Chase — Notes on Genera of Paniceae. I. 185 



hermaphroditis contrarie dispositse. — Fuosc. super, hermaph. : Palese sub- 

 car tilagineae.— Sfec. Phalaris villosa Mich. 



Phalaris? villosa Michx. 1803. Fl. Bor. Am. 1 : 43. " Hab. in sylvis sab- 

 ulosis Carolinse." 



Just what is meant by the paleae of the neuter floret placed contrariwise 

 to those of the perfect floret it is difficult to decide. The figure shows such 

 an empty floret consisting of a small lemma and palea placed laterally 

 against the palea of the fruit. Kunth (Rev. Gram. 1 : 217) reducing the 

 genus to Panicum with the specific name of ignoratum, remarks that 

 " Beauvois who never soaked the spikelets before examining them nor 

 used a needle to open them "mistook the torn margins of the sterile lemma 

 for a 2-valved floret. 



Aulaxanthus Ell. 1816. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1 : 102. 



" Flores paniculati. Calyx 2-valvis, 1-floris ; valvis tequalibus, sulcatis 

 Corolla 2-valvis, subaequalis." 



/"i Two species, A. ciliaius and rvfus are described, and 



/:; .-, \ "Phalaris villosa? Michx." is given under the first. 



Though the generic description says the spikelets are 



/,V " 1 -flowered, under ciliatus is stated : " at the back of the 



;-)'''<' \ interior valve occurs a neutral floret, 1-valved, ovate, 



/ >' \ 2-cleft, green." 



j "- ..•■'■." '' Aulaxia Nutt. 1818. Gen. 1 : 47. Description is nearly 



; \% .-, identical with that of Elliott, "1-flowered, with the rudi- 

 fi „ ; • 1 inent of a second " added ; Aulaxanthus is given as 

 v ! synonym ; no reason is assigned for changing the name. 

 ilfllf' These three generic names are founded on the same 



IS ?/ species. 



Ill Description. — Spikelets in narrow panicles, obovoid, 



" : .' • ( lirst glume obsolete, second glume and sterile lemma 



'.V I subequal, very broad, with 5 strong nerves, the very thin 



':• \ ? / internerves deeply folded and densely clothed with 

 %\. f / y long hairs, the sterile lemma enclosing a small palea 



and sometimes a staminate flower ; fruit as long as the 

 glume, plano-convex, subacute, chestnut brown, the lemma boat-shaped, 

 the 3 nerves visible ; the white or pale margins very narrow ; palea en- 

 folded its entire length, the 2 nerves visible ; grain in section plano-convex. 



Genus LEPTOCORYPHITJM Nees. 1829. Agkos. Bras. 83. 



Calyx uniglumis, biflorus, gluma inferiore, deficiente. Flosculus inferior 

 neuter, uniglumis * * * Flosculus superior hermaphoditus, calycis 

 longitudine, in fructu persistens chartaceus (nee induratus), valvulis atten- 

 uatis apice membranaceo-hyalinis lacero-ciliatis. [Whence the name 

 from " Xe7TTos tenuis et Kopvcpi] apex."~\ 



The first species under this genus is L. lanatum (H. B. K.) Nees, based on 

 Paspalum lanatum H. B. K. 1815. Gen. PI. et Sp. 1 : 94. t. 29. " Crescit 

 in regno Mexicano prope Venta del Cameron et Alto del Peregrino." 



Roemer & Schultes (1817. Syst. Veg. 2 : 322) transfer this species to 

 Milium, in which disposition of it they are followed by Kunth (1S29. Rev. 



