PANICUM. 105 



GENUS XXX. PAN'ICUM. LINN. Panick Grass. 

 GEN. CHAR. Panicle erect, compound. Glumes two, unequal, two- 

 flowered; the lowest valve smallest, pointed; the upper concave 

 pointed or awned. Florets dissimilar. Glumelles of the fertile floret 

 two, cartilaginous, the external one concave, the internal plane; 

 glumelles of the neuter or male floret one or two ; the external 

 membranous, pointed, or awned ; the inner smaller, often absent. 

 Name from^aww, bread; the seeds of some of the species of this 

 genus, it is thought, having been earliest used for the making of 

 bread. 



1. P. Crus'-ffal'li, Linn. (Fig. 131.) loose Panick-grass. Spikes of the 

 panicle alternate, mostly simple; flowers imbricated, unilateral; 

 rachis rough ; leaves without ligulae. 



English Botany, t. 876. English Flora, vol. i. p. 100. Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. j>.43.Echino'chloa Crus'-gal'li, Lindley, Synop- 

 sis, p. 305. 



Root fibrous. Stems several from the same root, about two feet high, 

 branched and leafy in the lower part, smooth, striated. Leaves broad, 

 lanceolate, smooth, except on the edges, which are sometimes waved or 

 crenated. Skeaths large, compressed, smooth, and striated. Ligula 

 absent. Inflorescence a compound spiked panicle, the lower spikes 

 rather distant; the upper crowded, shorter tufted; rachis compressed, 

 rough edged, mostly zigzag. Glumes unequal, the inner largest, 

 concave ribbed, pointed or awned and scattered with short rigid bristles ; 

 the outer smaller, thinner, partly embracing the other at the base, 

 pointed at the extremity. Glumelles of the perfect floret, two, obscurely 

 ribbed, smooth and shining ; the lower or outer one concave, downy at 

 the apex, the sides inflexed ; the upper or inner one plane, the sides 

 slightly inflexed, pointed. Glumelles of the imperfect floret very unequal, 

 the outer one large concave, thin, membranous, ribbed, the edges 

 scattered with bristles, the sides inflexed, terminated with a rough awn, 

 about as long as itself or shorter ; this valve has a great resemblance to 

 the outer glume, for which it is not surprising it should have been 

 mistaken ; the inner one much smaller, sometimes wanting, very thin, 

 plane pointed or notched at the apex ; this floret is generally empty, 

 sometimes it contains stamens only. Stamens about the length of the 

 glumelles. Anthers small. Stigmas feathery. Seed flat, truncated, 

 remaining attached to the hardened glumella. 



Habitat. Rare, in fields in the vicinity of London, " but probably 

 introduced." Hooker. 



Annual ; flowering in July. 



rot. r. 



