HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 237 
ALABAMA: Auburn, Karle & Baker 1522, 1537, Hitchcock 1331, 1336; Gateswood, 
Tracy 8426 in part; Flomaton, Hitchcock 1048. 
Mississippi: Biloxi, Hitchcock 1080; Mississippi City, Hitchcock 1090, 1096, 1112, 
Kearney 301 in part. 
Mexico: San Luis Potosf, Schaffner 146. 
139. Panicum ovale Ell. 
Panicum ovale Ell. Bot. 8. C. & Ga, 1: 123, 1816. ‘‘Grows in Carolina and Georgia. 
Sent from St. Mary’s, Georgia, by Dr. Baldwin.’’ The type, in the Elliott Herbarium, 
consists of the upper portion of a vernal culm with two leaves and an immature panicle 
included at base, the culm and sheaths densely pilose with ascending hairs, the blades 
long pilose along the margin. The ticket attached to this specimen reads: ‘‘ Panicum 
Ovale. Hab. St. Mary’s Georg. Dr. Baldwin.’’ Another vernal culm with immature 
panicle mounted on the same sheet belongs to P. commutatum. To the culm is at- 
tached a slip marked ‘‘64” but with no data. Since Dr. Baldwin’s is the only speci- 
men cited, the one with the Baldwin label must be considered the type, though 
Elliott’s description seems to show he had the two confused. 
Panicum ciliiferum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 24: 195. 1897. ‘Type collected by 
the writer in the ‘high pine land’ at Eustis, Lake Co., Florida, March 12-31, 1894, 
no. 147.’’ The type, in Nash’s herbarium, is the vernal form with an old autumnal 
culm attached. The spikelets are 2.8 mm. long. In a note following the description 
Nash states that after having examined a specimen named P. ovale by Elliott he con- 
siders P. ciliiferum as distinct. The specimen referred to is in the Torrey Herbarium, 
and is labeled Panicum ovale Elliott, ‘‘From Elliott.’’ This is a puberulent narrow- 
leaved form of P. commutatum, and is the form described in Small’s Flora as P. ovale. 
Panicum erythrocarpon Ashe, Journ. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 16: 90. 1900. ‘‘The type 
material was collected by the writer on the sand hills of New Hanover county, N. C., 
May 19, 1899.”’ The type, in Ashe’s herbarium, is the vernal form, labeled, ‘‘Shady 
slopes on the sand hills one mile north of Wilmington [New Hanover County], N. C.”’ 
DESCRIPTION. 
Vernal plants light olive green; culms densely tufted, 20 to 50 cm. high, erect or 
ascending, rather stout, long-pilose below with ascending or appressed hairs, often 
nearly glabrous above, usually leafy at the base, the nodes densely bearded with short 
spreading hairs; sheaths shorter than the internodes or the lower overlapping, ascend- 
ing-pilose, the upper less densely so, rarely 
nearly glabrous; ligules composed of a ring of 
hairs about 1 mm. long with a second sparse 
ring 2 to 3 mm. long above it; blades firm, 
ascending, 6 to 10 cm. long, 5 to 10 mm. wide 
(the uppermost much smaller), sharply acumi- 
nate, rounded at base, the upper surface usually 
nearly glabrous except for long hairs on or near 
the margin and base thus giving the blades the 
appearance of being strongly ciliate, these hairs 
occasionally wanting except at the base, the 
lower surface appressed-pubescent; panicles 
usually short-exserted, 5 to 9 cm. long, about as wide when fully expanded, the 
lower branches finally spreading, rarely drooping; spikelets 2.7 to 2.9 mm. long, 1.3 
mm. wide, oblong-elliptic, obtuse, pilose, sometimes rather sparsely so; first glume 
one-third to nearly half the length of the spikelet, usually pointed; second glume 
Fig. 251—P, ovale. From type specimen. 
“Jl, Southeast. U. 8S. 102. 1903. 
