PANICS^ 



179 



jj. Culms herbaceous. Panicum 

 HH. Glumes or lemmas (Par. 217). 

 a w n e d (or awn- 

 tipped in Echino- 

 chloa colonuni). 

 I. Inflorescence panicu- 

 late; spikelets 

 silky. Introduced 



in Florida Tricuol^na 



II. Inflorescence of uni- (Par. 219). 

 lateral racemes 

 along a common 

 axis. 

 J. Glumes 2-lobed, 

 awned from be- 

 tween the lobes; 

 blades broad and 

 thin, lanceolate. 



Florida Oplismenus. 



JJ. Glumes awned 



from the tip . . . Echinochloa 

 (Par. 218). 



214. Paspalum-L. — A large genus of 

 probably 200 species, well represented in 

 the Gulf and south Atlantic states. It can 

 be easily distinguished by the plano-convex 

 spikelets in spike-like racemes. There are 

 comparatively few species of economic 

 importance. They are almost entirely 

 absent from the grazing regions of the 

 central and western United States, and in 

 the southeastern states do not form an 

 important constituent of grazing areas, 

 being mostly inhabitants of wet or sandy 

 soil and not often gregarious. An attempt 

 was made, but with little success, to intro- 

 duce into cultivation P. dilatatmn Poir. 

 (Fig. 19) , under the name of water-grass. In 

 the savannas of Central America certain species, such as 

 P. notatum Fliigge and P. minus Vasey, are important. 



FiQ. 19. Paspa- 

 1 u m dilatatum. 

 Inflorescence, 



X4> spikelet, 



X5. 



