Eragrostis.~\ 
GRAMINEJS. 
455 
Panicle lax, oblong-rhomboid ; pedicels sometimes longer 
than the spikelets. 
Spikelets lanceolate. Flowering glumes remote on the 
rachis 1 . E. pilosa. 
Spikelets oblong. Flowers crowded on the rachis. 
Flowering glume not ciliated. 
Spikelets in. long 2. E. po^oides. 
Spikelets in. long. Pale ciliated 3. E. tenella. 
Spikelets under ^ in. long. Pale not ciliated . . 4. E. laxa. 
Flowering glume ciliated 5. E. mauritii. 
Panicle long and dense ; pedicels none or very short. 
Flowering glume ciliated 6. E. ctliaris. 
Flowering glume not ciliated 7. E. interrupta. 
1. E. pilosa, Beauv. Agrost. 71. Annual, densely tufted. Stems 
|-1 ft. long, geniculate at the base, then ascending. Sheaths with 
a dense tutt of hairs at the throat ; upper 1^-2 in. long ; blade narrow 
linear, glabrous, 2-3 in. loug. Panicle 3-6 in. long, lax, oblong-rhom- 
boid ; branches erecto-patent, lower densely whorled, l|-2 in. long ; 
pedicels often equalling or exceeding the spikelets ; spikelets lanceolate, 
£ in. long, 8-10-flowered, glabrous, glossy, ascending, rather laxly placed 
on the rachis. Empty glumes membranous, unequal. Flowering 
glume -Jg- in. long, 1-nerved, oblong, acute, neither it nor the pale 
ciliated. Poa pilosa, Linn. ; Kunth , Emm., i. 329. P. verticillata, 
Cav. Ic. t. 93 ; Kunth, loc. cit. P. punctata, Linn. ; Kunth , Enum. i. 
330. 
Mauritius, in dry soil, Sieber , ii. 43 ! etc. Seychelles, common, Horne, 622 ! 
Warmer zones of both hemispheres. 
2. E. poseoides, Beauv. Agrost. 71. Annual, tufted. Stems a 
foot or more long, stronger than in any of the others, ascending. 
Sheaths with a tuft of hairs at the throat ; upper 1J-2 in. long ; blade 
linear, glabrous, acuminate, 3-4 in. long, in. broad. Panicle lax, 
oblong-rhomboid, 3-4 in. long ; branches erecto-patent ; side pedicels 
shorter than the spikelets ; spikelets £- ^ in. long, oblong, glossy, 8- 
16-flowered. Flowering glume oblong, 3-nerved, -fa in. long, cuspidate, 
both it and the pale glabrous on both back and edges. Poa Eragrostis, 
Linn.; Knuth , Enum., i. 332. Megastachya brizoides,.#^'^, Hort. Maur. 
369. 
Mauritius, in sandy ground near the sea. Spread through the two warmer zones 
of both hemispheres. 
3. E. tenella, Beauv. Agrost. 71. Annual, densely tufted. Stems 
erect or geniculate at the base, £-l| ft. long. Sheaths with a con- 
spicuous tuft of hairs at the throat ; upper an inch or less long ; blade 
linear, glabrous, 2-3 in. long. Panicle lax, oblong, 2-4 in. long; 
branches erecto-patent, lower an inch or less long ; pedicels sometimes 
longer than the spikelets ; spikelets oblong, fa in- long, 6-10-flowered. 
Flowering glume erecto-patent, oblong, obtuse, 3V in. long, with 
3 distinct green ribs, glabrous, not ciliateu. Pale oblong, con- 
spicuously ciliated. Poa tenella, Linn. ; Kmth , Enum. i. 338. Mega- 
