GRAMINEiE. 555: 



between them ; palea of the neutral flower as long as its B-nerved glume.— Hab. Jamaica ! 

 Pd., along the lagoons behind the ferry. 



** Panicle loosely contracted: Iranches spreading-erect. 



137. S. vulpiseta, R. S. Root creeping ; leaves lanceolate, long-tapering at the base : 

 sheath and nodes pubescent ; panicle stout, loosely contracted, erect, tawny-yellow : branches 

 conttguous, much longer than their iuternodes ; axis pilose ; involucral bristles single at each 

 pedicel and in clusters between them, roughened upwards, much exceeding the spikelet : spike- 

 lets elliptical, pointed ; fertile fiower transversely striate chiefly below, flat-convex, thrice 

 as long as the lower, little longer than the second, 1 -nerved glume, equalling the third, the 

 latter with a palea.— S/. t. 70./. 1.— Panicum macrostachyum, ^i. {exclus. syn. Kth.).— 

 4 high; leaves 10'"-12"' broad; panicle 1' long, IJ" broad; branches li''-l", bristles 

 6"-10"', spikelets 1'" long.— Hab. Jamaica (SI) ; Trinidad!, Cr.; [Haiti to BrazQ]. 



138. S. biconvexa, Gr. {n. sp.) Nodes puberulous or glabrate; leaves lanceolate- 

 linear, bluntish at the base: sheath and ligule ciliate; panicle virgate, tapering above, 

 loosely contracted : branches subcontiguous, much longer than their iuternodes : common 

 axis vUlous ; involucral bristles single at each pedicel and in clusters between them, roughened 

 upwards and downwards, mnqh exceeding the spikelet : spikelets subglobose, bluntish ; fertile 

 flower transversely striate, biconvex, thrice as long as the lower, twice as long as the second 

 glume, equalling the third, the latter with a palea. — Allied to S. composita, Kth., iu which i 

 the second glume equals the flower. Stem cylindrical, 2"'-3"' thick; leaves I'-l^'loug, 

 9"'-12"' broad ; panicle yellowish, 1' long, li" broad below : its inferior branches I'Mong, 

 superior gradually shorter, bristles 6"'-8"' long; spikelets T" diam., gibbous : lowest glume 

 ovate, pointed, 5-nerved, 3 superior 7-uerved, oval-roundish, mucronulate : glume oi the 

 fertile flower half-globose : its palea convex. — Hab. Trinidad !, Cr., at S. Anne. j 



139. S. onurus, Gr. Koot at length creeping ; stem slender : nodes glabrous ; leaves 

 linear, tapering at the base ; panicle slender, virgate, interrupted : branches about as long 

 as their iuternodes : common axis pilose ; involucral bristles 1{-S), roughened upwards, and 

 more sparingly downwards, much exceeding the spikelet : spikelets ovate-globose, shortly 

 pointed ; fertile flowers transversely striate, biconvex, equalling or shortly exceeding ths 

 third glume: fix%% glume \, second \-\ as long, both l\-9-nerved, third with a palea. — 

 Trin. Ic. t. 96 B. and analyt. in 95. — Panicum, W. P. setosnm $, Ns. — Stem l'-4' high, 

 1"'-14"' thick; leaves 4-6'" broad; panicle green, Z"-8" long, cylindrical: branches 

 2"'-3"', bristles 8"'-12"', spikelets 1'" long.— Hab. Jamaica !, Waters, March ; [Mexico ! 

 toJJruguay]. 



«/ 140. S. setosa, P. B. Root at length creeping ; stem slender : nodes glabrous ; leaves 

 linear-acuminate ; panicle slender, virgate, interrupted: branches as long (or tvrice as long) 

 as their inteinodes : common axis pilose ; involucral bristles l(-3), roughened upwards. 

 Usually much exceeding the spikelet : spikelets elliptical, pointed ; fertile flower transversely 

 striate, flat-convex, equalling the third glume : first ghime \—^, second f-f as long, both 

 1-nerved, third with a palea. — Trin. Ic. t. 96. J., 95 (exclus. analyt.). — Panicum, Sw. S. 

 macrostachya, Kth. S. antillarum, Kth. {ex Anders, pi. Galapag.) — Habit of the preceding : 

 bristles shorter, leaves 2"'-6'" broad. 



a. Branches of the panicle 2"'-10"', bristles 4"'-6"' long. 



;8. caudata, R. S. Branches of the panicle very short, often reduced to 1-3 spikelets ; 

 bristles few, unequal, 3"'-5"' long. — 2W». Ic. t. 96. 0. — Panicum, Lam. 



Hab. Jamaica !, Jl., March («) ; Antigua I, Wullschl. (a, &) ; [Cuba ! and Mexico ! to 

 Brazil !; Galapagos I; East Indies]. 



41. PENNISETUM, Bich. 



Spikelets in a simple spike, involucrate : involucre-bristles distinct, deciduous with the 

 spikelet, the interior plumose below. Sterile glumes 3, or 2 by abortion of the lowest,, 

 membranaceous. Fertile flower chartaceous, at length indurated. LodicuUe usually none. 

 Stigmas projecting from the summit of the flower, usually cohering at the base. — Involucre 

 mostly coloured: bristles scabrous, unequal, the exterior longer. 



141. P. setosnm. Rich. Perennial, tall ; leaves linear-acuminate, glabrous ; spike. 



2 o 



