W HITCHCOCK AND CHASE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 295 



A weed in cultivated soil, introduced in Jamaica (Cinchona). Originally 

 described from Java. 



8. Syntherisma curvinervis (Hack.). 



Panicum curvinerve Haclv. Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 51: 335. 1901. 



A very slender erect annual, sparingly branching below, with narrow flat 

 blades and about 3 slender racemes with minute glabrous strongly nerved 

 spikelets. 



Sandy soil, Pinar del Rfo, Cuba, whence described, the type collection, Wright 

 1544, mixed with two other species. 



9. Syntherisma panicea (Swartz) Nash, N. Amer. Fl. 17: 152. 1912. 

 Milium paniceum Swartz, Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 24. 1788. 

 Agrostis jamaicensis Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 1: 258. 1810. 

 Axonopus paniceus Beauv. Ess. Agrost. 12, 154. 1812. 



An erect slender glabrous or nearly glabrous perennial with simple culms, 

 narrow blades, often involute and more or less curled in drying, and one to 

 several slender racemes up to 12 cm. long. 



Open grassy places, subtropical Florida and the West Indies. Originally 

 described from Jamaica. There is a slight uncertainty in the application of 

 the name Milium paniceum. The original description applies to the species de- 

 scribed above. The amplified description ^ also applies with the exception of 

 " Raches 3-quetrae, margine membranaceae." The rachis is only minutely 

 margined. Because of this phrase Nash ^ has applied the name to S. longiflora 

 which has a well-marked rachis margin. In many respects Swartz's later de- 

 scription does not apply to S. longiflora. There is no specimen of Milium pani- 

 ceum in the Swartz Herbarium, but there are three specimens sent by Swartz to 

 other herbaria, one at Munich, one at Madrid, and one in the De Candolle 

 Herbarium. All these specimens are Syntherisma panicea as here understood. 

 The habitat given by Swartz is " in aridis sabulosis Jamaicae australis ", while 

 S. longiflora is found in the wet mountain region. The latter species is intro- 

 duced, probably at a recent date (as it was not known to Grlsebach), while the 

 other appears to be indigenous. This species resembles S. flliformis of the 

 United States under which name Griesbach * and Nash * include it, but differs 

 in being apparently perennial and in having longer, more numerous racemes, 

 longer folded or subinvolute blades, and slightly larger spikelets with longer 

 pubescence. 



Bahamas (New Providence and Andros), Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Santo Do- 

 mingo, and northern Porto Rico. 



10. Syntherisma leucocoma Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 25: 295. 1898. 



Similar to the preceding, on the average taller and stouter, the racemes 

 longer, the spikelets larger and with dense soft silky hairs slightly exceeding 

 the spikelet. 



Sandy woods and barrens, Florida and central and western Cuba. Described 

 from Florida. 



11. Syntherisma villosa Walt. Fl. Carol. 77. 17SS. 



1 Panicum domingense Zuccagni in Roemer, Coll. Bot. 123, 1809. 



A tall slender annual or perennial, resembling the preceding but with hirsute 

 foliage, the racemes at maturity more spreading, the pubescence of the spikelets 

 short and crisp. 



^Fl. Ind. Occ. 1: 179. 1797. ' Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 543. 1864. 



*N. Amer. Fl. 17: 152. 1912. * Fl. N. Amer. 17: 150. 1912. 



