MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES 161 
mucronate between the lobes, nerved; sterile lemma similar to the 
second glume, the awn str aicht, long, and slender; fertile lemma and 
palea whitish, somewhat car tilasinous, shorter than the sterile lemma, 
awnless; palea a little shorter than its lemma. Spreading branching 
perennial with small spikelets in panicles. 
1. Melinis minutiflora Beauyv., Ess. Agrost. 54. pl. 11. f. 4. 1812. 
Brazil. MOLASSES GRASS. 
Glandular throughout; culms 1 m or more long, rooting at the lower 
nodes, pubescent especially about the nodes; sheaths pilose; blades 
pubescent, 10 to 15 cm long, 5 to 10 mm wide; panicle 15 to 20 cm 
long, dark purple, rather closely flowered, the branches ascending; 
spikelets about 2 mm long, the straight delicate awn about 1 cm long. 
When fresh the plant emits a sweetish pungent odor (fig. 102). 
Cultivated for forage. Called also zacate gordura. Described from 
Brazil where, however, it appears to be introduced. Native of Africa. 
As it escapes readily from cultivation it will undoubtedly soon become 
established here and there. Molasses grass is a good forage plant and 
its use will probably increase throushout the West Indies. The 
following are cultivated specimens. 
Dominican REPUBLIC: Moncioén, Hkman H 12654. 
Puerto Rico: Mayaguez, Chase 6826. 
LEEWARD IsuAnps: Dominica, Jones 1. 
TRIBE 12. PANICEAE 
68. TRISCENIA Griseb., Mem. Amer. Acad. n. ser. 8: 534. 1862 
Spikelets much as in Panicum, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate, 
deciduous from the pedicels; first glume acute, about half as long as 
the spikelet, 3-nerved, the base overlapping; second glume as long 
as the spikelet, acuminate, 5-nerved; sterile lemma similar to the 
second glume, 3-nerved, containing no palea or stamens; fertile 
lemma shorter than the second glume and sterile lemma, narrow, 
somewhat acuminate, thin but somewhat chartaceous, not green like 
the glumes and sterile lemma; palea like its lemma in ‘texture, nearly 
enclosed in the flat edges of the lemma. Low tufted perennial with 
narrow few-flowered panicles. 
This genus has been included in the tribe Melinideae by Hitchcock 
and Chase * and in Tristegineae by Hackel*, but the structure of 
the spikelet is entirely that of Paniceae. The fertile floret is rather 
thin but papery and distinctly different from the glumes and sterile 
lemma; the structure is similar to that of Hymenachne, but the palea 
is nearly enclosed in the edges of the lemma. Tviscenia also ap- 
proaches Ichnanthus, but there are no wings at the base of the fertile 
lemma and no prominent scars as found in those species that lack 
wings. 
1. Triscenia ovina Griseb., Mem. Amer. Acad. (n. s.) 8: 534. 1863. 
Cuba, Wright 756. 
Panicum nudiculme Mez, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 56 (Beibl. 125): 
6. 1921. Based on Triscenia ovina Griseb. 
Culms slender, 20 to 50 cm tall; blades filiform, glabrous, mostly 
basal, about half as long as the culm, the innovations numerous; 
43 Contrib. U.S. Natl. Herb. 18: 265. 1917. 
44 Engl. and Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 22: 32. 1887: True Grasses 68. 1890. 
