HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 37 
DESCRIPTION. 
Plants spreading, usually prostrate, or with a decumbent base, rooting at the lower 
nodes; culms slender, usually freely branching, ascending 10 to 30 cm. above the 
decumbent or creeping base, glabrous, the nodes usually puberulent; sheaths 
loose, glabrous, densely ciliate, shorter than the inter- 
nodes; ligule a dense ring of hairs 1 mm. long or less; 
blades lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.5 to 6 cm. long, 
4 to 12 mm. wide, cordate, glabrous or puberulent on 
both surfaces, the white, undulate margin hispid- 
scabrous, ciliate at base with long, stiff hairs; inflores- 
cence finally long-exserted, 2 to 6 cm. long, consist- 
Fig. 17.—P. reptans. From type ing of 3 to 12 spike-like, ascending or spreading racemes 
specimen of P. prostratum Lam. ®tranged along a main axis; racemes solitary or some- 
times somewhat fascicled, the upper approximate and 
shorter, the lower rather distant and 2 or 3 cm. long; rachises and pedicels scabrous 
and usually sparsely pilose with long, weak hairs; spikelets borne on one side of the 
rachis, irregularly and rather densely clustered, on pubescent pedicels 1 mm. or less 
in length, elliptic, 1.9 to 2 mm. long, 0.9 to 1 mm. wide, acute, glabrous; first glume 
about one-sixth the length of the spikelet, rounded or truncate; second glume and 
sterile lemma slightly exceeding the fruit, strongly 5 to 7-nerved; fruit 1.7 mm. long, 
0.8 mm. wide, elliptic, apiculate. 
Asa whole this species is very uniform, but the long hairs on the secondary rachises 
and pedicels are sometimes wanting. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Moist open ground and a frequent weed in waste places and cultivated soil, Florida 
to Texas, Mexico, and the West Indies, south to northern South America; also in the 
tropical regions of the Eastern Hemi- 
sphere. 
Fioripa: Apalachicola, Biltmore 
Distr. Chapman Herb. 4276 
(Gray Herb.). 
ALABAMA: Mobile, Mohr in 1884. 
Louisiana: Pointe a la Hache, 
Langlois 45 in 1882, 154 in 
1883; Burnside, Combs 1431; 
New Orleans, Ridell in 1840; 
Algiers, Tracy 1837. 
Texas: Columbia, Bush 266, 1296; 
Industry, Wurzlow 6; Houston, 
Thurow 21 in 1903; Pierce, Tracy 7387; Lynchburg, Joor 39 in 1884; without 
locality, Nealley in 1884 and 1888. 
Mexico: Cuicatlan, Nelson 1622. . 
Cusa: Habana, Curtiss 691, Hitchcock 146, Leén 276, 292, 297, 566, 576, 906, 910c; 
Madruga, Curtiss 536; San Antonio, /itchcock 145; Herradura, Tracy 9103; 
Cienfuegos, Pringle 73; Baracoa, Pollard, Palmer & Palmer 19; La Magdalena, 
Earle & Baker 2455; Santiago, Leén 910; Guayabal, Leén 910b; without local- 
ity, Wright 3857. 
Jamaica: Hope, Harris 6845; Gordon Town, Hart 838. 
Porro Rico: Guanica, Millspaugh Pl. Utow. 726, Sintenis 3368; Salinas de Cabo, 
Sintenis 847; Coamo Springs, Goll 662; Ponce, Heller 497. 
DanisH West INnp1Es: St. Croix, Ricksecker 77; St. Thomas, Eggers 293 (Hitch- 
cock Herb.). 
Fig, 18.—Distribution of P. reptans. 
