Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 355 



Panicum semialatum, R. Brown. 



Warmer regions of Asia, Africa and Australia. A superior tall 

 pasture-grass, of easy dispersion in warm humid localities. 



Panicum spectabile, Nees.* 



The " Coapim " of Angola, called also " Wonder-Grass " after its 

 incomparable display of incalculable value. From West- Africa 

 transferred to many other tropical countries. A rather succulent, very 

 fattening grass, famed not only in its native land, but also long since 

 in Brazil, as already mentioned in Lindley's " Vegetable Kingdom/' 

 p. 113 (1847), from Nees von Esenbeck's even earlier publication on 

 this subject. This grass, which was with the invoked help of the 

 great Kew-establishment first obtained by the author for Australia 

 and Polynesia, is according to Mr. R. L. Holmes " the wonder of all 

 beholders in Fiji, strangling by its running roots almost everything 

 in its course ; at its original starting point forming a mass of the 

 richest green foliage, over 6 feet high, gradually lowering to the 

 outer border, where a network of shoots or runners covers the 

 ground ; it roots at the joints, and sends up then a mass of the 

 softest and most luscious nutritive fodder." In Fiji it runs over the 

 soil at the rate of 10 feet in three months. From Port Darwin largely 

 distributed by the Messrs. Holtze. Readily propagated by pieces of 

 the procumbent stem, which roots freely at each joint. Spoken of 

 also in high praise on account of its astonishing growth by Mr. 

 Edgar, of Rockhampton Botanic Garden, Queensland, who mentions 

 that it still succeeds well in Western Queensland, 500 miles inland 

 from Rockhampton. It also thrives on the Upper Murchison River 

 in West Australia [Isaac Tyson]. It has flowered at Port Phillip. 

 Destined to play a grand role in the pasturage -of Australia. Like 

 other luxuriant grasses when grown in low wet ground, this grass 

 can also become hurtful, particularly to sheep, and it may therefore 

 be needful to occasionally shift flocks and herds from pastures of this 

 grass, should they become over-rich. In tropical countries it must be 

 kept away from agricultural land. Has also done well in Riverina 

 [Dr. Mem]. Spreads wonderfully as far south as Geographe-Bay in 

 West Australia [Pries]. Requires to be well fed down. It may be 

 assumed, that at present about 300 well-defined species of Pauicum 

 are known, chiefly tropical and sub- tropical ; very few extending 

 naturally to Europe or the United States of North- America, Japan 

 or the southern part of Australia. Though mostly from the hot 

 zones, these grasses endure a cooler clime in many instances, and some 

 of them would prove great acquisitions, particularly the perennial 

 species. Numerous good kinds occur spontaneously in Queensland 

 and North- Australia. Panicum is the genus richest in species among 

 grasses. 



Panicum striatum, Lamarck. (P. gibbum, Elliott.) 



Southern States of North-America, West-Indies and Guiana. A 

 perennial grass for swampy localities, valuable for pastoral purposes, 



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