panice^e 



69 



Panicum flavidum, Retz. 



This plant is a tufted annual. It branches freely from the base ; 

 branches are tufted, decumbent at first but soon becoming erect, 

 slender, glabrous, compressed and leafy, varying in length trom I 

 to 3 feet. 



Leaves are somewhat distichous. The leaf-sheath is compressed, 

 glabrous, sometimes with a tinge of purple, the lower ones swollen 

 at the base and the mouth is hairy. The ligule is a fringe of hairs. 

 Nodes are glabrous. 



The leaf-blade is flat, thinly coriaceous, linear-lanceolate and 

 acuminate, or ligulate with a rounded tip, 3 to 5 inches in length 

 3/16 to 5/16 inch wide, glabrous or very thinly scaberulous, base 

 rounded or slightly cordate with long white ciliate hairs on the 

 small basal lobes. 



FIG. 83. — Panicum flavidunu 

 1 and 2 Front and back view of a portion of spike ; la and 2a. the front and back vievv 

 nf a snikelet 1 and 4 the first and the second glume, respectively ; 5 and 5a. the third 

 glume and its palea ; 6 and 6a. the fourth glume and its palea ; 7. anthers and ovary ; 

 8. grain. 



The inflorescence is a raceme of spikes, 5 to 10 inches long, erect 

 or inclined on a short or long, glabrous, strongly channelled pedun- 

 cle • the main rachis is grooved, angled and scaberulous. Spikes are 

 few' or many, % to I inch long, erect, pressing on the rachis of the 

 inflorescence along the groove, distant and sessile ; the lower spikes 

 are very much shorter than the internodes, but the upper equal to 

 or longer than the internodes ; the rachis of the spike is angular, 

 flattened below, erect or slightly recurved. 



The spikelets are white, in two rows on a flattened rachis, 

 obliquely ovoid or gibbously globose, glabrous, sessile V 8 inch in 

 length. 



There are four glumes. The first glume is suborbicular, about 

 half the length of the third glume, usually 3-nerved. The second 

 °lume is broadly ovate, obtuse, concave, larger than the first glume 

 and nearly equal to or shorter than the fourth glume, 7-nerved 

 rarely 7- to Q-nerved, nerves are anastamosing, tip rounded, lhe 

 third glume is broadly ovate or oblong, equal to or longer than the 



