12 NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF LEPTOCHLOA. 



spikes usually 8 to 15 cm. long. Spikelets 3 to 4 flowered, 1 to 2 mm. long, 

 rather distant on the axis, that is, scarcely overlapping. Empty glumes about 

 equal, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, nearly as long as the spikelet, or some- 

 times longer, lower slightly narrower. Flowering glumes thin, awnless, 

 smooth or somewhat pilose on the nerves. 



The form separated as L. attenuaia has large panicles, with acuminate empty 

 glumes and flowering glumes pilose on nerves. 



Distribution. — Virginia to Florida and ivest to California: Hall, 777. 778; Wright; 

 765; Bush, 468, 590; Curtiss, 5998; Coulter, 785; Lindheimer, 212. Mexico: 

 Palmer, 248, 22, 694, 749, 1364, 117, 50 (in part); Rose, 1542; Schott, 739, 590. 

 Yucatan: Q-aumer, 853. Cuba: Wright, 740 (in part), 741 (in part). Porto 

 Rico: Sintenis, 3550. , 



Var. PTJLCHELLA Scribn. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club; 9: 147. 1882. "Santa Cruz 

 Valley, near Tucson." 



Distribution. — Texas to Arizona: Heller, 1884; Hall, 777, 778; Coues & Palmer, 

 511; Jones, 4176. Mexico: Palmer, 50 (in part), 50*, 694,8: Wright, 1316. 

 Differs from the typein the short branches of the panicle, 2-3 cm. long, and 

 the short narrow leaves. 



LEPTOCHLOA VIRGATA Beauv. Agrost., 166; Atlas, p. 10. 1812. Refers 

 Eleusine virgata to his new genus Leptochloa (1. c. p. 71). (Fig. 3.) 



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Fig. 3.— L. virgata., from St. Croix. y 



Cynosurus virgatus L. Syst. Nat., Ed. X: 1759. No locality is given, but he 

 refers to Sloan jam., t. 70., f. 2, which is probably this species. In Spec. PI., 

 Ed. 2, the locality is "Habitat in Jamaica.'* See Munro, ''The Grasses of 

 Linnseus's Herbarium," Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 6: 33-35. 1862. Linneeus 

 mentions that the lower flowers are subaristate. 



Festuca virgata Lam. 111. 1: 189. 1791. "Ex ins. Domingi." States that the 

 spikslets are aristate and " floscul. ultimis submuticis." 



Eleusine virgata Pers. Syn. 1:87. 1805. Description taken from Lamarck, 1. c. 



Oxydenia virgata Nutt. Gen. 1: 76. 1818. This is the citation of ten given, but 

 is an error, as Nuttall merely says, " To this genus belongs Eleusine filiformis 

 of Persoon . . . and we may probably add the Eleusine virgata of Jamaica." 



Chloris polystachya Lag. Nov. Gen. 4. 1816. The short description scarcely 

 suffices to determine this plant. " Spicis pluribus. patentibus: calycibus flos- 

 culisque glabris,muticis: culmo compresso. H. in N. H. unde semina missit 

 D. Sesse." 



Chloris poceformis H. B. K. 1 : 169. 1815. " Crescit in calidissimis humidis flu- 

 minis Magdalene prope Mompox: item prope Guayaquil et San Bowndon 

 Quitensium." As synonyms are given Cynosurus virgatus L., Eleusine vir- 

 gata Willd.. and Leptochloa virgata, Beauv.. but a new specific name is applied 

 because there is already a Chloris virgata Sw. In the description it is stated 

 that the awn is very short. 



Leptochloa procera Nees in Sy 11. Ratisb. 1: 2. 1828. Type examined at Berlin. 



Leptochloa digitaria Willd., ex Steud. Nom. Ed. 2. 1 : 549. 1840. Types of this 

 and the next examined in herbarium Willdenow. Both specimens labelled 

 " Habitat in America Meridionalis, Humboldt." 

 \ iLcptftctton: unioloides Willd., 1. c. 



