386 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



1. Gynerium sagittatum (Aubl.) Beauv. Ess. Agrost. 138. pi. 2^. f. 6. 1812. 1 



Uva GRASS. 



Saccharum sagittatum Aubl. PL Guian. 1: 50. 1775. 



Gynerium saccharoides Humb. & Bonpl. PI. Aequin. 2: 112. pi. 115. 1809. 



Arundo saccharoides Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 4: 703. 1816. 



Stout reeds often 10 meters tall, with culms clothed below with old sheaths, 

 the blades having fallen, sharply serrulate blades, commonly 2 meters long and 

 4 to 6 cm. wide (forming a great fan-shaped summit to the sterile culms), and 

 pale plumy densely flowered panicles 1 meter or more long, the main axis erect, 

 the branches drooping. 



River banks and low ground, forming dense colonies, West Indies and south- 

 ern Mexico to South America. Originally described from French Guiana. 

 Gynerium saccharoides was described from Cumana, Venezuela. Found through- 

 out the West Indies except the Bahamas. Called " wild cane," and in Cuba 

 " cana de Castilla," u 



91. ARUNDO L. 



Spikelets perfect, 2 to several-flowered; glumes about equaling the spikelet; 

 lemmas bidentate, cuspidate between the teeth and with long silky hairs on the 

 back; rachilla naked. 



1. Arundo donax L. Sp. PL 81. 1753. Giant seed. 



Donax arundinaceus Beauv. Ess. Agrost. 78, 161. pi. 16. f. ^. 1812. 



Tall reeds with strong sparingly branching culms, elongate scabrous-margined 

 flat blades, and densely flowered, slightly drooping panicles 30 to 60 cm. long, 

 the spikelets about 1 cm. long. 



River banks and moist ground, warmer parts of the Old World. Cultivated 

 in America for ornament and occurring from Texas to California and south- 

 ward to South America as an escape. Originally described from southwestern 

 Europe. Found on nearly all of the West Indian islands, including Bermuda 

 and the Bahamas. In Cuba called " gum." 



92. PHRAGMITES Trin. 



Spikelets 2 to several-flowered, the lowest floret staminate or neuter, its 

 lemma elongate; glumes shorter than the florets; lemmas acuminate: rachilla 

 densely clothed with long silky hairs. 



1. Phragmites phragmites (L.) Karst. Deutsch. Fl. 378. 1883. Reed grass. 



Arundo phragmites L. Sp. Pl.*81. 1753. 



Arundo occidentalis Sieber ; Schult. Mant. 2: 289. 1824. 



Phragmites martinicensis Trin. ; Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 2: 324. 1841. 



Resembling Arundo donax but stoloniferous, panicle more open and drooping. 



Swamps throughout the temperate regions of the world, extending into the 

 Tropics. Originally described from Europe. Arundo occidentalis and Phrag- 

 mites martinicensis are based on Sieber 31 from Martinique. Called sometimes 

 "wild cane." 



Bahamas (New Providence, Andros), Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, 

 Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Tobago. 



1 This name is based indirectly upon Saccharum sagittatum Aubl. Beauvois 

 (op. cit. 153) refens ''Arundo sagittata Aubl., Pers." to Gynerium. Under 

 Gynerium he gives as synonym "Arundinis spec. Aubl." and makes the combina- 

 tion " Gy. sagittatum." The species was described by Persoon (Syn. PL 1: 102. 

 1805) under Arundo and by Aublet under Saccharum. 



