WEST INDIAN GRASSES DESCRIBED BY SWARTZ. 141 
Panicum hirsutum Sw. I'l. Ind. Occ. 1: 173. 1797. 
The type specimen from “Jamaica, Swartz’’ is, as described by Swartz, a robust 
plant with appressed-hirsute sheaths and a large, somewhat compact panicle about 
20 cm. long, with glabrous acute spikelets about 2 mm. long. Pringle no, 5573 from 
Mexico is the same. 
Panicum kalmii Sw. Adnot. Bot. 6. 1829, 
The type specimen, from Kalm marked 9. kali and also P. heterophyllum, is Pani- 
cum sphaerocarpon Ell.¢ 
Panicum compactum Sw. Adnot. Bot. 14. 1829. 
The type specimen is from Jamaica, snd belongs to this species as described by 
Grisebach.® Grisebach describes this as a new species “Sw. Herb.,’’ overlooking 
the description by Wikstrém in the Adnotationes cited above, There is an earlier 
P. compactum Wit.,¢ but this is mentioned as a synonym under Panicum germanicum 
and hence, not being actually published, is not a valid name. Ido not find that 
Kitaibel’s name was taken up before the publication of P. compactum Swartz. 
Milium compressum Sw. Prod. 24. 1788. 
No specimen of this could be found, but the excellent description of Swartz in his 
Florad leaves no room for doubt. It is the common pasture grass of the West Indies 
called Paspalum compressum Rasp. and Anastrophus compressus Schlecht. The char- 
acters of the species and its allies seem sufficiently distinct from Paspalum to warrant 
the segregation of the group as a genus. Schlechtendahl suggested for it the name 
Anastrophus. Axonopus Beauv. has been rejected by some authors on account of the 
dubious characters assigned to it; and has been accepted by others for diverse groups, 
usually centered around Panicum cimicinum Retz. Beauvoisé assigns four species to 
this new genus, none of which he figures: Milium compressum, M. digitatum, M. cimi- 
cinum, M. paniceum, Inanote he mentions another species, Aronopus aureus, which he 
characterizes very briefly, and which he says seems to him asif it ought to belong to that 
genus. He complicates matters somewhat by placing the mark of doubt in the index 
after all the species of this genus except A. aureus. The type of the genus must be 
spikelet, convex, prominently 5-nerved, sterile Jemma as long as s spikelet, flat « on 
back, prominently 5-nerved, the first pair of nerves forming the angle of the incurved 
edges, the second pair of nerves near the margin, sterile floret with three stamens and 
a well-developed palea as long as the lemma, fertile lemma and palea minutely rough- 
ened but not rugose, the former bearing a prominent apiculation about 0.5 mm, long, 
Low moist places on the plains of Mexico, 
Specimens examined: 
Pringle 9592, Federal District, Cerro de Guadaloupe, altitude 2,770 meters, August 
19, 1901; Palmer 533, 254; Conzatti & Gonzales 348; Bourgeau 222,439; Nelson 
in 1893; Pringle 375. 
Besides these specimens which are in the National Herbarium | have examined the 
following cited by Fournier under P. caespitosum (Mex. Pl. 2: 18. 1886): Bourgeau 679, 
Berlandier 575, 795, Lichmann 382, Schaffner 190, 317, Virlet 1309, 
The type specimen is no, 156925 of the U. 8, National Herbarium (Pringle’s 9592). 
The genus Brachiaria was established by Grisebach (in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. 4: 469. 
1853) with a single species, B. erucaeformis (Sibth.) Griseb., which is the type, 
Brachiaria differs from Panicum chiefly in having spikelets so placed that the fertile 
floret stands with its palea toward the axis, i. e., with the first glume toward the 
axis. The spikelets are subsessile in one-sided racemes, these racemose on an clon- 
gated axis, 
a4 Bot. 8. C. & Ga. 1: 125. 1816. @¥]. Ind. Oce, 1: 183. 1797 
bFI. Brit. W. Ind. 552. 1864. é Agrost. 12. 1812. 
¢In Schultes, Oester. Fl. ed. 2.1: 212. 1814, 
