MELANOCENCHRIS JACQUEMONTII, Nob.
MELANOCENCHRIS, Nees ab Es., in Ann: o f Nat. Hist., vol. 7, p. 221. — Endl., Siippl. 2, p. 7.
Genus distinctissimum, a Chloridearum tribu, cui ab auctoribus citatis adscribitur, glumæ valvis coriaceis longe aristatis
subunilateralibus, inflorescentiaque anomal» discrepans.
MELANOCENCHRIS JACQUEMONTII, Nob.
Planta annua, multicaulis, cæspitosa, plus minusve diffusa, inflorescentia sua Pennisetis quibusdam similis..R adix fibrosa;
fibrillis elongatis, subsimplicibus, filiformibus. Caules 2-6 pollices .longi (adjecta inflorescentia), geniculati, subfiliformes,
angulosi, strialuli, 4-7-nodi (nodulis cqnstrictis et annulo nigro nolatis, glabris), glandulis stipitulatis minutissime puberuli
(oculo nudo quasi glabri), basi foliosi, superne distanter foliati,'ad nodulum supremum (v. et ad nodulum penultimum)
ramosi; ramis cauli similibus, plerumque fasciculatis. Internodia inferior» modo exserta modó vagina breviora. Articulus
summus demum plerumque longe exsertüs. F olia tenuià,'striatula, anguste lineari-lanceolata, siccitate plus minusve involute,
supra scabro-puberula et sæpe pilis longis albidis plus minusve copiosis hirsute ; subtus glabra et lævigata ; inferiora 2-4 pollices
longa; superiora breviora; summa plerumque filiformia, 4-6 lineas longa. V aginæ involutæ, herbaceæ, lævigatæ, plus
minusve hirsutæ, striatæ, pleræque subteretes adpressæ, summæ plus minusve ventricosæ etlaxæ. L igula ad barbulam densam
setularum brévium redacta. R acemi 1/2-2 pollices longi, terminales, solitarii, interrupti, quasi simplices, secundi, erecti,
plus minusve flexuosi, exserti (saltern deflorati), e glomerulis.4r9compositi. Glomeruli breve peduuculati, solitarii, altérai
(præfloratione distichiet erecti, postea patentes v. deflexi, pedunculorum circumflexione secundi), invicem remoti (rhacheos
primariæ internodiis subæquilongi v. paulo longiores), hirsutissimi, glumarum aristis longe exsertis quasi pappo 7 - 1 i-setoso
coronati, circumscriptione turbinati. R hachis primaria continua, subnodulosa, cartilaginea, filiformis, flexuosa, compressa,
ad pedunculorum insertionem excavata et in appendiculum obtusum dcntiformem product», marginibus scabra (sub lente
serrulato-ciliolata), cætero glabra ; internodia 2-4 lineas longa, süblinearia, ante glomerulum concavo-plana, dorso canaliculate;
internodium-terminale abbreviatum (vix 1 lineam longum), planum, obtusum, spiculis orbatum. P edunculi glome-
rclorum 1/2-1 lineam longi, crassiusculi, plus minusve arcuati, setulis brevissimis rigidis albidis latis dense hirtelli, apice articulai
. Spiculæ cujusve glomeruli ad.rhachin-secundariam abbreviatam (1/2-1 1/2 lineam longam) dense setosam flexuosam
6 v. 7 .approximation al tern æ, subsessiles, distichæ, racemulum contractum densum sistentes, biformes : spiculæ nempe duæ
infiraæ majorés perfectæ trifloræ (flore infimo fertili bipaleaceo triandro hermaphrodite ; flore proxime sequente infimo con-
formi at minori et masculp v. neutro ; flore summo tabescente minimo unipaleaceo), gluma bivalvi præditæ; spiculæ 4 v. 5
superiores minutæ stériles i- v . 2-floræ (floribus omnibus neutris, sæpissirae unipaleaceis, in spiculis summis minimis), gluma
ad valvam inferiorem redacta. Interdum glomeruli spicula infima sola fertilis est: tune proxime sequens spicula conformis
quidem observatur spiculæ basilari, loco autem floris hermaphroditi masculo flore instruitur. Flores spicularum fertilium
ad rhachillam filiformem gluma breviorem glabram basi incrassatam supeme attenuatam remote altérai, distichi; flos infimus
subbasilaris; flos proxime sequens quasi stipitatus; flos labescens rhachillæ articulum supremum terminans. F lores spicularum
sterilium subsessiles in axilla glumæ et rhacheos glomeruli. Gluma-persistens, bivalvis ubi perfecte (3 1/2-4 lineas adjectis
aristis longa), univalvis (ad valvam inferiorem redacta) in spiculis cujusve glomeruli superioribus (2-2 1/2 lineas adjecta
arista longa). V alvæ coriaceæ, rigidæ, subdivergentes, cum glomèruli rhachi propria continuæ, æquilateræ, uninerviæ,
ecarinatæ, subæquilongæ, subuniiaterales (quoad glomeruli rhachin propriam externæ, altera tarnen inferior, altera paululo
altius inserta), dissimiles, facie glabræ, dorso ad latera setis elongatis inæqualibus pluriserialibns coloratis (violaceis v. atro-
violaceis) dense hispidæ (quasi plumosæ) intermixtis setulis parcioribus glanduliferis, apice in aristam setaceo-subulatam
elongatam (ipsa valva subtriplo longiorem) scabram coloratam (violaceam v. atroviolaceam) basi sua plumoso-setosam
protractæ. V alva inferior florum et valvæ superioris respectusubtransverse posita, planiuscula, immarginata, lineari-subulata,
apice integerrima, arista plus minusve geniculate. V alva superior subbrevior valva inferiori et ob marginem hyalino-mem-
branaceum glaberrimum inflexum subtriplo latior, concava, oblonga, apice obtuse bilobulata, arista recta. Glumellæ palee
chartaceo-membranaceæ, semi-pellucidæ, albidæ, inæquales, dissimiles. Palea-externa major (circiter 2 lineas longa), concava,
ovalis, trinervia (nervis filiformibus, æqualibus),.nervo medio carinnlata, facie glabra, dorso undique glandulis subglo-
bosis stipitulatis hirtella, apice cuspidato-trifida : lacinulis e latiori basi subulatis, mucronatis, inæqualibus (media lateralibus
plus minusve longiori at angustiori), ciliolatis. P alea interna (floribus neutris sæpissime deficiens) paululo brevior palea
externa, lanceolato-oblonga, carinato-binervia (carinis immarginatis, setulis glanduliferis ciliolatis), extrorsum subcompli