MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES 147 
Paris Herbarium is without locality. The awn is described by 
Desvaux as being “‘brevissima.”’ Later, Hamilton® described the 
species from a specimen in Desvaux’s herbarium without mentioning 
the awn. In Desvaux’s specimen the awns are about 10 to 14 mm 
long. The habitat is here given as ‘‘in parte Hispanica Hispaniolae.”’ 
Cusa: Sabanaso, Hkman 6540. Gamboa, Kkman in 1922. 
Haiti: Port Margot, Hkman H 4806. 
Dominican Repusuic: Sanchez, Abbott 2944. 
Purrto Rico: Mayaguez, Hess 107. 
TrIniIpAD: St. Joseph, Hitchcock 10023. Cedros, Hitchcock 10144. 
Without locality, Bot. Gard. Herb. 1674; Crueger. 
61. LEERSIA Swartz, Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 21. 1788 (Conserved ) 
(Homalocenchrus Mieg., Act. Helv. Phys. Math. 4: 307. 1760.) 
Spikelets, 1-flowered, strongly compressed laterally, disarticulating 
from the pedicel; glumes wanting; lemma chartaceous, broad, 
oblong, boat-shaped, usually 5-nerved, the lateral pair of nerves close 
to the margins, the intermediate nerves sometimes faint; palea as 
long as the lemma, much narrower, usually 3-nerved, the lateral nerves 
close to the margins, the margins firmly held by the margins of the 
lemma; stamens six or fewer. Perennials usually with creeping 
rhizomes, flat scabrous blades, and open panicles. 
Panicle contracted, the branches ascending, spikelet-bearing from near the base; 
spikelets hispid Sy Foe cued Rg rs a Rc eg AA ED Ma 1. L. HEXANDRA. 
Panicle open, the branches slender, spreading, naked below; spikelets smooth or 
sometimes sparsely hispid. 
Spikelets 2 mm long; blades about 5 mm wide____-____-_ 2. LL. MONANDRA. 
Spikelets 2.6 mm long; blades 1 to 2 em wide________- 3. L. GRANDIFLORA. 
1. Leersia hexandra Swartz, Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 21. 1788. 
Jamaica. 
Oryza hexandra Doell, in Mart., Fl. Bras. 2?: 10. 1871. 
Homalocenchrus hexandrus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2: 777. 1891. 
Scabrous aquatic perennial; culms slender, 50 to 100 or even 200 
em tall, erect from a creeping base, often producing extensively 
creeping stolons with short, flat blades, mostly 15 to 20 em long and 
about 8 mm wide; panicles contracted, many-flowered, pale or pur- 
plish, the branches ascending 2, spikelet-bearing from near the base; 
spikelets hispid, 3 to 3.56 mm ‘long (fig. 93). 
Swamps and ditches, southern United States and the West Indies 
to Argentina. 
Cupa: Herradura, Ekman in 1923 (Amer. Gr. Nat. Herb. 986); 
Hitchcock 494. Mordozo, Léon 5944. Habana, Léon 1510, 4191, 
5749. Baragud, Hitchcock 23370, 23371. Ciénaga de Zapata, Léon 
9514. Alto Cedro, Ekman 10059. Without locality, Wright 3434, 
3837. 
JAMAICA: Castleton, Harris 12450. Temple Hill, Harris 12715. 
Ipswich, Hitchcock 9584. 
Haiti: Petite Riviére de l’Artibonite, Ekman H 3371. 
38 Prodr. Pl. Ind. Occ. 7 1825. 
