35 



A rather stout, erect or ascending and finally much-branched perennial, 3 to 14 dm. 

 hi.uh, with the culms and sheaths usually densely pubescent with spreading or 

 reflexed canescent hairs, and all parts somewhat viscid when fresh. Culms stout, 

 often purplish; nodes bearded and with a glabrous ring immediately below; 

 sheaths shorter than the internodes; ligule a dense ring of hairs about 2 mm. 

 long; leaf-blades lanceolate, gradually tapering from near the middle to the very 

 acute apex, subcordate at the base, softly pubescent on both sides, minutely sca- 

 brous on the margins, villous on the ])ack at the point of union with the sheath, 

 basal ones ovate, 5 to 10 cm. long, obtuse, those of the primary culm 12 to 25 cm. 

 long, 10 to 20 mm. wide, those 

 of the branches densely 

 crow^ded and much smaller, 

 2 to 5 cm. long. Panicles 6 

 to 15 cm. long, ovate or sub- 

 pyramidal; rachis more or 

 less pubescent ; branches 

 compound to the base, flexu- 

 ous; pedicels usually much 

 longer than the spikelets. 

 Spikelets 2 to 2.5 mm. long, 

 ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 

 acute; first glume minute, 

 one-fourth as long as the 

 spikelet or less, usually 

 nerveless; second and third 

 glumes strongly pubescent, 

 9-nerved. Below each of 

 the nodes there is a smooth 

 space about 4 mm. broad, 

 extending around the stem 

 like a ring; the nearly 

 Smooth upper portions of the 

 sheaths and panicle branches 

 are mottled with irregular 

 yellow or brown, often pur- 

 ple-bordered spots. In the 

 early flowering stage the 

 culms are nearly always 

 simple and support a single, 

 long-exserted panicle; later 

 the culms become much 

 branched and the branches 

 are terminated by more sim- 

 ple, fewer-flowered panicles 



which are partially inclosed in the leaf-sheaths. The primary panicle and some- 

 times the first culm leaves disappear and there is left a uiuch-branched grass with 

 numerous crowded small leaves and many, small, 'few-flowered, simple panicles. 

 Itwas this late, much-branched form that Lamarck described as Panicumpubescens. 

 Type locality.— "Carolina," Michaux. Type specimen in the Herbarium of the 



Paris Museum of Natural ?Iistory. 

 General distribution.— Low ground, swamps, borders of thickets, etc., Pennsylvania 



to Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, and Texas. May to October. 

 Specimens examined.— Pen ».v;////.v////V,.- J. McMinn, no localitv or date. Tinit 



Fig. 11. 



-Pdvicum scopariiiw Lam: a, 6, r, spikelets; r/, third 

 glume with iiaU'ii: c,,/', fluvveriiig- glumes. 



I cum. 



114 C. E. Smith; Delavxire: EUendale, 32 A. Commons, 1892; Millsboro, 28 A. 



