HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 391 



13. Eragrostis cubensis Hitchc. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 243. 1909. 

 Similar to the preceding, commonly taller, the culms branching, the blades 



laxer ; inflorescence a nearly simple panicle, the spikelets longer, less firm. 

 Immature or depauperate specimens may be distinguished from E. bahamensis 

 by* the pilose, not woolly, tapering or truncate, not auricled summit of the 

 sheath. 



Sandy or rocky soil, Cuba and Jamaica (Lititz and Southern Manchester). 

 Described from Cuba, Curtiss 420, from the Isle of Pines, being the type. Grise- 

 bach * refers this species to E. bahiensis Schrad. 



14. Eragrostis berteroniana (Schult.) Steud. Norn. Bot. ed. 2. 1: 562. 1840. 

 Megastachya berteroniana Schult. Mant. 2: 330. 1824. 



Poa berteroniana Kunth, R£v. Gram. 1: 112. 1829. 



This little-known species was described from Santo Domingo, where it was 

 collected by Bertero. There is in the Krug and Urban Herbarium a portion 

 of the type specimen which was received from the Sprengel Herbarium. There 

 is also in the Trinius Herbarium a specimen from the same collection. No 

 other collections have been seen. The species differs from Eragrostis cubeiisis 

 in having villous sheaths and a more open panicle. Le**^*^ 1 ^**- /r &£&- 



15. Eragrostis elliottii S. Wats. Proc. Amer. Acad. 25: 140. 1890. 



Poa nitida Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1: 162. 1816, not Poa nitida Lam. 1791, nor 

 Eragrostis nitida Link, 1827. 



Eragrostis macropoda Pilger in Urban, Symb. Antill. 4: 106. 1903. 



Tufted, about 50 cm. tall, the rather stiff leaves mostly clustered toward 

 the base, the very diffuse few-flowered panicle more than half the entire 

 height of the plant, the panicle axis and the capillary branches fragile. 



Sandy savannas and sterile hills, southeastern United States on the Coastal 

 Plain and in the West Indies. Originally described from South Carolina. 

 Eragrostis macropoda was described from Catafio, Porto Rico (Sintenis 1233), 

 the author differentiating it from " E. elliotti" by the elongate pedicels. Pil- 

 ger's observations, however, show that he was really distinguishing it from 

 E. refracta (Muhl.) Scribn., which he supposed to be E. elliottii. 



Bahamas (New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera), Cuba, Jamaica (Lititz and 

 Southern Manchester), Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, and St. Thomas. 



16. Eragrostis acutifiora (H. B. K.) Nees, Agrost. Bras. 501. 1829. 

 Poa acutifiora H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1 : 161. 1816. 



Tufted, rather rigid, with sparingly branching culms and erect blades, the 

 short-pediceled spikelets approximate along the distant, stiffly spreading primary 

 panicle branches. 



Ditches and open moist soil, northern South America. Pound in Trinidad 

 (Piarco Savanna, Hitchcock 10344). Originally described from Colombia. 



17. Eragrostis purpurascens (Spreng.) Schult. Mant. 2: 317. 1824. 

 Poa purpurascens Spreng. Nov. Prov. Hal. 33. 1819. 



Culms ascending or spreading, sparingly branching below; panicles com- 

 monly about one-third the entire height of the plant, about two-thirds as wide 

 as long, the slender flexuous branches, branchlets, and pedicels divergent; 

 spikelets about 8 mm. long, dark-colored, the lemmas thin, the lateral nerves 

 obscure. 



Open ground and rocky hills, Brazil to Argentina ; also in Antigua (Duss 3 ; 

 Wullschlaegel 644). Originally described from Uruguay. This is the species 

 described by Grisebach 1 as Eragrostis prolifera. The plants from Antigua 



*F1. Brit. W. Ind. 532. 1864. 



