The dichotomnus Panicums; Some new Soecies.— I 



By Geo. V. Nash 



Panicum Bushii 



A tufted perennial, glabrous, with the exceptions noted below. 

 Culms about 3 dm. tall, the nodes sparingly barbed, finally much 

 branched : leaves about 3 ; sheaths about as long as the internodes, 

 those on the branches short and overlapping ; ligule a dense ring 

 of short hairs about 0.2 mm. long ; blades erect, linear, acuminate, 

 serrulate and very rough on the margins, ciliate at the base with a 

 few very long hairs arising from papillae, the larger primary blades 

 8-10 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide, those on the branches usually 6 cm. 

 or less long : panicle much exserted, 6-7 cm. long, its branches 

 erect-ascending, the larger 3-3.5 cm. long, the secondary panicles 

 much smaller: spikelets 2.5 mm. long and about 1.2 mm. broad, 

 obovate, the scales glabrous, the first scale orbicular or very broadly 

 ovate, I -nerved, rounded or obtuse at the apex, about one-third as 

 long as the spik^let, the second and third scales 7-nerved, the 

 second a little the shorter, the fourth scale yellowish white, about 

 2 mm. long and 1.2 mm. wide, about as long as the second. 



Collected by B. F. Bush, in dry ground, in McDonald Co., 

 Missouri, July 24, 1893 no. 413. Related to P. augustifolium, 

 but the spikelets are glabrous and of a different shape -and the 

 sheaths and blades glabrous. 



Panicum ciliosum 



A tufted perennial. Culms 3-5 dm. tall, rather stout, ascend- 

 ing, papillose-hirsute with spreading hairs, finally much branched : 

 leaves 4 or 5 ; sheaths shorter than the internodes, densely hirsute 

 with spreading hairs, ciliate on the margins ; ligule a dense ring of 

 hairs about 0.5 mm. long; blades erect or ascending, narrowed 

 toward the base, glabrous above, ciliate on the margins, the stiff 

 hairs arising from papillae, the lower surface densely pubescent 

 between the nerves with short spreading hairs : panicle broadly 

 ovate, about 8 cm. long, included at the base, its axis pubescent 

 with short hairs, the branches spreading, the larger about 3 cm. 

 long : spikelets a trifle less than 2 mm. long and about 0.9 mm. 

 wide, elliptic, the outer 3 scales strongly pubescent with rather long 

 spreading hairs, the first scale broader than long, about one quar- 

 ter as long as the spikelet, i -nerved, rounded at the apex, the 



(568) 



