Pamc HOBTTJS JAMAICENSI'S. 3 



lil'MILIS. HUMBLE. 



pulma ir>i spinosa humilisfrvctu racemoso pruniformi, minima phi 

 Sloane, v. 2, p. IIS. Acaulis, fotiis fiabelliformi- 

 bus maxim petiolii nitidis rotundis y spiv-is br&vioribuspartialibus. 

 Browne, p. 2jU. 



Leaves fan- 1 -!! ped, very large ; stipes smooth. 



This plant is very frequ i > lamaica, particularly about the Crescent, and is often 

 nsed forth.au-.., though not s good as the other leaves commonly employed for that 

 purpose. I h . io talks are exa tly like.so many joints of well grown walking canes, 

 both in shape and si se ; but they soon v. ther an I shrivel up. The berries are sweet, 

 and much fed upon by birds; Si o me fhis is known by slie name oifan-palm. 



The spadix-is amentaceo aotl in. ricated. The 'flowers are- sessile, ranged in a 

 special or Icr round the i le rising iroui each squama, which squama is semi- 



circular, carnose, and pi i tin . f a small Aoscule or depression : In some of 



the floscules I observed tw -s ; no pri per perianth is tripbyllous, made up of 



three subtriquetrous concave col ired 1 ..\ s, shorter than the corolla, which consists 

 of three orate. petals, placed alu nate with feLe leaves oi the cup. The germ is com- 

 pressed and su Urigoua , rising ivith a narrow base, ;;iid widening to the top, on which 

 are placed six snort subulated filaments ; the anthers iarge, erect, sagittatcd; there is 

 CoMyie, the stigma is trigonal, the top oi the germ is- excavated. A, Rubinsou. 



PANIC GRASS. - PANICUM. 



Cl: 3, or. 2. Triandi ia digynia. Nat. or. Gramin.r. 



Genvchar. Calyx a two-flowered, two-valved glume; valves sub-ovate, nerved; 

 the- outer valve a little lower, very small ; one floret hermaphrodite, the other 

 neuter or male : corolla of the hermaphrodite a two-valved glume ; the outer valve 

 (in the bosom of the smaller calycine valve) flatfish, nerved ; the inner membra- 

 naceous, flat, with the edges bent in ; often small, or very small ; nectary two- 

 leaved, very small, gibbous; in tbe neuter florets none ; stamens three capillary 

 filaments; anthers oblong; the neuter florets have no stamens ; the pistil, in the 

 hermaphrodites, has a roundish germ, two capillary styles ; stigmas feathered, in 

 the neuters none; there is no pericarp ; the corolla adheres to the seed wthout' 

 opening; seed one, covered, roundish, flattish on one side. Twenty-one species- 

 ot this numerous genus have been found in Jamaica. 



The folio-wing species are spiked": 



1. SETOSUM. BRISTLY. 



Spikes compound ; spikelets panicle-fascicled ; bristles mixed with the florets 

 and very long ; peduncles almost smooth. 



Height from two to four feet; culm simple, erect, round, smooth, leafy ; leaves 

 half a foot long, lanceolate, flat, e.itire, pubescent ; sheaths embracing the culm, 

 villose at the neck ; spike terminating, compound, a foot long, composedof panicle- 

 fascicled racemes, bajf an inch in length j rachis flexuose, bristly; spikelets two to 



four^, 





