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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VI, April, 1952 
or with peduncles up to 4 mm. in length, 
also bearing 2-4 raylets 3-18 mm. long which 
terminate in 3 (or 2) sessile spikelets; bract- 
lets several, stramineous, the outer blade- 
bearing but shorter than the spikelet; spike- 
lets 3-7 mm. long, 1.3-1. 8 mm. wide, ovoid 
or lance-ovoid, acute, in age or post maturity 
to 10 mm. long, cylindric; rhachilla with 
transverse wings which are 0.5 mm. long, 
brown, elliptic, scarious margined; fruit scar 
lunate; scales spirally imbricate, 1.2-1. 7 mm. 
long, rhomboid-suborbicular, glabrous, shin- 
ing, brown except for the white hyaline upper 
exposed lateral margins, the midrib thick- 
ened, prominent almost to the tip, lateral 
veins 2-4 on a side closely parallel to the mid- 
rib, short, obscure; stamens 2, the filaments 
1.2 mm. long, ligulate, hyaline; anthers 0.5- 
0.6 mm. long, oblong-linear, subacute; style 
glabrous 0. 5-0.8 mm. long, dilated and conic 
at base; stigmas 2, diverging, 0. 7-0.9 mm. 
long, filiform; achene 0. 5-0.6 mm. long, 
turbinate, thick plano-convex, without ridges, 
lines, or mottlings, but dull fuscous and in 
strong light with a few shining points from 
lenticular epidermal cells, but the general sur- 
face dull, the base truncate, the apex broad, 
subtruncate, the convex side full and rounded. 
(Very rarely there is a flower with 3 stigmas 
and it produces a trigonous achene sharply 
angled on the distal side.) 
TYPE: Marshall Islands: Eniwetok Atoll, 
Aniyaanii Islet, 3 m. alt., in coral sand, tufts 
1 dm. across, Aug. 8, 1949, Atomic Energy 
Commission, Donaldson Expedition, Harold 
St. John 23,721 (Bishop Museum). 
Specimens Examined 
LINE ISLANDS 
Eanning Island: generally distributed in 
open places, el. — 7 m., July 31, 1922, S. C. 
Ball 8; on waste land around copra station, 
July 31, 1924, E. Christophersen 17; Dec., 1924, 
G. P. Wilder 3. 
Washington Island; in moist soil, Aug. 13, 
1924, H. F. Bergman 77. 
Rakahanga Island: sandy soil, open ground, 
dry, sea level. Mar. 10, 1927, G. P. Wilder 336. 
MARSHALL ISLANDS 
Eniwetok Atoll: Bogon Islet, tufts on coral 
sand, 2 m. alt., Aug. 11, 1949, H. St. John 
23,771; Engebi (as Engabi) Island, Aug. 21, 
1944, E. H. Bryan Jr.; Runit Islet, rare, tufts 
on coral sand, 4 m. alt., Aug. 15, 1949, H. St. 
John 23,849- Also observed in 1949 by St. 
John on Aomon, Aniyaanii, Japtan, and Eni- 
wetok Islets. 
Bikini Atoll: Bikini Island, Crossroads 
Expedition, Mar. 30, 1946, W. R. Taylor 
46 - 1098 . 
Rongelap Atoll: Rongelap Island, Cross- 
roads Expedition, July 21, 1946, W. R. Taylor 
46-1470; Eniwetok Island, June 16, 1946, 
W. R. Taylor 46-1362. 
Likiep Atoll: Likiep Island, tufted, in coral 
gravel, common, Aug. 28, 1946, H. St.John & 
R. S. Cowan 21,776, vernacular name 
"pererlitchman.” 
Ailuk Atoll: Ailuk Island, in coral sand, 
common, Aug. 30, 1946, H. St.John & R. S. 
Cowan 21,833, vernacular name "dilitchman”; 
Marme Island (south of Marappu Island), 
tufts on open sand, Aug. 31, 1946, H. St. 
John & R. S. Cowan 21,868. 
Mejit Island; in wet Cyrtosperma pit. Sept. 3, 
1946, H. St. John & R. S. Cowan 21,940, ver- 
nacular name ”berelitchman.” Doubtless the 
collection, "bei dem Handlerplatz, Mejijt, 
(K. Gibbon n. 1076),” listed by Kiikenthal (in 
Engler’s Bot. Jahrb. 59: 5-6, 1924) as F. 
glomerata f. spathacea, will prove to be of this 
new species; also the record from Jaluit 
(Finsch n. 4); and perhaps that from Ponape 
{Ledermann n. 13,979). 
Wotje Atoll: Ormed Island, abundant 
throughout island. Sept. 4, 1946, H. St.John 
& R. S. Cowan 22,039, vernacular name 
”drelitchman.” 
Aur Atoll: Tabal Island, in open sand by 
shore or in open woods nearby, Dec. 17, 
1945, H. St. John 21,399, vernacular name 
'Vujoit” [ = a grass]. 
