. 
  IO9 
  

  

  terminal 
  spike 
  or 
  two 
  spikes, 
  with 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  spikelets, 
  lialf 
  w^ay 
  

   immersed 
  in 
  the 
  spike, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  outer 
  glume 
  adnate 
  to 
  it 
  

   for 
  half 
  its 
  length. 
  One 
  character 
  of 
  our 
  grass 
  is, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  

   know, 
  unique, 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  slight 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  short 
  spikes 
  

   to 
  the 
  rhachis 
  and 
  their 
  ready 
  deciduousness. 
  When 
  mature 
  

   they 
  drop 
  oft' 
  at 
  the 
  slightest 
  touch. 
  If 
  we 
  may 
  judge 
  any- 
  

   thing 
  of 
  the 
  relationship 
  of 
  this 
  grass 
  from 
  the 
  male 
  plants, 
  

   it 
  will 
  clearly 
  come 
  near 
  Uniola 
  and 
  Distichlis 
  in 
  Festucacea?. 
  

   The 
  male 
  specimens 
  collected 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Palmer 
  are 
  mostly 
  old 
  

   and 
  mutilated, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  sufficiendy 
  preserved 
  to 
  

   show 
  their 
  structure. 
  The 
  same 
  branching 
  habit 
  occurs 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  female 
  plant, 
  but 
  the 
  inflorescence 
  is 
  spicate-racemose, 
  

   the 
  spikelets 
  frequently 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  more 
  long, 
  and 
  10 
  to 
  15- 
  

   flowered, 
  mostly 
  with 
  but 
  one 
  empty 
  lower 
  glume 
  ; 
  the 
  flow- 
  

   ers 
  are 
  distichously 
  arranged, 
  the 
  flowering 
  glumes 
  lanceo- 
  

   late, 
  acute, 
  between 
  2 
  and 
  3 
  lines 
  long, 
  smooth, 
  keeled, 
  but 
  

   with 
  no 
  lateral 
  nerves. 
  The 
  palet 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  shorter, 
  2-keeled, 
  

   and 
  scabrous 
  on 
  the 
  keels. 
  The 
  stamens 
  are 
  mostly 
  fallen, 
  

   but 
  Mr. 
  Holm 
  found 
  some 
  flowers 
  with 
  two, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Coville 
  

  

  found 
  some 
  with 
  three. 
  

  

  In 
  comparing 
  this 
  plant 
  with 
  Distichlis 
  in 
  the 
  herbarmm, 
  

   I 
  found 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  evidently 
  the 
  same 
  plant, 
  col- 
  

  

  J. 
  Xantus 
  

  

  Lucas, 
  Lower 
  

  

  California, 
  and 
  ticketed 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  as 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  Brizo- 
  

   pyrum 
  spicatum 
  (the 
  old 
  name 
  for 
  Distichlis), 
  and 
  m 
  Dr. 
  

  

  Xantus 
  

  

  5, 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  specimen, 
  number 
  121, 
  he 
  says, 
  

   " 
  female 
  specimens 
  with 
  the 
  spikelets 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   long, 
  quite 
  unlike 
  any 
  Uniola 
  sficata 
  Linn, 
  met 
  with 
  on 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States." 
  

  

  Although 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  took 
  the 
  plant 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  female, 
  an 
  

   examination 
  shows 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  male, 
  and 
  the 
  spikelets 
  are, 
  as 
  

   he 
  says, 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  long. 
  There 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  think 
  

   also 
  that 
  a 
  grass 
  collected 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  and 
  place 
  was 
  

   the 
  female 
  plant 
  corresponding. 
  It' 
  is 
  no. 
  119 
  of 
  the 
  collec- 
  

   tion, 
  respecting 
  which 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  says, 
  ''a 
  new 
  grass 
  of 
  un- 
  

   certain 
  genus, 
  the 
  single 
  specimen 
  mislaid." 
  

  

  Distichhs, 
  as 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  is 
  dioecious, 
  but 
  the 
  female 
  

   spikelets 
  are 
  like 
  the 
  male 
  ones, 
  except 
  in 
  contammg 
  ovaries 
  

   and 
  styles 
  instead 
  of 
  stamens. 
  The 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  Uniola 
  

   (U. 
  Palmeri), 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  California 
  is 
  also 
  

   dioecious, 
  thus 
  practically 
  uniting 
  Uniola 
  and 
  Distichhs, 
  but 
  

   in 
  that 
  species 
  the 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  spikelets 
  are 
  also 
  similar. 
  

   With 
  my 
  present 
  knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  grass, 
  and 
  its 
  suggested 
  

  

  