ORNAMENTAL GRASSES. 77 



and beautiful as a sugar-cane/' but it probably attained 

 a higher growth in France than with our British culti- 

 vators. 



The Coix lachryma, or Job's-tears, is a handsome 

 grass, growing to a height of three feet • it has lanceolate 

 leaves, and, according to Muhlenberg, has both male 

 and female spikelets on one plant, but they are easily 

 distinguished, for while the male spikelets are many- 

 flowered, the female spikelets only contain one flower. In 

 gardens it blossoms in July. 



The Chloris family contains many species, either curi- 

 ous or elegant. The inflorescence is digitate, the spikes 

 situated in a bundle on the apex of the culm, or placed 

 alternately on either side of the culm near the apex. 

 The spikelets are unilateral, from two- to eight-flowered, 

 either with or without awns. The leaves are flat. They 

 are all exotic grasses, but bear our climate during the 

 summer very well. 



Chloris truncata attains a height of from two to three 

 feet, and flourished well in the Kew Gardens last sum- 

 mer. There were from twelve to eighteen slender spikes 

 on each culm, and the extreme lightness of the culms and 

 foliage made the clump look exceedingly elegant. The 

 glumes assumed a brownish tinge as the florets opened, 

 and this increased the beauty of the spikes. The leaves 

 are short, broad, and somewhat glaucous. Chloris bar- 

 bata, fimbriata, and polydactyla are pretty species of 

 lower growth, and well adapted for flower-beds and 

 bouquets. 



Chloris folios a has spikes from four to six inches long, 

 it is a native of St. Thomas's Island. 



Trypsacum dactyloides was very luxuriant in Kew 

 Gardens last summer. In the seedsmen's lists it is 



