Part 3, 1915] POACEA3 251 



Vernal phase cespitose; culms erect, or sometimes geniculate at base, 30- or usually 60-100 

 cm. high, the nodes densely bearded with reflexed hairs; leaf-sheaths glabrous, or the lowermost 

 pubescent, often mottled with white spots between the nerves, ciliate on the margin; blades 

 thin, spreading, the upper often reflexed, 10-12 cm, long, 8-15 mm. wide, narrowed toward 

 the base, glabrous, more or less papillose-ciliate at base; panicles finally long-exserted, many- 

 flowered, ovate in outline, 8-12 cm. long, the branches ascending; spikelets 1.6 mm. long, 0.7 

 mm. wide, elliptic, glabrous, or rarely minutely pubescent; first glume one fourth the length of 

 the spikelet or less; second glume a little shorter than the sterile lemma and slightly exposing 

 the fruit at maturity; fruit 1.3-1.4 mm. long, 0.7 mm. wide, elliptic, slightly pointed. 



Autumnal phase much branched from all the nodes, reclining from the weight of the dense 

 mass of branches; blades reduced, flat, mostly 2-4 cm. long, the cilia of the sheaths and the 

 hairs at the base of the blades relatively more conspicuous ; panicles much reduced and loosely 

 flowered; tufted basal blades often large, sometimes as much as 8 cm. long and 15 mm. wide. 



Type locality: Georgia. 



Distribution: Massachusetts to Missouri, and south to Florida and eastern Texas. 

 Illustrations: Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. Agrost. 7: /. 59 (as P. barbulatum); Contr. U. S. Nat. 

 Herb. 15: /. 178; Britt. & Brown, 111. Fl. /. 265 (as P. barbulatum); ed. 2./. 348. 



This species has frequently been misnamed Panicum barbulatum Michx. (see page 253). 



115. Panicum nitidum I,am. Tab. Encyc. 1: 172*. 1791. 



Panicum nodijlorum Lam. Encyc. 4: 744. 1797. 



Panicum dichotomum nitidum Wood, Class-Book ed. 1861. 786. 1861. 



Panicum subbarbulatum Scribn. & Merr.; Scribn. Circ. U. S. Dep. Agr. Agrost. 29: 9. 1901. 



Vernal phase cespitose; culms erect or somewhat spreading at base, rather stout, usually 

 30-60 cm. high, or sometimes as much as 1 meter high, the nodes bearded with reflexed hairs; 

 leaf-sheaths glabrous, or the lower pubescent, ciliate on the margin, more or less mottled or 

 glandular, especially the upper at anthesis; blades hrm, glabrous, sometimes sparsely ciliate 

 at the base, 5-12 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, the lower ascending, the upper usually reflexed; 

 panicles ovoid, 5-8 cm. long, nearly as wide, rather densely flowered, the axis and ascending 

 branches viscid-spotted; spikelets elliptic, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; first glume less than one 

 third the length of the spikelet, pointed ; second glume and sterile lemma subequal, the slightly 

 shorter glume scarcely covering the fruit at maturity; fruit elliptic, 1.7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, 



subobtuse. 



Autumnal phase erect or more or less reclining from the weight of the foliage, the branch- 

 lets and foliage forming large clusters from the nodes of the vernal culm; reduced blades numer- 

 ous, 1-3 cm. long, 1-3 mm. wide, flat or soon becoming involute; panicles mostly reduced to a 

 few long-pediceled spikelets. 



Type locality: Carolina. 



Distribution: Virginia to Florida, and west to eastern Texas; Bahamas; Cuba. 



Illustration: Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: /. 180. 



116. Panicum multirameum Scribn. Circ. U. S. Dep. Agr. Agrost. 19: 



2. 1900. 



Vernal culms erect or soon decumbent, 30-60 cm. high, the nodes villous-bearded ; 

 leaf-sheaths strongly ciliate on the margin, especially at the summit, the upper glabrous, the 

 lowermost more or less villous; blades rather thick, 3-6 cm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, glabrous, or 

 rarely puberulent, somewhat ciliate around the base, obscurely white-margined; panicles ovoid, 

 3-6 cm. long, about three fourths as wide, the branches ascending; spikelets 2 mm. long, 1 mm. 

 wide, elliptic, finely pubescent; first glume one third the length of the spikelet; second glume 

 and sterile lemma equal and just covering the fruit at maturity; fruit 1.7 mm. long, 0.9 mm. 



wide, rather abruptly subacute. 



Autumnal phase decumbent, rooting at the lower nodes, flabellately branching before the 

 maturity of the primary panicle, the branchlets in close, appressed clusters at the ends of the 

 secondary branches; blades reduced, flat or somewhat rolled, appressed; panicles reduced to a 

 few spreading branches or long-pediceled spikelets. 



Type locality: Jalapa, Vera Cruz. 



Distribution: Southern Mexico to Guatemala; Jamaica. 



Illustration: Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: /. 182. 



