134 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
”6. Panicum costaricense Hack. 
Panicum costaricense Hack. Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 51: 428. 1901. ‘‘Costarica: 
Inter Buenos Aires et Térraba (Pittier 3636); in silva prope Térraba (3673), in vir- 
gultis ad Rio Ceibo (4860).’”’ The first specimen cited, which is taken as the type, is 
in the Brussels Herbarium, and was examined by Hackel, but is not in his own herba- 
rium. The two other specimens are in Hackel’s herbarium. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Plants apparently annual; culms slender, erect, 0.5 to 1 meter high, sparingly 
branched, striate, glabrous or minutely pubescent; sheaths much shorter than the 
elongated internodes, papillose-pilose to glabrate, ciliate at 
least toward the summit; ligules membranaceous, ciliate, 
about 0.5 mm. long; blades 5 to 10 cm. long, 6 to 12 mm. 
wide, narrowed toward the base, long-acuminate, very sparsely 
pilose on both surfaces or glabrate; panicles ovoid in outline, 
10 to 15 em. long, about two-thirds as wide, loosely flowered, 
the slender, flexuous branches ascending or spreading, bear- 
ing delicate branchlets throughout, the scattered spikelets 
on capillary, flexuous pedicels; spikelets 2.4 mm. long, 0.7 
Fi. 129.—P. costaricense, 1. wide, elliptic, acute, rather strongly nerved; first glume 
From type specimen. nearly half the length of the spikelet, acute, hirsute toward 
the margin; second glume and sterile lemmasub qual, pointed 
beyond the fruit, hirsute toward the margin and with very minute papill bordering 
the nerves; fruit 1.7 mm. long, 0.6 mm. wide, elliptic, smooth and shining, the 
margins of the lemma near the base each bowed out into a little angle, giving a 
somewhat auricled appearance. 
The somewhat auricled base of the fruit in this species suggests an approach to 
species of Ichnanthus. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Forests, Costa Rica. 
Costa Rica: Buenos Aires, Pittier 3661, Tonduz 4860; Cordoncillal, Pittier 3640; 
Boruca, Pittier 4626; Térraba, Tonduz 3673. 
Panicum expansum Fourn.,@ the type specimen of which, Liebmann’s no. 426 from 
Huitamalco, Mexico, in the Copenhagen Herbarium, was examined at Halle, is appar- 
ently closely related to P. costaricense. The fruit has the same auricled or angled base, 
but the spikelets are slightly larger and glabrous, and the blades are glabrous. Lieb- 
mann’s no. 427 in the same herbarium is the only other specimen of this species we 
have seen. For the satisfactory placing of this species more material is needed. 
77. Panicum parvifolium Lam. 
Panicum parvifolium Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 1: 173. 1791, The only specimen men- 
tioned is “Ex Amer. merid. Communic. D. Richard.’ The type, in the Lamarck 
Herbarium, labeled, ‘“‘ill. gen. ex D. Richard,”’ is a single slender culm. 
Panicum. brasiliense Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1: 321. 1825. ‘‘Brasil. (P.ascendens W. 
herb.) In the Willdenow Herbarium is a specimen of P. parvifolium labeled, 
“Panicum adscendens. Brasil. Hoffmansegg,’? which is evidently the specimen 
referred to by Sprengel, and is the type of P. brasiliense. 
Panicum ascendens Willd.; Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1: 321. 1825. This is given asa 
synonym of P. brasiliense of which it is a typonym. 
Panicum adscendens Hoffmgg.; Ind. Kew. 2: 410. 1894. This is listed with the 
reference “ex Schult. Mant. 2: 592,”’ but this is evidently an error, since the Mantissa 
« Mex. Pl. 2: 26. 1886. 
