HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—-NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 189 
108. Panicum boreale Nash. 
Panicum boreale Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 22: 421. 1895. ‘‘Moist soil, New- 
foundland and Ontario to New York, Vermont and Minnesota. This plant was first 
noted by the writer in 1893 in the Catskill Mts., near Cairo, N. Y.”’ The type in 
Nash’s herbarium consists of several vernal culms with nearly mature panicles; the 
lower sheaths sparsely papillose-pubescent at least toward the summit, the lower and 
middle nodes bear a few reflexed hairs. The label reads: ‘‘Panicum boreale Nash., 
n.sp. Moist soil, Cairo, Greene Co., N.Y. Alt. 1400 ft. Coll: Geo. V. Nash, June 
28, 1893.” 
DESCRIPTION. 
Vernal form cespitose, the culms erect, or in shaded places sometimes decumbent 
at base, usually 30 to 50 cm. high, the nodes glabrous or sometimes with a few hairs; 
sheaths often overlapping, ciliate on the margin, glabrous, or the lower sparsely 
pubescent; blades erect, or in laxer forms spreading, sparsely ciliate at the rounded 
base, otherwise glabrous, 6 to 12 cm. long, 7 to 12 mm. wide; panicles loosely rather few- 
flowered, 5 to 10 cm. long, hardly as wide, the branches ascending or spreading; 
spikelets 2 to 2.2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, elliptic, 
subacute, pubescent; first glume one-third as long as 
the spikelet or less; second glume and sterile lemma 
subequal, the glume scarcely as long as the fruit at 
maturity; fruit 1.9 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, elliptic, 
subacute. 
Autumnal form erect, sparingly branched from all 
the nodes in late summer, the branches erect, the 
leaves and panicles not greatly reduced. 
A weak form with geniculate base and lax spread- 
ing blades occurs in Maine, and is represented by 
Fernald 512 and 516, and Chase 3355. One specimen, Chase 3437, is unusual in having 
blades that are puberulent beneath. Two specimens from northern Indiana, Bebb 
2030 and 2831, and a specimen from Wisconsin, Cheney 2100, have stouter culms 
and more compact and more numerously flowered panicles. A specimen from De- 
troit, Mich., Farwell 1425, is referred to this species doubtfully because of the 
pubescence on the back of the joint between the blade and the sheath and because 
of the sparse papillose-pubescence on the under surface of the blades and on some 
of the sheaths. It resembles P. mattamuskeetense in habit, but the nodes are 
glabrous and it is far out of the range of that species. A specimen from Rockville 
Center, Long Island, Bicknell in 1903, is doubtfully referred here. 
Fig. 189.—P. boreale. From type 
specimen. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Moist open ground or woods, Newfoundland to New Jersey and west to northern 
Indiana and Minnesota. 
NEWFOUNDLAND: Exploits River, Robinson & Schrenk 222. 
Nova Scotia: Windsor, Macoun 29349; without locality, Burgess 16. 
New Brunswick: Fredericton, Fowler in 1892; Miramichi, Fowler in 1892. 
QueEBEc: Montmorenci Falls, Macoun 69204 (Gray Herb.). 
MainE: Dover, Fernald 239, 514; Orono, Fernald 513, 516, 517; Holden, Knight 
60, 61; North Berwick, Parlin 1029, 1187; Brownsville, Parlin 1701, 1738, 
1744; Canton, Parlin 20138, 2034; St. Francis, Fernald 505, Knight 58; Farm, 
ington, Fernald 512; Hartford, Parlin 1423; Cumberland, Chamberlain 336- 
793; Cape Elizabeth, Chase 3458; Chesterville, Chase 3277, 3355, 3437, 3443; 
Mount Desert Island, Redfield in 1893. 
