238. NORTH AMERICAN FLORA [Volumb 17 



Plants apparently perennial, decumbent or creeping at base; culms slender, rather freely 



branching, ascending, pubescent in lines or glabrate, the nodes bearded; leaf-sheaths short, 



softly pubescent or glabrate; ligule ciliate, about 0.3 mm. long; blades thin, spreading, 1.5-4 



cm. long, 4—15 mm. wide, rather abruptly acuminate, asymmetrically subcordate; panicles 



oblong, 2-12 cm. long, rarely more than 2 cm. wide, the racemes 5-15 mm. long, all about the 



same length, ascending or finally spreading, distant or approximate toward the summit ;.spikelets 



1.8-2 mm. long, about 0.8 mm. wide, turgid but not thicker than wide, hispid, the hairs longer 



toward the margin; first glume one third to half the length of the spikelet, acute, 3-nerved; 



second glume and sterile lemma subequal, acute, the latter bearing at either side of the midnerve 



a crateriform gland, the sterile palea about three fourths as long as its lemma; fruit 1.3 mm. 



long, 0.6 mm. wide, rather blunt. 



Type locality: Near Rio Janeiro, Brazil. 

 Distribution: Martinique; southern Mexico to Brazil. 

 Illustrations: Trm. Ic. pi. 178; Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: /. 116. 



77. Panicum biglandulare Scribn. & Smith, Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. 



Agrost. 4: 13. 1897. 



Culms ascending from a decumbent base, becoming spreading and much-branched, 



somewhat compressed, the line of pubescence sparse or wanting; leaf-sheaths densely papillose- 



ciliate, otherwise glabrous; blades 4-10 cm. long, 10-18 mm. wide, lanceolate, acuminate, 



narrowed to the rounded base, more or less pilose on both surfaces; panicles 5-12 cm. long, the 



few distant racemes 0.8-2 cm. long, ascending or finally spreading; spikelets 3.6 mm. long, 



about 1 mm. wide, pointed; first glume scarcely one third the length of the spikelet, hispid along 



the midnerve and margin; second glume shorter than the sterile lemma, 7-nerved, hispid, the 



hairs longer toward the summit and margin, the sterile lemma 5 -nerved, hispidulous and along 



the margins hispid, bearing at either side of the midnerve a crateriform gland, these more 



prominent than in P. pulchellum, the sterile palea nearly as long as its lemma, hispidulous; 



fruit 2.4 mm. long, 0.7 mm. wide, elliptic, minutely stipitate. 



Type locality: Pinabete, Chiapas. 



Distribution: Chiapas and Guatemala. 



Illustrations: Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. Agrost. 4: pi. 4; Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: /. 117. 



78. Panicum virgultorum Hack. Oesterr. Bot. Zeits. 51: 369. 1901. 



Plants perennial, ascending from a decumbent or sometimes a widely creeping base, 

 branching and rooting at the lower, geniculate nodes; culms slender, wiry, 0.4^1 meter or more 

 long, compressed, glabrous, or pubescent below the nodes; nodes pubescent or glabrous; leaf- 

 sheaths often as long as the internodes, usually short-ciliate, otherwise glabrous or the lower- 

 most pubescent; ligule membranaceous; blades 5-10 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, narrowly lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate, narrowed to the base, scabrous on the upper surface, smooth and glossy 

 beneath; panicles mostly long-exserted, 2.5-7 cm. long, half to two thirds as wide, the 2-4 

 branches ascending, compactly flowered except at the base, or the lower sometimes naked one 

 third its length, the short branchlets and pedicels pubescent; spikelets 1.6 mm. long, 0.9 mm. 

 wide ; first glume less than one fourth the length of the spikelet ; second glume and sterile lemma 

 equal, 5-nerved; fruit 1.5 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, oval, smooth and shining but with sparse, 

 long, appressed, silky hairs. 



Type locality: Near Alajuelito, Costa Rica. 

 Distribution: Southern Mexico to Panama. 

 Illustration: Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: /, 118. 



Schmitzii 



1902. 



Plants perennial, ascending, or erect from a long- jointed, creeping base, rooting 

 and branching from the nodes of the decumbent portion, the suberect branches 20-45 cm. high, 

 simple or nearly so ; culms puberulent at least below the puberulent nodes ; leaf -sheaths short, 

 puberulent, at least toward the summit; ligule cilia'te; blades 6-10 cm. long, 10-18 mm. wide, 

 lanceolate, more or less falcate, narrowed to the rounded base, sparsely papillose-hispid on the 

 upper surface, glabrous or with a few scattered papillae or hairs beneath; panicles rather short- 



