HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 155 
84. Panicum linearifolium Scribn. 
Panicum linearifolium Scribn. in Britt. & Brown, Illust. Fl. 3: 500. f. 268a. June, 
1898. ‘Dry soil, especially hillsides, New York and New Jersey to Missouri.” This 
was again published @ as ‘‘n. sp.’’ a few days later. ‘‘ New England, southward to Vir- 
ginia and westward to Texas.’’ Both descriptions state that the sheaths are glabrous 
or pilose, both illustrations indicate pilose sheaths. The type, in the National Her- 
barium, is marked ‘“P. linearifolium Scribn. Type.” in Scribner’s handwriting, and 
is labeled ‘‘ Washington, D. C., Vasey, 1882,’’ but was probably collected in Maryland, 
along the Potomac northwest of Washington, where this species is frequent in rocky 
woods. The specimen is a tuft of culms 30 to 40 cm. high, with pilose sheaths, mature 
primary panicles, and much reduced, nearly hidden secondary ones. The spikelets 
are 2.2 to 2.4 mm. long. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Vernal form light green, in dense tufts, often surrounded by the withered, persistent, 
more or less curled leaves of the previous year, the culms readily separating, 20 to 45 
cm. high, very slender, erect, spreading or almost drooping at the summit, glabrous, 
minutely puberulent or rarely pilose; sheaths usually equaling or exceeding the inter- 
nodes, sparsely to densely papillose-pilose, the papillee often obscure; blades elongated 
and erect, usually overtopping the panicles until maturity, 10 to 35 cm. long (the 
lower shorter), 2 to 4 mm. wide, scabrous on both surfaces or often pubescent on the 
lower, rarely on the upper surface, usually ciliate near the base with long hairs; pani- 
cles finally long-exserted, 5 to 10 cm. long, half to two-thirds as wide, rather few- 
flowered, the scabrous, flexuous branches re- 
mote, ascending; spikelets 2.2 to 2.7 mm. long, 
1.3 to 1.5 mm. wide, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, 
sparsely pilose with weak, spreading hairs; first 
glume one-fourth to one-third the length of the 
spikelet, obtuse, or pointed by the inrolling 
of the margins; second glume and sterile lem- 
ma equal and equaling the fruit at maturity; 
fruit 2 to 2.1 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, oval, 
obscurely umbonate at the summit. Fig. 140.—P. linearifolium. From 
Autumnal form similar, the reduced sec- type specimen. 
ondary panicles produced on short basal 
branches mostly concealed in the tuft of basal leaves, 
While the typical form of this species is quite distinct from P. depauperatum, occa- 
sional specimens, such as the following, seem to be intermediate between the two: 
Burnham 24, Bush 1555, 4734; Hitchcock Pl. Kans. 880; Plank 40. In these the spike- 
lets are about 3 mm. long and sometimes obscurely short-pointed. 
The following specimens have the sheaths glabrous or nearly so and approach the 
closely allied P. werneri: Bissell 5541, Bush 4411A, Deam, Wells County, Indiana, in 
1901, Hitchcock 598, Pollard, Washington, D. C., in 1897, Rose & Painter 8153. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Dry woods, Maine to Kansas, south to Georgia and Texas. 
Marne: Chesterville, Chase 3326; Fayette, Chase 3393; Canton, Parlin 1971. 
Vermont: Barnet, Blanchard in 1888; Burlington, Hitchcock 598, 
Massacuusetts: Williamstown, Churchill in 1901. 
Connecticut: Southington, Andrews 49, Bissell 5541, 5542; Fairfield, Hames in 
1895. 
a Scribn. U.S. Dept. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 11: 42. pl. 1. July 20, 1898. 
