MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES 47 
14. DISTICHLIS Raf., Jour: Phys. Chim. 89: 104. 1819. Satr- 
GRASS 
Plants dioecious; spikelets several- to many-flowered, the rachilla 
of the pistillate spikelets disarticulating above the glumes and 
between the florets; glumes unequal, broad, acute, keeled, mostly 
3-nerved, the lateral nerves sometimes faint or obscured by striations 
and intermediate nerves; lemmas closely imbricate, firm, the pistillate 
coriaceous, the margins bowed out near the base, acute or acutish, 
3-nerved, with several intermediate nerves or striations; palea as 
long as the lemma or shorter, the pistillate coriaceous, enclosing the 
grain.. Low perennials, with extensively creeping scaly rhizomes, 
erect, rather rigid culms, and short, dense, rather few-flowered 
panicles. 
1. Distichlis spicata (L.) Gr one, 
Calif. Acad. Sci. Bull. 
AL5y VLUSSi7. 
SEASHORE SALTGRASS. 
Umoola spicata L., Sp. Pl. 71. 
1753. Atlantic coast of North 
America. 
Low, erect, smooth peren- 
nial, with long running rhi- 
zomes, slender culms, spreading 
firm involute blades, and small 
compact panicles, the spikelets 
about 1 cm long. Extensive 
colonies of sterile plants may 
be recognized by the overlap- 
ping sheaths and conspicuously 
closely distichous stiff blades 
(fig. 24). 
Salt marshes and alkaline 
meadowsnear the coast, United 
States, Mexico, and northern 
West Indies. 
Banamas: New Providence, 
Britton and Brace 417; Geogr. 
Soc. Baltumore 4. Watlings Is- 
land, Geogr. Soc. Baltimore 491. 
Inagua, Hitchcock in 1890. 
Cusa: Colonia, Britton and 
Cowell 9853. Habana, Léon 
3476. Bataband, Léon 5757; SS sh a\ === 
Hitchcock 262; Baker and Wil- bn WA 
son 2293, 2348 ; Hkman 892. FIGURE 24.—Distichlis spicata. Plant, X 1; 
Baragua, Hitchcock 23344. floret, X 5 (Hitchcock 2826). 
Cayo Sabinal, Ekman 15485. ' ty 
Guantanamo Bay, Britton 2264. Isla de Pinos, Britton and, Wilson 
15199. 
Harri: Croix-des-Bouquets, Ekman H 2157. 
Dominican Repusuic: Barahona, Ekman H 6957. 
60256—36——_4 
