GRAbS FAMILY, 



407 



tivated grcunds, or about houses. It ought to be most carefully and 

 thoroughly extirpated, on its first appearance iu arj agi^icultural region. 



31. TEIP'SACUM, L. Gi3iA Grass. 



[Greek, tribo, to rub ; perhaps in allusion to its polished fertile spikes.] 



Spikelets momciGns, in terminal and subterminal jointed spikes which 

 are solitary, or often digitate in twos or threes, staminate aboTe and 

 fe'dih below. Stamixate spikelets in pairs on each triangular joint, 

 longer than the joint, collateral, 2-flowered ; glumes coriaceous, the 

 outer one nerved, the inner one boat-shaped ; palea very thin and mem- 

 branaceous, awnle^ ; stamens 3 ; anthers orange-colored, opening by 2 

 pores at summit. Pistillate spikelets single, 2-flowered (the loiccr 

 one neutral), deeply imbedded in each oblong joint of the cartilaginous 

 thickened radus, and occupying a boat-sbaped cavity which is closed by 

 the polished cartilaginous ovate outer glume : inner glume much thinner, 

 boat-shaped ; palcx very thin, hyaline and closely packed together. 

 Style long : stigmas very long, plumose, dark-purple. Grain ovoid, free. 

 Perennials with ca^spitose tall iDranching culms which are hard, smooth 

 and solid ; leaves very long, sublinear, acuminate ; spilce-s separating at 

 the articulations spontaneously, at maturity. 



1. T. dactyloi'des, L. Spikes usually 2-3, aggregated or digitate 

 sometimes solitary, — the upper half staminate, the lower pistillate. 



Fixgee-like Tripsacum. Gama Grass. Sesame Grass. 



CuZttiso or 4-6feet high, hard and glabrous, solid with pith, — the internodes broadly 

 channelled on alternate sides ; nodes smooth, with a dark-brown contracted ring at the 

 base of the sheaths. Leaves 1 or 2-4 feet long, and half an inch to an iuch or more in 

 width, lance-linear, keeled, smooth beneath, ro'ughish on the upper surface, serrulate on 

 the margin, contracted and sparingly pilose at base ; sheaths nerved, glabrous : Ugule 

 very short, ciliate. Spikes 4-6 or 8 inches long, not unfrequently single ; when solitary, 

 the "pistillate portion of the spike is terete, — when in pairs, semi-terete as if split down,— 

 and when ternat« the spikes are somewhat triquetrous. ' Caryopsis ovoid, smooth, — the 

 pericarp thin and tender. 



Moist meadows, banks of streams, kc. : Middle and Western States. Fh July. Jr. 

 September. 



Obs. This stout and remarkable Grass is not very common on the 

 Atlantic slope of our continent ; but it is said to be abundant in the 

 valley of the Mississippi. Some years ago it was highly extolled, by a 

 few western correspondents of our Agricultural Journals, as an article 

 of fodder for stock ; but I have not heard much of it, latterly. The 

 leaves and young culms may probably answer a good purpose — where 

 better materials are scarce ; but any one who will examine the coarse 

 hard stems of the full-grown or mature plant, may soon satisfy himself 

 that it can never supersede the valuable grasses, or the good hay. now ii) 

 use, — nor compete, in any respect, with common Indian-corn fodder. 



