MB. G. BENTHAM ON aEAMINI!^. 37 



Kunth. Nees describes the palea (upper palea) of the typical 

 Anachyris paspalodes or Paspalum malaccyphyllum as 3-iierved ; 

 Pournier says it is 1-nerved. The species is very variable as to 

 the size of the spikelets, the hairs or setae on the rhachis of the 

 spike, &c. ; but in all the specimens I have examined I have 

 uniformly found the palea normally 2-nerved. 



Opisthion, proposed by Doell as a section of Paspalum, is our 

 second subsection of Eupaspalum. It includes all the typical 

 Paspala with two lower empty glumes, and the rhachis of the 

 spikes not dilated. The species are numerous and varied, but 

 scarcely reducible to distinct groups. 



Pseudoceresia is a subsectional name I should propose for the 

 genus Ceresia as understood by Elliott and other North- American 

 botanists. In it the rhachis of the spikes is more or less dilated 

 and concave, but green and herbaceous throughout, and the spike- 

 lets are small and glabrous or nearly so. The species are few, 

 including P. stoloniferuin, Bosc, P. repens, Berg., and their allies. 

 Oeresia is the name we would reserve for our fourth subsection, 

 being the genus Oeresia as originally established by Persoon, in 

 which the dilated rhachis of the spikes is bordered by a coloured 

 or smooth membranous margin, and the half-enclosed spikelets 

 are larger than in Pseudoceresia and densely ciliate. Besides 

 several Brazilian and other tropical species, it includes the Mexi- 

 can P. cymliforme, Pourn. 



Cabrera, our second section of Paspalum, is limited to the single 

 P. aureum, H. B. K. (not of Trinius), forming Lagasca's genus 

 Cabrera, in which the direction of the spikelets is nearly that of 

 Anastrophus ; but instead of being marginal on each side of the 

 rhachis, they are deeply embedded in alternate cavities on each 

 side of the midrib, on the outer or lower side of that rhachis. This 

 remarkable arrangement is very well described by Lagasca, who 

 was a most accurate botanist. His ' Nova Genera et Species 

 Plantarum,' forming part of the ' Elenchus Horti Matritensis,' is 

 a model for the clearness and conciseness of the characters given, 

 which are most thoroughly to be depended upon. The work is 

 quoted by Nees and by Doell, but evidently at second hand ; had 

 they really read it, and had they studied Kunth's good figure and 

 description, they could never have given to the P. aureum the 

 new name of P. immersum, or have transferred the synonym of 

 Cabrera chrysoblepharis. Lag., to the P. exasperatum, Nees, or to 

 the supposed distinct P. chrysoblepliaris, Doell, both of them at 



