576 GRAMINE^. (grass FAMILY.) 



coast, Florida, and northward. May. — Culms 3° - 4° high, soon much branched. 

 Leaves 6'- 10' long. Branches of the panicle smooth. — In the smooth form of 

 this species I notice a remarkable deviation from the generic character. The 

 two glumes and lower palea of the sterile flower are as usual in the genus, while 

 the upper palea of the latter is developed into an apparently perfect flower, in 

 all respects similar to the upper one. 



23. P. seabriusculum, Ell. Culm (3° -4° long), sheaths, and lower 

 surface of the linear-lanceolate leaves rough and more or less pubescent ; panicle 

 ample, compound, diffuse, pubescent below, the divisions smooth ; spikelets 

 small, ovate, rough, but not pubescent ; upper glume 9-nerved, the lower minute. 



— Pine-barren swamps, Florida to North Carolina. May. — Probably a form of 

 the last. 



24. P. microcarpon, Muhl. Culm and leaves smooth ; the latter lance- 

 olate, tapering from a broad cordate base, strongly nerved, fringed on the mar- 

 gins near the base ; panicle compound, diff"use ; spikelets very numerous, small 

 (j" long), oval, pubescent; upper glume 5-nerved, 3 times the length of the mi- 

 nute lower one. (P. multiflorum, Ell., not of Poir. P. ovale. Ell. ?) — Dry soil, 

 South Carolina, and northward. May. — Culms 2° - 2|° high. Leaves 4' -6' 

 long, 8" -10" wide. 



2.5. P. dichotomura, L. Culms at length much branched; panicle 

 nearly simple, fcw-flowercd ; leaves linear-lanceolate, bearded at the base, or vil- 

 lous all over. (P. villosum. Ell.) — Var. 1. Panicles compound, diffuse; 

 spikelets small ; leaves linear-lanceolate, and, like culm, sheaths, and panicle, 

 soft hairy (P. lanuginosum. Ell.), or only at the joints of the culm (P. barbula- 

 tum, Michx.), or smooth throughout (P. nitidum, Ell., spikelets purple and 

 very minute). — Var. 2. Culms weak; panicle loose, compound ; sheaths and 

 pale-green thin leaves soft hairy (P. pubescens. Ell.), or the margins of the 

 otherwise smooth leaves fringed with long hairs (P. ciliatum, .E//.). — Var. 3. 

 Culms (2° high) smooth ; leaves large (6' -8' long), lanceolate, rough or downy 

 above, margins near the base and sheaths fringed ; panicle large, diffiise ; spike- 

 lets (1" long) oblong, nearly smooth. (P. nervosum, Ell. ?) — Var. ? 4. Culms 

 smooth and rigid (1°- 1 j° high) ; leaves pale, rigid, lanceolate, fringed ; panicle 

 oblong, diffuse ; spikelets minute, oval, very hairy. (P. sphaerocarpon, Ell.) — 

 Woods, fields, and swamps, everywhere, in some one of its numerous forms. 

 March - May. 



26. P. depauperatura, Muhl. Culms low (2' -12' high), simple, erect, 

 like the linear leaves ; panicle simple, few-flowered, with the branches erect, often 

 shorter than the subtending leaf; spikelets oval-obovate (1" long), mostly acute; 

 upper glume 9-nerved, smoothish, three times the length of the ovate lower one. 

 (P. strictum, Pursh.) — Dry sandy soil. North Carolina, and northward. June. 



— Leaves rigid, 2' - 6' long, smoothish or hairy. 



27. P. melicarium, Michx. " Culm weak ; leaves narrow ; panicle con- 

 tracted ; glumes membranaceous, lanceolate, nearly equal ; rudiment of a flower 

 stalked. — In Carolina and Georgia. Very smooth. Leaves long. Panicle 

 slender, long, with few branches." Michx. ( # ) 



