20 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



late, 7 to 10 cm. long, 5 to 10 mm. wide, narrowed toward each end, glabrous on 

 both surfaces ; panicles small and narrow, rather dense, 2 to 4 cm. long, few- 

 flowered ; spikelets about 5 mm. long, oblong-ovoid, paley^irst glume about one- 

 third as long as the spikelet ; second glume and sterile lemma equal, as long as 

 the spikelet, woolly at tip; fertile lemma as long as the sterile, woolly at the tip. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 975428, collected in jungle, 

 Jinotepe, Nicaragua, November 7, 1911. by A. S. Hitchcock (no. S71S). 



Known only from the type specimen. 



Explanation of Plate 16. — Lasiacis leptostachya. Type specimen. Natural size. 



8. Lasiacis harrisii Nash. 



Lasiacis harrisii Nash, Torreya 13: 274. 1913. The designated type is Marble 

 222 from Cinchona, Jamaica. The specimen is in the herbarium of the New 

 York Botanical Garden. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants bright green, clambering among bushes to the height of 5 meters or 

 more, the main canes slender but strong, the very slender branches pendent, 

 the young twigs commonly rosy purple ; sheaths slender, glabrous except the 

 margin and throat, or rarely the young ones sparsely hispid ; ligule inconspicu- 

 ous; blades linear-lanceolate, 5 to 10 cm. long, 2 to 6 mm. wide, gradually nar- 

 rowed to an acuminate apex, thin and lax, glabrous, the margins scabrous; 

 panicles narrow, mostly less than 5 cm.'long, often partially included in the 

 uppermost sheath, the branches short and appressed, the longer usually 

 not more than 1 cm. long, and bearing not more than 4 spikelets; spikelets 

 similar to those of L. divaricata but less turgid. 



Tbis species is easily recognized by its long narrow blades and pendent 

 branches. 



DISTRIBUTION. 





Shaded slopes at hisrher altitudes, Jamaica and Porto Pico. In Jamaica it 



i 

 appears to be confined to the Blue Mountains between 1,000 and 1,500 meters 



altitude ; in Porto Rico it is found at about S00 meters altitude. The specimen 



from St. Jan was collected on Kings Hill at an altitude of about 250 meters. 



Jamaica: Catherines Peak, Hitchcock 9726, 9730: Harris 11552. Abbey Green, 



Amer. Gr. Nat. Herb. 588; Harris 11587. Strawberry Hill, Harris 11487. 



Cold Spring Gap, Harris 11354. 

 Porto Rico: Maricao, Stevens & Hess 4SS2 ; Chase 6224, 622S. Quebradillas, 



Chase 6578. Cayey, Chase 6742. 

 Virgin Islands : St. Jan, Eggers 3121. 



Explanation of Plate 17. — Lasiacis harrisii. Specimen from Maricao, Porto Rico r 

 Chase 6228 (U. S. Nat. Herb. no. 946901). Natural size. 



9. Lasiacis divaricata (L.) Hitchc. 



Panicum divaricatum L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 2 : 871. 1759. The type, collected in 

 Jamaica by Patrick Browne, has been examined in the Linnaean Herbarium. It 

 is the small-leaved smooth clambering form of the lowlands. 



Panicum bambusoides Desv. ; Hamilt. Prodr. PI. Ind. Occ. 10. 1825. The 

 type in the Paris Herbarium, from Porto Rico, has been examined. 



Panicum cliauvinii Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. 1 : 68. 1854. The type has been ex- 

 amined in the Paris Herbarium. It was collected in Guadeloupe by Duchas- 

 saing, the specimen having been received from Chauvin. 



