170 



Botanical description (B. FL, vii, 637). — A rigid, glabrous, much- 

 branched grass, forming broad low leafy tufts, the branches sometimes 

 growing out to 1 foot covered to the inflorescence with the leaf- 

 sheaths. 



Leaves narrow, rigid, very acute or pungent-pointed, usually distichously spreading. 

 Spikelets few, two or three in the females, rather more in the males, 6 to 9 lines long 

 in the Australian specimens, rather smaller and more numerous in some American 

 ones, flat but rather thick, eight- to twelve-flowered. 

 Glumes closely imbricate, about 3 lines long, rather rigid and straw-coloured. 

 Anthers in the males long. 

 Stigmas in the females protruding from the end of the glumes. 



Value as a fodder. — "Although this cannot be considered a first-rate 

 grass for ag-ri cultural purposes, it is freely cut with other marsh 

 grasses, and on the alkaline plains of the Rocky Mountains of the 

 United States it affords an inferior pasturage." (Yasey.) 



" This dwarf creeping grass is of great value for binding soil, 

 forming rough lawns ; is useful for edging garden plots in arid places, 

 and covering coast sand." (Mueller.) 



In our own colony it has no recognised pastoral value, but it is un- 

 doubtedly useful as a sand-binder, consolidating land close to the edge 

 of the sea, and affording a bite for stock in such localities. Of its 

 comparative nutritive value we know nothing, but judging from its 

 harsh nature it does not promise much. 



Habitat and range. — A sea-coast grass, found in all the Colonies 

 except Western Australia and Queensland. 



" Grows in marshes near the sea-coast on both sides of the American 

 Continent, and also abundantly in alkaline soil throughout the arid 

 districts of the Eocky Mountains. " (Vasey.) 



cc Prospectors and miners in California consider its presence a sure 

 sign of water near the surface, and when crossing the desert select 

 spots where it grows to dig for water. ,} (Orcutt.) 



Reference to Plate. — A. The spike-like inflorescence, showing the closely-imbricate 

 glumes, b. c. Two pairs of the lowest glumes from an immature female plant. 



87. ELYTROPHORUS. 



Spikelets small and flat, few-flowered, sessile, in dense compound 

 globular clusters crowded in a cylindrical spike or the lower ones 

 distant, the rliachis of the spikelet glabrous, articulate under the 

 flowering glumes. 



Outer empty glumes narrow, membranous, keeled with short points. 



Flowering glumes three-nerved, tapering into long points or short 

 awns, one or two upper glumes empty or with male flowers. 



Palea folded, with two dorsal wings. 



Stamen one. 



Styles free, distinct. 



Grain smooth, free. 



