HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — NORTH AMERICAN GRASSES. 21 



Panicum divarication jS stenostachyum Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 551. 1864. 

 The type was collected in Jamaica by March. The varietal name might indicate 

 L. harrisii, but the specimen in the Grisebach Herbarium is L. divaricata. 



Lasiacis divaricata Hitchc. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: 16. 1910. Based on 

 Panicum divaricatum L. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants usually glabrous throughout, except the margin of the sheaths ; culms 

 woody, much branched, clambering over shrubs to the height of 3 to 4 meters, 

 the main culm strong, as much as 6 mm. in diameter, the main branches often 

 fascicled, the vigorous secondary sterile shoots usually strongly divaricate or 

 zigzag, the prophyllum prominent at the base of the branches; sheaths gla- 

 brous except the villous or ciliate margin and the sometimes hispid collar ; ligule 

 very short, not visible without displacing the blade ; blades narrowly lanceolate, 

 5 to 12 cm. long, 5 to 15 mm. wide, or on the vigorous sterile shoots much larger, 

 narrowed at the base, gradually narrowed above to an acuminate point, scabrous 

 on the margin and sometimes slightly on the surface, the older ones deciduous 

 from the sheaths, the basal portion of the fertile shoots bearing the old sheaths 

 but otherwise naked ; panicles terminating the main culm and the fertile 

 branches, ovate or oblong, 5 to 20 cm. long, loosely flowered, the branches dis- 

 tant, spreading or often reflexed, the axes angled, scabrous, flexuous, the lower 

 usually 2 to 4 cm. (sometimes as much as 10 cm.) long, the main branches 

 ordinarily 5 to 10-flowered ; spikelets ovoid, about 4 mm. long. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Copses and edges of woods at low altitudes, especially in the vicinity of the 

 seacoast, southern Florida, West Indies, and Mexico, south through tropical 

 South America. 

 Florida : Biscayne Bay, Palmer 630 in 1874. Miami, Rolfs d Quaintance 935 ; 



Hitchcock 194, 723 ; Chase 3904. Marco, Hitchcock in 1900. South Florida, 



Chapman. Palm Beach, Curtiss 5530 ; Hitchcock 2547. Indian River, 



Curtiss 3588. Cutler, Eaton 315. Tallahassee Hammock, Eaton 418. Key 



Largo, Chase 3930; Pollard, Collins d Morris 157. Key West, Blodgett ; 



Garber; Rugel 111. Vacca Keys, Small & Carter 2S64. Brevard County, 



Fredholm 5532. 

 Lower California: Sierra de la Laguna, Brandegee in 1890. 

 Sinaloa : Rosario, Rose in 1897. 

 Jalisco: Tequila, Palmer 362 in 1886. 

 San Luis Potosi : Minas de San Rafael, Purpus 5439, 5440. 

 Colima: Manzanillo, Hitchcock 7027, 7028, 7035, 7044; Palmer 1089 in 1890. 



Alzada, Hitchcock 7087, 7099. 

 Veracruz : Pital, Liebmann 294. Orizaba, Hitchcock 6393. Zacuapan, Purpus 



2905. Cordoba, Hitchcock 6456, 6458. Huitamalco, Liebmann 301. Yeco- 



atla, Liebmann 2S8. Jicaltepec, Liebmann 295. 

 Yucatan : Merida, Schott 675. Izamal, Gaumer 1032. 

 Guatemala: Uaxaekanal, Seler 3004. Sapacuite, Cook d Griggs 138. Trece 



Aguas, Lewton 286. Morales, Kellerman 6268. Secanquim, Goll 24. Cubil- 



quitz, Turckheim 7696. El Palmar, Kellerman 6264. 

 Salvador: San Salvador, Renson 323. 

 Honduras : Puerto Sierra, Wilson 169. 

 Nicaragua: Jinotepe, Hitchcock 8722, 8723. 

 Costa Rica: Nicoya, Tonduz 13748. Guanacaste, Jimenez 378. Puriscal, 



Jime'nez 892. Rodeo, Pittier 1615. 



