MK. a. BENTPAM OK aKAMIKEiE. 83 



genus the relative size of these glumes appears to vary almost 

 from species to species. Vaseya, Thurb., is a Californian species, 

 M. comata, Thurb., closely resembling the more common M. syl- 

 vatiea, Torr., except in the long hairs surrounding the thin 

 flowering glume. Podoseemum, Desv. {Trichochloa, Beauv.), com- 

 prises a number of elegant species, in which the spreading panicle 

 has a number of small long-awned spikelets on long capillary 

 branches and pedicels. Tosagris, originally separated by Beau- 

 vois from PodoscBmum on account of the long hairs on the back 

 of the flowering glume, was subsequently reunited with it by the 

 author himself. Olomena, Beauv., is M. clomena, Trin. (Jf. na7ia, 

 Benth.), a dwarf Andiue species, in which the second empty 

 glume is the largest of the spikelet, and rather broadly three- 

 toothed. The same character is observable in M. gracilis, Trin., 

 forming Nuttall's genus Galycodon. 



7. BEACHXEiYTErM, Beauv., is a single North- American species, 

 very near to some species of Stipa; but the rhachilla is produced 

 beyond the flowering glume into a little bristle, sometimes bearing 

 a minute rudimentary glume, which does not occur in any other 

 species of the subtribe. 8. Peeieilema, Presl, contains three 

 or four tropical or subtropical American species, with much 

 of the habit and many of the characters of MueJilenbergia dif- 

 fusa, but with the empty glumes awned as well as the flowering 

 one. 



Our second subtribe, Phleoideje, is chiefly characterized by the 

 inflorescence. The panicle is condensed into a globular or oblong 

 head or cylindrical spike ; the rhachilla is, ia a few species only, 

 produced beyond the flower into a small bristle ; the flowering 

 glume either is awnless or bears one or three terminal awns, and 

 when in fruit is thinner than in Stipese, more loosely enclosing 

 the grain as in Euagrostese. The following seven genera, or most 

 of them, have already been placed in juxtaposition by various 

 Agrostologists. 



9. Ltctjeus, H. B. K. (Pfeq^oyow, Nutt.), consists of two closely 

 allied American species, perhaps varieties of a single one, readily 

 known by the empty glumes as well as the flowering one awned, 

 as in Ferieilema, the lowest one having usually two or even three 

 awns. The long dense cylindrical spike (or spike-Hke panicle) 

 with sterile spikelets intermixed with the perfect ones brings the 

 genus in connexion with the subtribe Sesleriese of Pestucese ; but 

 there is never more than a single flower in the spikelet, 



