MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



565 



flower; fertile lemma chartaceous. Creeping stoloniferous perennials, 

 with short flowering culms, rather broad and short obtuse blades, and 

 terminal and axillary racemes. Type species, Stenotaphrum glabrum 



Figure 1179.— Distribution of Leptoloma cognatum 



Trin. Name from Greek, stenos, 

 narrow, and taphros, trench, 

 referring to the cavities in the 

 rachis. 



1. Stenotaphrum sec un da turn 

 (Walt.) Kuntze. St. Augustine 

 grass. (Fig. 1180.) Culms 

 branching, compressed, the 

 flowering shoots 10 to 30 cm tall; 

 blades mostly less than 15 cm 

 long, longer on the innovations, 

 in rich soil 4 to 10 mm wide; 

 racemes 5 to 10 cm long; spike- 

 lets solitary or in pairs, rarely 

 threes, 4 to 5 mm long. % — 

 Moist, especially mucky soil, 

 mostly near the seashore, South 



Figure 1180.— Stenotaphrum secundati 



Plant, X Yi, two views of spikelet, and fertile floret, X 10. 

 (Tracy 1408, Miss.) 



Carolina to Florida and Texas (fig. 1181). Cultivated as a lawn 

 grass in the coastal cities. The lawns have a coarse texture but are 

 otherwise . satisfactory. Propagated by cuttings of the stolons. 

 A variegated form with leaves striped with white is used as a basket 

 plant. Called by gardeners var. variegatum. 



