1886.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 287 



10. P. virgatum, Walt. 



The ticket bearing this name is loose in a s]\eet which contains 

 two specimens of P. plicatulum, Michx., and two specimens of 

 P. praecox, Walt., one of which is ticketed, " Herb. Schw., P. pli- 

 catulum, Georgia, Hermann." The description seems to refer to 

 what we call P. praecox, Walt., " spicis 5-6, alternis, erectis, 

 glumis biseriatis, rachi latiuscula, non flexuosa, dentibus bifloris." 

 Le Conte apparently mistook his No. 1 for P. praecox, Walt., and 

 this for P. virgatum, Walt. The true P. virgatum, Walt., is prob- 

 ably P. purpurascens, Ell. Le Conte adds to his description this 

 note, " Calicis valvulse omnium paspalorum, cuve semina matures- 

 cent juxta margines transversse plicatas fiunt." If this means that 

 the glumes of all Paspalums when mature have transverse plica- 

 tions such as mark the P. plicatulum, Michx., it is a great error. 



11. P. angustifolium, Le Conte. 



The specimen bearing this name is evidently one of the forms 

 commonly called P. laeve, Michx., having long, narrow and smooth 

 leaves, and three slender spikes three to four inches long. It is 

 quite different from No. 5, which represents a form with much 

 shorter and wider leaves, and which is possibly the typical plant, 

 as Michaux says " foliis breviusculis." No subsequent writer 

 except Elliott, however, quotes these words of Michaux. Gray says 

 " the pretty large and long leaves ;" Chapman says " leaves and 

 sheaths smooth or the latter hairy ;" Elliott quotes Michaux's 

 words, " leaves short," but does not recognize the plant. It is, 

 therefore, difficult to say precisely what was Michaux's type, and 

 some botanists will prefer to consider this species of Le Conte as 

 a distinct one. Otherwise, it may be distinguished as variety 

 angustifolium. 



12. P. gracile, Le Conte. 



The two specimens bearing this name, one ticket marked " Pas- 

 palum gracile mihi, P. laeve, Schweinitz," the other " Paspalum 

 tenue, Kth., P. gracile, Le Conte, 'Durand,'" are clearly what 

 is commonly understood as P. plicatulum, Michx., or P. undula- 

 tum, Poir. Kunth published P. tenue, evidently based either on 

 Le Conte's specimens or on the description to which he refers. If 

 Kunth saw the specimens, and they were the same as these in the 

 Herb. Acad. Phil., it is not easy to understand how he should 

 make a new species of them, unless, as may be the fact, Michaux's 

 plant is the P. purpurascens, Elliott, in which case indeed another 



