298 



Bulletin No. 205 



[March, 



Culms erect, 3 to 6 feet tall, smooth; sheaths 



usually smooth, sometimes ciliate on the margin 



or with a few hairs at the throat; blades 4 inches 



to 2 feet long, 4 to 15 mm. wide, usually smooth 



except for the rough edges; panicles large and 



spreading; spikelets 3.5 to 5 mm. long. 



This is a species belonging to the prairie. It is 



usually found in moist places, where it grows in 



large bunches. When young, it furnishes some 



grazing for stock, but when the plant is old the 



Fig. 58. — P. vir- stems are very hard. 

 gatum, spikelet 



ILLINOIS specimens: Without locality, Ilall in 1870. cook co. Chicago, 

 A. Chase 1178, 1636; Chicago, BahcocJc, July, 1874. champaign go. Without 

 locality, Fercival, Oct., 1876; Champaign, Clinton, Sept., 1897; Champaign, Sey- 

 mour, July, 1880; Savoy, Gihhs, Sept., 1898. fulton co. Without locality, Pe- 

 imon. IROQUOIS co. Tha^Yville, Wilcox 100. JO daviess co. Without locality, 

 Pepoon 411. lake co. Waukegan, Gleason and Shohe 326; Winthrop Harbor, 

 Gates, lee co. Dixon, Seymmir, Sept., 1882. macon CO. Decatur, Cloken in 

 1898. MENARD CO. Athens, Hall in 1870. ogle co. Without locality, M. S. 

 Bebb in 1858; Oregon, Waite in 1885. peoria co. Princeville, V. H. Chase 818; 

 Peoria, Brendel; Peoria, McDonald, Aug., 1903. ST. clair CO. Mascoutah, 

 Welsch. STARK CO. Wady Petra, V. H. Chase in 1897. wabash CO. Without 

 locality, Shearer; Old Palmyra, SchnecTc, Sept., 1897; Mt. Carmel, Schnech, Oct., 

 187G. will CO. Joliet, Skecls 470. 



AGEOSTOIDEA 



These plants are perennials, growing in bunches, some species with 

 scaly rootstocks. The sheaths are often keeled. The ligule is never 

 over a millimeter long, membranous, and sometimes fringed with hairs. 

 The panicles in our species are many-flowered, the spikelets short- 

 pediceled, mostly crowded on the ascending branches. The spikelets 

 are smooth and have a keeled first glume. 



Panicum agrostoides Spreng. 

 Munro Grass (Fig. 60) 



Lapham '57, 548, 594; Patterson '76, 52; Flagg '78, 284; Huett '97, 128; 

 Hitchcock and Chase '10, 100. 



Culms erect, smooth, 1.5 to 3 feet long, many short leaves clustered 

 at the base of the plant with some very long ones on the culm ; sheaths 

 keeled, usually smooth; blades folded at the base, flat above, 8 to 20 

 inches long, 5 to 10 mm. wide, slightly rough on both surfaces but 

 not pubescent; panicles narrowly oval in outline, much the size and 

 shape of common redtop, Agrosfis alha ; spikelets 1.8 to 2 mm. long. 



This species is usually found in damp places, often forming a 

 dense stand over considerable areas that ai'c low and somewhat boggy. 



