HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 273 



Kit Imperata brasiliensis Trin. M6m. Acad. St. PStersb. VI. Math. Phys. Nat. 

 2: 331. 1832. 



An erect tufted perennial with scaly rhizomes, the flat leaves mostly clustered 

 toward the base, the slender simple, nearly naked culm 0.5 to 1 meter tall, with 

 a pale silky narrow panicle. 



Open rather dry ground at low altitudes, Bahamas and southern Mexico to 

 Brazil. Originally described from Brazil. The type specimen in the Trinius 

 Herbarium is labeled " S. da Lapa." 



Bahamas (Andros, Eleuthera, and New Providence), Cuba, Jamaica (Litltz, 

 Harris 11660), Dominica, and Trinidad. 



2. Imperata contracta (H. B. K.) Hitchc. Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 4: 146. 1893. 



Saccharum contractum H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1 : 182. 1816. 



Saccharum caudatum Meyer, Prim. Fl. Esseq. 68. 1818. 



Anatherum caudatum Schult. Mant. 2: 445. 1824. 



Anatherum portoricense Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1 : 290. 1825. 



Imperata caudata Trin. Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. VI. Math. Phys. Nat. 2: 331. 

 1832. 



Taller than the preceding, the culms leafy, the panicle as much as 40 cm. long. 



Swamps and moist open ground, southern Mexico and the West Indies to 

 northern South America. The type of Saccharum contractum is from Colombia ; 

 of fif. caudatum from British Guiana; of Anatherum portoricense from Porto 

 Rico. 



Cuba (Colonia San Rafael, Ledn 5682), Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, 

 Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Trinidad, and Tobago. 



4. SACCHARUM L. 



Spikelets all perfect, awnless, a ring of long silky spreading hairs at the base 

 of each, one of the pair sessile ; rachis articulate, the slender racemes arranged 

 in a large panicle, the main axis and branches not disjointing. 



* 1. Saccharum officinarum L. Sp. PI. 54. 1753. Sugae cane. 



Saccharum violaceum Tussac, Fl. Antill. 1: 160. pi. 25. 1808. 



Gigantic perennial^ with broad leaves, the overlapping sheaths falling from 

 the short-jointed lower part of the culms, the great plumy panicles pinkish sil- 

 very ; forming seed sparingly. 



Cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries of both hemispheres. The 

 West Indian specimens in herbaria are probably all from cultivated plants. 

 Originally described from India. Saccharum violaceum was described from 

 Jamaica. The Spanish name is " cana de azucar." 



5. ERIOCHRYSIS Beauv. 



Spikelets awnless, the sessile spikelets perfect, the pedicellate spikelets 

 pistillate, smaller but fruitful, readily falling, the rachis rather tardily dis- 

 jointing; racemes short, crowded in a narrow dense silky interrupted spikelike 

 panicle. 



1. Eriochrysis cayennensis Beauv. Ess. Agrost. 8. pi. 4. f. 11. 1812. (Beauvois 

 spells the name " Cayanensis." ) 



Saccharum cayennense Benth. Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 19: 66. 1881. 



An erect unbranched perennial 1 to 2 meters or more tall, the long narrow 

 blades densely velvety, the compact silky golden brown panicle 10 to 12 cm. long. 



Moist slopes and savannas, southern Mexico and the West Indies to Uruguay. 

 The type locality is presumably Cayenne, though no locality is mentioned in the 

 original description. 



