es are as in the male spikelets, but larger.
The third is paleate, empty. The fourth glume has a female flower. The
lodicules are large and nerved. Styles are long, free, with short,
feathery stigmas. Grain free within the hardened glumes.

=Spinifex squarrosus, _L._=

A perennial littoral dioecious grass forming bushes. Stems are glaucous,
smooth, solid, woody, thick below, freely branching, 5 to 10 feet long
or more.

The _leaf-sheath_ is smooth, imbricating, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long. The
_ligule_ is a row of stiff long hairs.

The _leaf-blade_ is narrow, rigid, thickly coriaceous, concavo-convex
tapering from the base to the tip, spreading and recurved, 4 to 6 inches
long.

The _male inflorescence_ consists of several spikes, 1 to 3 inches long,
forming umbels, with membranous leafy spathaceous bracts which are
shorter than the spikes.

The _spikelets_ are usually 2-flowered, smooth, articulate on short
peduncles, distichous, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long.

There are four _glumes_. The _first glume_ is shorter than the second,
ovate, obtuse, 7- to 9-nerved. The _second glume_ is similar to the
first, but longer. The _third_ and the _fourth glumes_ are longer than
the second glume, 5- to 7-nerved, paleate and triandrous; _palea_ of
both are lanceolate with ciliate keels.

[Illustration: Fig. 105.--Spinifex squarrosus.

Male plant--1. A branch with the male inflorescence; 2. a spike; 3. a
spikelet; 4, 5, 6 and 7. the first, second, third and the fourth glume,
respectively; 6a. palea of the third glume; 6b. extra palea like
structure found occasionally in the palea of the third glume; 7a. palea
and lodicules of the fourth glume.]

The _female inflorescence_ is a large globose head consisting of short
spikelets articulate at the very base of the rachis, short bracts and
very long, spreading, rigid rod-like rachises. The _spikelets_ are
solitary with four glumes and 2-flowered. The _first glume_ is
oblong-lanceolate, many-nerved, longer than the other glumes. The
_second glume_ is shorter, 7-nerved. The _third glume_ is empty,
5-nerved. The _fourth glume_ is ovate-lanceolate and abruptly narrowed
above the middle, 5-nerved and paleate, palea is shorter than the glume
but broader, 2-nerved and acute. _Lodicules_ are two, large, cuneate at
base and strongly nerved. _Stigmas_ are oblong. Grain is clavate and
tipped by the style base.

This grass grows luxuriantly in the sands near the sea on both the
coasts of the Ma