78 BRITISH GRASSES. 



called two feet high, but the plots at Kew were much 

 taller, measuring from three to four feet. It is rather 

 curious than beautiful. The spikes grow in threes, and 

 are unilateral. The foliage is very attractive, the leaves 

 are very broad and of a full green, very soon becoming 

 beautifully tinged with red and brown, while the mid- 

 rib remains white, the sheaths receive the coloured tints 

 as well as the points of the leaves. This species is a 

 native of New Holland, but those described by Muh- 

 lenberg were from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Carolina. 

 These have the joints coloured with red. The family is 

 allied to that of Zeaj the male flowers are situated on 

 the upper, and the female on the lower part of the spikes. 

 The anthers are blood -red, and the pistils brown. 



Not inferior in beauty to any of the tall grasses is the 

 Pennisetum longistylum, one of the most charming orna- 

 ments of the Kew grass-garden. The heads are cylin- 

 drical in form, and their weight bends down the slender 

 culms into every variety of the line of beauty ; the glumes 

 and palese are of delicate whiteness, and the styles so 

 long and feathery that they resemble tassels of white 

 chenille. The leaves are very narrow and somewhat 

 stiff. It grows from one and a half to two feet, or a 

 little higher, and forms a very handsome spreading 

 clump. 



The family of Eleusine are curious grasses, with digi- 

 tate spikes resembling horns ; the florets are awnless, and 

 the spikelets many-flowered. Muhlenberg describes a 

 species from India, E. Indica, called familiarly Crab- 

 grass or Yard-grass. The culm is ascending, the leaves 

 alternate, lanceolate, the midribs downy ; ligulse white, 

 shortened, serrated, sheaths glossy. The spikes are ter- 

 minal, two or four together, spikelets containg from two 



