Hitchcock — The Grasses of Hazvaii lyy 



Hawaii: Hilo, Newell in 1917. 



6. Syntherisma microbachne (Presl). 



Panicnin microbachne Presl, Rel. Haenk. i :298. 1830. 



Culms ascending from a spreading and rooting base, as much as i meter long; sheaths 

 papillose-hispid ; ligule thin, truncate-erose, prominent, 3 mm. long ; blades flat, lax, narrowed at 

 base, 10 to 20 cm. long, more or less pilose; racemes several, 7 to 15 cm. long, ascending or 

 spreading, somewhat scattered, the main axis 3 to 5 cm. long; rachis winged, scabrous; spikelets 

 lanceolate, acute, 3 mm. long; first glume wanting or a mere ridge or a minute bract 0.2 mm. 

 long; second glume oblong, obtuse, about 0.5 mm. long; sterile lemma slightly exceeding the 

 spikelet, 7-nerved, two pairs of nerves close together on the infolding edges, the margins silky- 

 pubescent ; fertile lemma pale. 



This species has the aspect of S. saiigiiinalis but diflfers in the short glumes. 



A weed in gardens ; introduced. Original locality unknown, probably the 

 Philippines. 

 Hawaii: Hilo, Newell in 1917. 



34. STENOTAPHRUM Trin. 



Spikelets embedded in one side of an enlarged and flattened corky rachis disarticulating at 

 maturity, the spikelets remaining attached ; first glume small ; second glume and sterile lemma 

 alx)ut equal, the latter with a palea or staminate flower ; fertile lemma chartaceous. Creeping 

 stoloniferous perennials, with short flowering stems, rather broad and short obtuse blades, and 

 terminal and axillary racemes. 



I. Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 2:794. 1891. 



Ischaemum secundatum Walt. Fl. Carol. 249. 1788. 



Stenotaphrum amerkanum Schrank, PL Rar. Hort. Monac. pi. 98. 1819. 



Plants extensivelv creeping, glabrous, the stolons with long internodes and short leafy 

 branches; sheaths equitant ; blades short, obtuse; flowering culms 10 to 30 cm. tall, the blades 

 commonly 10 to 15 cm. long; racemes terminal and axillary, 5 to 10 cm. long (fig. 66). 



Grassy slopes ; sometimes near the seashore. Tropical shores of both 

 hemispheres. 

 Oahu: Xuttanu Pali, Heller 2359; Forbes 1522; Hitchcock 13768. Valley behind 



Honolulu, Wilkes Expl. Exped. Without locality, Mann & Brigham 88. 

 Molokai: Pukoo, Hitchcock 15048. 



Hawaii: Halawa, Faurie 1348; Hilo, Hitchcock 14152; Newell in 1917. 

 Without locality: Hillebrand 490. 



35. PASPALUM L. 



Spikelets plano-convex, usually obtuse, subsessile, solitary or in pairs, in two rows on one 

 side of a narrow or dilated rachis, the back of the fertile lemma toward it; first glume generally 

 wanting; second glume and sterile lemma commonly about ecjual, the former rarely wanting; 

 fertile lemma usually obtuse, chartaceous-indurate, the margins inrolled. Mostly _perennials, 

 with one to many spikelike racemes, these single or paired at the summit of the culms or race- 

 mosely arranged along the main axis. 



Plants annual; spikelets with a broad stiff lacerate margin i. P. fimbriatum. 



Plants perennial ; spikelets not lacerate-margined. 



Racemes 2, conjugate at the summit of the culm, rarely a third below. 



First glume present on at least some of the spikelets ; spikelets elliptic 2. P. distichum. 



First glume wanting; spikelets orbicular in outline 3. P. conjugatum. 



[79] 



