Bicknell : Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 185 



* Panicum lineariifolium Scribn. 



Fully typical P. lineariifolium was not met with. The grass 

 here referred to it, with reservations, was collected several times 

 and is somewhat intermediate between P. lineariifolium and P. 

 depauperatum. Nevertheless, I do not myself doubt the distinctness 

 of these two grasses, believing that they represent a group of closely 

 related species which will continue to be troublesome in classifica- 

 tion until their proper lines of segregation are understood. 



The Nantucket plant has much the habit and pubescence of 

 P. lineariifolium, with the spikelets not larger than in that species 

 and sometimes as pubescent, but the venation and shape of the 

 flowering scales are more those of P. depanperatum, as a rule, how- 

 ever, wanting the pronounced beak-like termination which is so 

 marked a feature of the latter. The spikelets are rather broadly 

 ovoid, 2-2.5 mm - l° n g> obtuse or subacute, the larger scales usu- 

 ally but not always slightly surpassing the grain. 



Panicum Owenae sp. nov. 



1 



Tufted, erect or ascending; culms 1.5-3.25 dm. high, slender, 

 often geniculate at the nodes ; nodes 2 or 3, bearded with a ring of 

 appressed or ascending white hairs ; lowest internodes appressed 

 soft-pubescent, the upper ones and peduncle minutely close- 

 puberulent ; basal leaves short-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. wide, sparsely 

 papillate-long-ciliate at base ; stem-leaves 2 or 3, linear-lanceolate, 



ascending, 1.5-3 mm - wide » 4 -I ° crrL lon £> closel y striate-nerved, 

 minutely scabrellous-puberulent above, softly appressed-puberulent 

 and sometimes also thinly pilose beneath and sparsely long-ciliate, 

 attenuate, finally involute ; ligule a dense fringe of hairs ; sheaths 

 striate, more or less puberulent, the lowermost often papillate- 

 pilose ; primary panicle 2-6 cm. long, puberulent, its branches 

 ascending, the lowest usually solitary; branches of the culm 

 slender, sometimes 6 cm. long, bearing clusters of stiff, crowded, 

 linear, attenuate leaves and numerous spikelets; spikelets 1.5-2 

 mm. long, oval, occasionally orbicular or oblong, very obtuse, 

 first scale ^-J^ the length of the subequal second and third, 

 strongly 1 -nerved and acute to 3-nerved, sometimes obtuse, sec- 

 ond scale 7-9-nerved, third scale 7-nerved, all minutely soft- 

 puberulent with subappressed hairs; caryopsis white, elliptic, 

 1. 25-1. 50 mm. long. 



Type collected September 20, 1907, on the sandy commons 

 west of the town, deposited in herb. N. Y. Bot. Garden. A speci- 

 men collected September 11, 1899, is smaller and more densely 



