4 MISC. PUBLICATION 243, U.S. DEPT, OF AGRICULTURE 
a pasture grass. More recently it has spread northward and is now 
rather frequently seen in the West Indies. It escapes readily into 
brushland and soon furnishes much forage in such situations. Other 
names for this grass are catingueiro, yaragua, gordura, honey grass, 
Wynne grass, and Brazilian grass. The grass has a strong rather 
pleasant odor when fresh. ; 
Natal grass (Tricholaena repens; T. rosea). A native of Africa, 
now widely introduced in tropical and subtropical regions of North 
America. It is very common in Florida where it furnishes forage 
on sandy lands that will grow little else. It is becoming common 
in the West Indies, and will be useful on light sandy lands. It is 
called Natal redtop in the Hawaiian Islands and wine grass in Cuba. 
The pink inflorescence in a mass is an attractive sight. 
Jaragua (Hyparrhenia rufa). An Old World grass early intro- 
duced into Brazil (there called capim jaraguaé) where it is useful as 
a forage grass. In recent years it has been tried in the southern 
United States and is occasionally cultivated in the West Indies. 
GRASSES FOR GTHER PURPOSES THAN FOR FORAGE 
Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and rice (Oryza sativa) are the 
important standard agricultural crops. 
Indian corn or maize, and the small grains, wheat, oats, rye, and 
barley, are grown more or less, the small grains only at upper eleva- 
tions. i 
Certain oil grasses are met with here and there but are not grown 
on a commercial scale. These are citronella grass (Cymbopogon 
nardus) and lemon grass (C. citratus), found around dwellings, and 
vetiver (Vetiveria zvzanioides) , more commonly grown as a hedge plant. 
The aromatic roots of the latter are used in perfumery. 
Wild cane (Gynerium sagitiatum). <A giant grass native in swampy 
places throughout the West Indies. The stems are used by the 
natives for lattices and light building purposes. In Cuba it is called 
cafia de Castillo. 
Giant reed (Arundo donax). A native of the Mediterranean region 
introduced in the warmer parts of North America, and now frequent 
in the West Indies along river banks and in moist soil. The stems 
are used for lattices and minor construction work. In Cuba it is 
called ‘“‘giiin.”’ 
The large bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) is commonly cultivated 
around dwellings. The hollow stems with cross partitions are used 
for a great many purposes. The large species of bamboos are known 
in Cuba as cafia brava. The bamboos are a promising source for 
paper. Dendrocalamus strictus, with nearly solid stems, is sometimes 
cultivated. 
GRAMINEAE (POACEAE), THE GRASS FAMILY 
Flowers perfect (rarely unisexual), small, with no distinct perianth, 
arranged in spikelets consisting of a shortened axis (rachilla) and 2 
to many 2-ranked bracts, the lowest two being empty (the glumes, 
rarely one or both obsolete), the one or more succeeding ones (lemmas) 
bearing in their axils a single flower, and, between the flower and the 
rachilla a second 2-nerved bract (the palea), the lemma, palea, and 
