branches conspicuous and few-flowered, almost covered with the long flexuous awns. Glumes very long, slender,
acuminate, scabrid at the keel, longer thau the flowers by one-half or one-third. Lower palea long, scabrous, hard,
with a contracted, narrow, entire or bifid point, and a dorsal awn, wbich is tiexuous, and not twisted, inserted above
the middle. Tipper palea shorter, narrow, membranous, bifid at tbe tip.—This curious plant differs from Dieliel-
achie in the awn not being twisted, from Agrostis in the pedicelled flower, from Muhlenhergia in the long glumes.
I have followed Trinius and Ruprecht by placing it in the first-named genus, but I have retained the original specific
name crinita, which is most appropriate and familiar, and used by Brown, Labillardiere, Forster, and Linnæus.
MM. Trinius and Ruprecht, on the other hand, substitute that of vulgaris for the Australian specimens, and Forsie-
riana for the New Zealand ones, besides making other species from Australian and Tasmanian specimens.
2. Diclielacline sciurea, Hook. fil. ; lævis v. culmis basi vaginis foliisque scaberulis, foliis planis v.
involutis, panicula elongata laxa rariflora, glumis inæqualibus acuminatis florem vix superautibus, arista
to rtili palea inferiore scaberula subtriplo longiore.— Agrostis sciurea, B r . Frodr. D. Sieberiana, Trin.
et Ru p r. Act. Acad. Scient. Fetrop. I. c. Muhlenhergia, Trin. Biss. Stipa mierantha, Nees, B ia r. Ratlsh.
fid . Trin. et Ru p ,
H ab. N o rth e rn I s la n d ; Bay of Islands an d Auckland, Cunningham, Colenso, Sinclair, etc.
A different-looking plant from B . crinita, but very closely allied to it, differing in the slender, thin panicle,
which is loosely branched, and comparatively very few-flowered. The glumes are shorter than in B . crinita, as
long as the floret, and the twisted awn is not four times longer than the upper palea. I t is ^ so a Tasmanian and
Australian plant. I feel again reluctantly compelled to reject MM. Trinius and Ruprecht’s specific name of Siehe-
riana, which those authors substitute for the applicable and familiar one of sciurea, by which this plant has been
known for thirty years to the Australian Botanist.
3. Dichelachne stipoides, Hook, fil.; cæspitosa, glaberrima, polita, foliis elongatis strictis setaceo-
involutis, panicula erecta co ntracta pauciflora parce ramosa, glumis lævibus longe setaceo-acuminatis flos-
culura ^ excedentibus, paleis subcoriaceis inferiore sericeo-villosa, arista geniculata glaberrima flosculo bis
terve longiore.— Avena angustifolia, Ba n k s et Sol. M S S . (Tab. LX V I.)
H ab. N o rth e rn Islan d , on rocks near th e se a ; E a st Coast, Ba n k s a n d Solander ; Bay of Islands
and Auckland, Sinclair, etc.
Also found in Tasmania, growing, as in New Zealand, near the sea.—A handsome, densely tufted, rigid, wiry,
smooth and. polished, yellow Grass, often forming large tussocks, with the habit and appearance of a Stipa. Culms
1 ^ -3 feet high. Leaves longer than the culms, slender, involute, wiry, erect, rounded. Fanicle contracted, 4-6
inches long, strict, erect, few-flowered, and sparingly brancbed ; branches short, capillary, erect. Glumes f inch
long, white or yellow, membranous, thin and shining, lanceolate, with a long, slender point. Floret shorter than
the glumes, covered witb soft, silky, spreading hairs. Paleæ rather coriaceous ; lower with two small teeth at the
top, one on each side the awn, which is curved, about an inch long, and quite glabrous.—P l a t e LXVI. Fig. 1,
spikelet ; 2, floret ; 3, tip of lower palea ; 4, stamen ; 5, pistil and scale ; 6, caryopsis and scales :—all magnified.
Gen. X I . A FERA,
' 1-floræ; flore breviter pedicellato. Glumæ subæquales, flore longiores, muticæ v. breviter
a rista tæ ; arista haud tortili. Faleæ herbaceæ, demum induratæ, inferior ad apicem integ rum aristata.
Squamulæ 2, membranaceæ. Caryopsis libéra.— Gramina cæspitosa, plerumique gracilia ; culmis sæpe
ramosis; spiculis pedicellatis, paniculatis, non articulatis.
Generally slender, often branched Grasses, the few previously known species of which are natives of Europe
and North America. Panicles diffuse. Glumes nearly equal, as long as the flower, which has a very short pedicel.
Faleæ herbaceous, afterwards hardening; lower with a terminal, not twisted awn, and entire apex. (Derivation of
the name not known to me.)
1. Apera arwndinacea, Hook, fil.; glaberrima, lævis, rhizomate repente, culmis basi squamatis
elongatis gracilibus strictis rigidis tenacissimis simplicibus v. ad nodos remotos ramosis foliosis, foliis superne
scaberulis involutis coriaceis vaginis elongatis, panicula elongata ramis capillaribus primariis verticillatis,
spiculis parvis pallidis, glumis setaceo-acuminatis superiore obscure 3-nervi, carinis scaberulis, fiore breviter
stipitato callo glaberrimo, palea inferiore coriacea in v o lu ta nervis obscuris apice scaberula obtusa incrassata
aristata, arista caduca terminali scabra glumis duplo longiore, superiore paulo breviore bidentata, squamulis
2 basi connatis, stamine 1, anthera brevi. (Tab. L X T I I .)
H ab. N o rth e rn and Middle I s la n d s ; Cape Turnagain, Colenso; Akaroa, Raoul. N a t. name, " H u -
nangamoho,” Col.
A very remarkable and handsome Grass, forming immense tufts of long, nodding culms on the tops of hills,
etc.— Culms 2-5 feet high, very slender, rigid and reed-like, arising from a creeping rhizome, quite smooth, sheathed
at the base, leafy at the distant joints, and sometimes branched. Sheaths of leaves long; ligula short, truncate;
lamina coriaceous, naiTow, involute, the upper surface slightly scabrid to the touch. Panicle thin, erect, wiry,
8 -16 inches long; primary branches whorled at the knotted joints, capillary, the branchlets whorled, pedicels
alternate. Spikelets minute, l i line long, pale, shining. Glumes nearly equal, longer than the flower, acuminate,
smooth, with a scabrid keel, upper faintly three-nerved. Lower palea coriaceous, opaque, on a short glabrous callus,
thickened aud rough at the top, blunt, furnished with a rigid, caducous, scabrid awn. Scales two, linear, connate
at the base. Stamen one. Anther short. Ovary pedicelled, with short feathery stigmas. Caryopsis curved, truncate.—
P late LXVIT. Fig. 1, spikelet; 2, floret; 3, upper palea; 4, stamen; 5, germen; 6, scales; 7, seed
all magnifed.
Gen. X I I . SPO RO BO LUS , B r .
Glumæ 1-floræ, carinatæ, inferior minor. Faleæ 2, m u ticæ : inferior a cu tiu scu la ; superior minor,
bicarinata. Squamulæ 2. Stamina 2 -3 . Caryopsis libera, epicarpio laxo solubili.— Folia p la n a v. convolu
ta . Spiculæ minutæ, pedieellatæ, laxe v. dense pan icu la tæ ; panicula interdum spicæformis.
Tropical and subtropical Grasses, found in all parts of the world within the above limits, differing from Apera
in the very minute flowers that have awifless glumes and paleæ. Spikelets panicled, often very densely, fonning a
cylindrical spike. Glumes one-flowered, keeled, the lower smallest. Paleæ two, awnless, lower sharp, upper two-
nerved. Scales ivi0. two to three. ¿ící? quite free, with a loose outer coat. (Name from uTropoç, c seeif,
axiá a shedding ; from the fugacious seeds.)
1. Sporobolus elongatus, B r. ; pauicula coarctata elongata e spicis alternis divisis, inferioribus distantibus.—
B r . Frodr. p . 170. K u n th , Agrost. p . 213.
H ab. N o rth e rn Islan d ; Auckland,
A rigid, stout, perfectly smooth Grass, 1 -2 feet high; abundant in all tropical countries, also found at the
Cape of Good Hope and at Port Jackson. Leaves spreading ; sheaths deeply furrowed ; ligula sbort ; lamina
narrow, involute. Panicle 6 inches to a foot long, contracted, slender, of very numerous, small, pjile green spikelets,
Hue long.
Gen. X I I I . AGROSTIS, L .
Glumæ 2, unifloroe, subæquales, carinatæ, muticæ, flore majores. Faleæ 2 : inferior mutica v. dorso
a rista ta ; arista h au d to rtili; superior bicarinata, interdum minima v. obsoleta. Squamulæ 2, subintegræ.
Stamina 3. Caryopsis libera.— Gramina cæspitosa; foliis p la n is in vo lu tisv e; paniculis diffuse ramosis;
ramis sæpius verticillatis, rarius brevibus in spicam cylindraceam eonfertis.
A large genus of Grasses, most abundant iu temperate and cold climates, advancing nearer to either Pole thau
any other phænogamic plants do. Cidms often tufted. Leaves flat or involute. PanicUs lax or dense; branches