Nash : The dichotomous Panicums 578 



P. Portcriannui Nash, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 22 : 420. In part. 



1895. 



A softly pubescent densely tufted perennial. Culms 3-7 dm. 

 tall, pubescent with soft weak spreading hairs, those at the base 

 the longer, finally branched, the nodes densely barbed with long 

 hairs : leaves 3-5 ; sheaths shorter than the internodes, often only 

 one half as long, ciliate on the margins, densely pubescent, at least 

 all but the uppermost, with spreading weak usually long hairs, also 

 a dense ring of short hairs at the apex ; blades spreading or ascend- 

 ing, minutely serrulate and very rough on the margins, ovate- 

 lanceolate to ovate, acuminate, gradually narrowed to the rounded 

 cordate-clasping base, often inequilateral, pubescent on both sur- 

 faces with short soft spreading hairs, the upper primary blades 7- 

 1 1 cm. long and 2-3 cm. broad, the lower primary blades, as well 

 as those on the branches, smaller : primary panicle usually but 

 little exserted, sometimes included at the base, 7-1 1 cm. long, its 

 axis, as well as the branches, densely pubescent with short soft 

 spreading hairs, the branches spreading or ascending, the larger 

 ones 3-4 cm. long, the secondary panicles much smaller, included 

 at the base: spikelets 4-5 mm. long and about 1.6 mm. broad, 

 narrowly obovate, the scales distantly inserted on the rachilla, the 

 outer 3 scales strongly pubescent with long spreading hairs, the 

 first scale 3 -nerved, from two fifths to one half as long as the 

 spikelet, obtuse or acute, the second scale 1 1 -nerved, the third 

 scale 9-nerved, the former a little shorter than the latter, the fourth 

 scale yellowish, 3.5 mm. long and 1.4-1.6 mm. broad, pubescent 

 at the obtusely apiculate apex. 



Usually in rocky woods. New York to Missouri, south to 

 Florida and Mississippi. 



Among a large number of specimens of this grass examined, 

 the following are referred to as well representing this species : 



Pennsylvania: Chestnut Hill, Easton, July i, 1887, T. C. 

 Porter (distributed as P. Walteri viollc). 



District of Columbia : Washington, June 9, 1894, Th. Holm, 

 no. 14 (distributed as P. latifoUuni). 



Virginia : Between Fall Creek and Danville, June 3, 1891, /. 

 K. 5wrt//and A. A. Heller, no. 466 (distributed as P. latifoliuni). 



Missouri : McDonald Co., July 24, 1893, B. F. Bush, no. 415 

 (distributed as P. latifoliuni) ; Montier, June 30, 1894, B. F. Bush, 

 no. 754 (distributed as P. Walteri). 



Tennessee: Knox Co., July 9, 1893, T. H. Kearney, Jr. (dis- 



