﻿290 



Nash : Gents Syntherisma in* North America 



attributed it erroneously to Heister and Adanson, the genus of 

 that name in Adanson's work * undoubtedly referring to the Trip- 

 sacutn of Linnaeus ; Michaux t also adopted it, but by some mis- 

 take cited its author as Haller ; Persoon J followed in its use, but 

 accredited the authorship to Richard ; later still, Beauvois % 

 maintained the genus under the same name ; Pursh || took the 

 same view of the matter, but made the same mistake as his prede- 

 cessor, Michaux, and cited the author as Haller ; and the acute 

 observer Elliott,^ who did most excellent work among the 

 grasses, came to the same conclusion. But, as stated above, 

 Heister's previous application of the name debars its use again, 

 although so generally adopted during the forty or fifty years 

 subsequent to its publication by Scopoli. Walter's name, the one 

 here adopted, seems to be the earlii t available. 



Trinius considered the genus a section of Panicutn, using 



the 



name Digitaria, and this disposition of the group has been quite 

 generally followed for a number of years. 



But this manner of treating the matter hardly seems consistent, 

 in view of the disposition of other groups whose grounds for sep- 

 aration from Panicum are no more valid than are those which 



xlunt. Antkaenantia, 



■ 



can be pointed out for Syntherisma. Paspalum, 

 Eriochloa, Isachue, Ichnanthus and Tricholaena are no more worth} 

 of generic distinction than is this group. The characters separating 

 them are no more marked, and in some cases not so much so. 

 Paspalum in its inflorescence is readily distinguished from true 

 Panicum, but the technical and arbitrary character of three scale 

 to the spikelet is not to be relied on. For in Paspalum bifid* 1 * 

 (Bertol.) Nash, a large proportion of the spikelets have four scales 

 thus making it technically a Pani cum, so far as these individual 

 spikelets are concerned. Dimorphostachys of Fournier is a Paspa- 

 lum in everything but the spikelet, which has four scales. 



In Syntherisma a somewhat similar condition of things exists 

 We have the inflorescence of Paspalum and the arrangement o 

 the spikelets is as in that genus, but the technical character o 

 three or four scales is utterly unreliable. In some species then 



*Fam. PL 2 : 38. 176 

 fFl. Bor. Am. 1 : 45. 1S03. 

 % Syn. PI. 1 : 84. 1 805. 



I Agrost 50. 1812. 



! I. Am. Sept. 1 1 69. I?«4« 

 ' Hot. S. C. and Ga. I : Ij 1 - 



l8l 



