270 Plants Collected in Paraguay. 



to occupy the whole panicle. Glumes white, with a sharp, slightly 

 curved, callous, white-hairy point at the base. These cling close 

 to the fruit and have the remarkable hygrometric property of un- 

 twisting in wet weather and retwisting when dry, so that the 

 sharp point bores its way into the earth. Persons who keep sheep 

 complain that these sharp-pointed seeds actually bore their way into 

 the sides of the animals. 



Andropogon Neesii, Kunth, Enum., i, 491. 

 Near Caballero (423). January. 



Andropogon nutans, L., Sp. PL, 1045. 



Between Axilla Kica and Escoba (545, 54t); Pilcomayo River 

 (926), January-February. 



No. 547 is nearly the ordinary A. nutans of the United States. 

 It has light yellow panicles, and occurs on the campo near Villa 

 Kica. Nos. 545, 547 belong to the form called by Hackel (Mon. 

 Phan., vi, 529) j8. agrostoides, with spikelets about 4 mm. long; 

 awns 4-7 mm. long, deep yellowish-brown in color. All of them 

 are exceedingly handsome when in flower. On the campos near 

 Yilla Kica and the Pilcomayo River. 



Andropogon saccharoides, Sw., Fl. Ind. Occ, 205, var. laguroides 

 (D.C.), Hack, in Mart. Fi. Bras., ii, pt. 3, 293. 



Luque (326); Pilcomayo River (1083 and 1008). December- 

 April. 



This grass sometimes grows to a height of 4 m, in Paraguay, 

 with a panicle over 30 cm. long. The spathe-like floral bract is 

 very rigid, and rarely fully opens till the flowers are dropping off. 



Andropogon Sorgtium (L.), Brot,, Fl. Lus., i, 88. 



Asuncion (203). November. 



Not exactly Sorghum vulgare, but the form called by Hackel 

 corymbosus. It runs wild in fields in the vicinity of Asuncion. 

 Culms 2-2^ m. high. Panicle 30-40 cm. long, very lax, the lowest 

 branches drooping. Spikelets obovate, very hairy, or at maturity 

 the glumes shining, interruptedly hairy, brownish-red or black, 

 5 or 6 mm. long. Awns 5-8 mm. long, bent about half-way up. 

 The leaves are sometimes 7 dm. long and 6 or 7 cm. broad. It was 

 probably introduced into Paraguay by immigrants, but it seems to 

 thrive very well as a naturalized grass. 



