96 CLXxili. GRAMiNEiE. (J. D. Hooker.) 



Tbibe III. ZoTsiE^. (See p. 3.) 



22. TRACHirSt Pers. 



An antiual diffuse softly villous grass. Spikes 2- rarely 3-nate, terminal, 

 flattened, rigid, flexuons, jointed. Spikelets 1-fld., in alternate subsessile 

 fascicles which are jointed on the under surface of the spikes, and are 

 formed of 1-3 perfect sessile spikelets mixed with squarrose flowerless gls. 

 Glumes of perfect spikelets 4, I minute, triangular, coriaceous, nerveless ; 

 II narrow, linear-lanceolate, membranous, 3-5-nerved, nerves ciliate below 

 the middle ; III much the largest, broadly obovate-oblong, cuspidately 

 acuminate, rigidly coriaceous, 9-nerved epaleate ; IV much smaller, ovate- 

 lanceolate, cuspidately acuininate, chartaceous, l-nerved ; palea lanceolate, 

 chartaceous, nerveless. iof^icitZe* very minute, hyaline. Stamens 3, SLTithers 

 linear. Styles long, free, stigmas long. Grain broadly oblong, compressed, 

 free within the gl. and pale. 



The above description differs from any that I have met with. GrI. Ill of the 

 perfect spikelet is much larger than any of those of the imperfect spikelets, which 

 form a sqaarrose tuft around the perfect. 



T. mucronata, Pers. Syn. i. 86 ; Beauv. Agrost. 107, t. 21, f. 7 ; 

 Kuwth Envm. PI. i. 168, Suppl. 123 ; Thw. Enum. PI. Zeyl. 362 ; Trim. 

 Oat. Geyl. PL 106; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. ii. 472; Wall. Cat. n. 8674;. Wight 

 Cat. n. 1660. T. muricata {error for mucronata), Steud. Syn. Gram. 112. 

 Cenchrus muricatus, Linn. Mant. 302 ; Schreb. Beschr. Graes. ii. 69, t. 34. 

 0. tripsaceus, Merb. Linn, ex Munro in Jowrn. Linn. Soc. vi. (1862) 55^ 

 Trachystachys geminata, A. Bietr. 8p. PI. ii. 16. Tripsaonm distachynm, 

 JTerh. Linn, ex Munro I. c. Trachyozus muricata, Steud. I. e. 112. Pauicum 

 dimidiatum, Bwrm. Fl. Ind. 25, t. 8, f. 3. P. squarrosum, Betz. Qbs. iv. 15, 

 V. 1. 1 ; Boxb. Cor. PI. iii. 4, t. 206 ; Fl. Ind. i. 288. 



The Deccan Peninsula ; sandy ground near the sea ; Meyne, SoaAwrgh, kt, 

 Cetlon; Jaffna, Gardner. 



Stems 1-2 ft,, weak, geniculate, rooting at the nodes. Leaves 2-6 by i-i in., 

 linear-lanceolate, acuminate, flaccid, rarely nearly glabrous, margins often crisped j 

 month of sheath hairy ; ligule obscure. Peduncle long or short. Spikes 2-3 in., 

 sessile or shortly peduncled, costa of raehis stout, margins broad, green ; joints concave 

 subquadrate. Spikelets (perfect) i in. long, sessile or very shortly stoutly pedicelled, 

 pale, sliining, terminal one on the spike solitary; gl. II very much narrower than 

 III, and not overlapping the base of the latter or hardly, epaleate ; III nearly flat, 

 with the margins incurved; IV with the palea terete, margins strongly incurved 

 over the palea.— The structure of gl. II is very peculiar ; at first sight it may be 

 taken for a narrow membranous palea of III, its lower insertion to which and 

 exterior position are difficult to distinguish. 



23. TRAGtrS, Haller. 



^ A low rigid perenmal_ grass, ieoue* small. Spikelets l-M., 2-5-ua,te 

 in narrow spikes, not articulate on the pedicels ; raehis slender. Glumes 

 2 ; I thickly coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, 5-ribbed, ribs with long recurved 

 spines embracing II which is chartaceous, oblong, apicnlate, l-nerved, 

 ScabernlouB ; palea hyaline, obtuse, involute, faintly 2-nerved below. Sta- 

 mens 3, anthers very long. Styles short, distant, stigmas short. Grain 

 linear, free within the glumes. 



