110 



spicLilae omnes $ , in niacris tantum et raro pedicellatae hebe- 

 tatae inveniuntur." Of course this is not a valid reason for dis- 

 carding a name properly published, and cannot be countenanced. 

 Immediately following his publication o'i Andropogon divcrsifiorns, 

 and on the same page, Steudel describes another species, Audro- 

 pogoii fj-iiiandits, which Hackel also cites in the synonymy. For 

 some reason unexplained, this specific name is not taken up, 

 although tenable, and the name pyacinorsa adopted, first pub- 

 lished by Steudel in the same work (/. c, 409) under the genus 

 Polliiiia. Steudel cites no specimen as the type of this species 

 but simply indicates that the plant came from Java. The 

 description he gives certainly does not apph' to the monot\'pic 

 genus Polytrias, as described by Hackel, for a generic require- 

 ment of that genus is that the spikes shall be borne singly, and 

 yet Steudel in the description referred to above distinctly states 

 that in Pollinia pracuiorsa the spikes are in twos or threes. I am 

 aware that Hackel follows his reference to this name with an ! , 

 but certainly if this is so the generic character of a single spike 

 breaks down. Of course this question as to the rxd^vn^ prcujiiorsa 

 really is of little importance, for the name to be used is divcrsi- 

 flon/s, and the combination should stand as follows : 



/ Polytiias diversiflora (Steud.) 



Andropogon dii'trsijlorns Steud., /. c. 



A second member of the Andropogoneae, also, has made its 

 advent into the West Indies. This is Ischaiiniim riigosuni 

 Salisb., a native of Asia. A specimen of this was obtained by 

 Mr. A. H. Curti.ss, at Madruga, Cuba, on November 24, 1904, 

 no. jJJ. One other species of this genus, /. latifoliunt^ is quite 

 extensively found in the West Indies and on the mainland of 

 South America. 



The third introduction is from the New World, and is Opizia 

 stolonifcra Presl, a member of the Chlorideae, with monoecious 

 spikelets, a native of Mexico. It was first secured by Dr. J. A. 

 Shafer on dry soil, at Regla, Province of Habana, Cuba, April, 

 1903, no. 482 ; and it has now been again secured at Habana, 

 on December 19, 1904, by Mr. A. II. Curtiss, ?io. 57/. 



Nkw York lic/rAMCAi. Gaki.kn. GeokcE V. NaSH. 



