200 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Vernal form grayish olive green, cespitose; culms slender, strongly flattened, erect, 
or reclining, 50 to 100 cm. high; sheaths glabrous or the lowermost sparsely papillose- 
pilose, soon becoming divaricate and enveloping the internodes only at base; blades at 
first erect, later widely spreading, glabrous, 5 to 8 cm. long, 3 to 7 mm. wide; panicles 
narrow, 5 to 6 cm. long, the branches ascending 
or somewhat spreading, not spikelet-bearing at 
the base; spikelets 2.5 mm. long, 1.1 mm. wide, 
elliptic; first glume nearly half the length of the 
spikelet, subacute; second glume and _ sterile 
lemma strongly nerved, minutely pubescent. to- 
ward the summit or glabrous, the glume shorter 
than the fruit; fruit 2 mm. long, 1 to 1.1 mm. 
wide, elliptic, subobtuse. 
Fig. 203.—P. sphagnicola. From Autumnal form decumbent or finally prostrate- 
type specimen. spreading, divaricately branching from all the 
nodes, the branches slender and elongated, some- 
times rooting at the nodes; sheaths divaricately spreading from the stem, usually 
nearly as long as the blades; blades flat, reduced in length but not much in width, 
mostly 1 to 2 cm. long, or on the ultimate branchlets only 5 mm. long and 1 mm, 
wide; panicles rather few, reduced to a few short-pediceled spikelets; basal blades 4 
to 8 cm. long, about 1 cm. wide, sometimes sparsely pilose at base. 
This species is readily distinguished in the autumnal form by its slender, widely- 
spreading branches and divaricate sheaths. At this stage the primary sheath may 
subtend two branches, each with its conspicuous prophyllum, 5 to 15 mm. long, 
ciliate on the keels and bearing a tuft of hairs at the acuminate tip. The leaf of the 
second branch is much reduced and inclosed in the base of the primary sheath. 
Panicum lucidum, the only other spe- 
cies with a like autumnal habit, is 
much more slender, more leafy, and 
bright green and shining, and has 
smaller long-pediceled spikelets. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
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Georata: Darien, Biltmore Herb. FIG, 204.—Distribution of P. sphagnicola. 
5066 e (Biltmore Herb.). 
Fioripa: Lake City, Bitting 18, Combs 73, Hitchcock 1006, Nash 2500; Sanford, 
Chase 4039; Levy County, Combs 838; eastern Florida, Palmer 633 in 1874 
(Gray Herb.). 
Edges of cypress swamps, in sphag- 
num bogs, and in similar moist, shady 
places, southern Georgia and Florida. 
Spreta.—Culms tufted, rather stiff, mostly glabrous or nearly so; ligules densely 
hairy, 3 to 5 mm. long; blades not over 8 mm. wide; spikelets 1 to 1.6 mm. 
long, pubescent or rarely glabrous, second glume and sterile lemma 5 to 
7nerved. Autumnal form with more or less tufted branchlets and much 
reduced leaves and panicles. 
Panicle narrow, one-fourth to one-third as wide as long... . . 116. P. spretum. 
Panicle open, two-thirds as wide as long, or more. 
Spikelets 1.5 mm. long... .....2..22....-.222.20.0000ee 117. P. lindheimert. 
