300 



Bulletin No. 205 



[March, 



61 



DEPAUPERATA 



This group includes plants Avith simple 

 culms, 4 to 16 inches tall with long, nar- 

 row leaves clustered at the base. The 

 ligule is a ring of very short hairs. The 

 I^aniclcs are small, very narrow, and in 

 summer are borne well above the leaves. 

 In autumn the ])anicles are smaller and 

 more or less hidden by the leaves. The 

 species are extremely variable both as to 

 size of spikelet and amount of hairs 

 present. 



Panicum depauperatum IMulil. 

 (Figs. 61 and 64) 



Lapham '57, 548, .596; Babcock 73, 250; 

 Patterson '76, 52; Flagg '78, 284; Bmidel '87, 

 64; Higley and Eaddin '91, 139; Iluctt '97, 

 128; Hitchcock and Chase '10, 151. 



Culms slender and stiff, variable as to 

 amount of pubescence present, sometimes 

 smooth and glabrous; sheaths usually 

 finely papillose-pubescent ; blades 3 to 9 

 inches long, 2 to 5 mm. wide, the smaller 

 leaves at the base of the plant ; panicles 

 narrow, few-flowered; spikelets beaked, 

 the second glume and sterile lemma ex- 

 tending beyond the fruit, 3 to 4 mm. 

 long, usually about 3.5 mm., sometimes 

 w*ith a few short hairs. 



There is little difference between the 

 plant in spring and in autumn. It grows 

 in poor soil, generally in open woods. 

 Panicum depauperatum as mentioned by 

 the earlier authors probably included P. 

 pcrlongum, as that species has only re- 

 cently been segregated from F.-cUpauper- 

 afum. 



ILLINOIS specimens: Lansing, A. Chase 867. 

 JACKSON CO. Makanda, Glcasnv, June, 1903. 



Fig. 01. — P. depaiiperatiim 



