54 TRIANDRIA. DIGYNIA, z 
‘ \ 
| Of these, besides what wehave enumerated, New Holland | 
- affords 32 new species, according to Mr. Brown, besides 
several others common to various quarters of the world. 
In Great Britain it is doubtful if there be a single indige- 
nous species of this genus, if we except the P. Crus-galli, 
which may, however, have been introduced from the con- 
tinent of Europe. Desfontaines describes 8 species in 
Barbary, of which only 2 are peculiarly indigenous, the 
P. debile and P. Numidianum, the other 6 are equally 
common to the South of Europe, but of these there are 
only 3 which correctly appertain to the present genus. 
Neafly all the other Panicums are pretty equally divided 
betwixt India and America within the Northern tropic, 
particularly the West India islands. In Jamaica there is 
a shrubby s cies, the P. divaricatum, and in India 2- 
others, viz. the P. arborescens and the P. curvatum. The 
P. Milium or Millet, now cultivated in the South of Eu- 
~» rope, is also from India. From this view, itis evident that 
the genus Panicum, generally speaking, belongs to the 
tropical regions; hence we finc this genus to increase 
upon us in America, as we proceed through the southern 
states, where they are often in such abundance as locally 
toexclude almost every other grass; still we find many 
species of this genus in the United States, extending to, 
and some even greatly beyond, the 40th degree of North™ 
30. PENNISETUM, Richard, (Some species 
of Panicum of £.) (Bristly Panick-grass.) 
—__Involucrum composed of many sete (or bris- 
thes.) Caliax 2-valved, valves unequal, 2-flower- 
ed; one of the flowers hermaphrodite, the other 
_ Masculine (or rarely neuter) both sessile. 
_. (Flowers spiked, polygamous.) 
owe Spikes simple or compounded; partial involucrum, com- 
_ posed of several deeply divided yo arate bristles, in- 
_ Cluding 1 or 3 flowers, many of the flowers abortive; in 
some oo, a bristle at the base of each em- 
_ bryon flower whether perfect or abortive. Most of the 
foreign species, on which the name was founded, have an 
3 involucram ‘um of two kinds of seta, a tew of the lower ones, 
~ (as in P. orientale) being longer and plumose. 
_ _ Species. 1. P. _— (Panicum Cenchroides of Mr. _ 
- Elliott, but this name being already adopted in the pre- 
| Sent genus, a change becomes necessury: very nearly wl 
~ 
