HITCHCOCK — REVISIONS OF NORTH AMERICAN GRASSES. 



135 



nerves, glabrous or nearly so on the internerves; sterile lemma mucronate or with 

 an awn 1 to 2 mm. long; fruit about 2.5 cm. long, mucronate. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



In ditches, Guadeloupe, introduced from Africa. 

 Leeward Islands: Guadeloupe, Duss 3175, 3176, 3920; Hitchcock 16412. 



2. Echinochloa polystachya (H. B. K.) Hitchc. 



Oplismenus polystachyus H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1: 107. 1816. "Crescit in sylvis 

 opacatis Orinocensibus prope Maypure et in radicibus montis Cumadamenari." The 

 Humboldt collections have not been examined. The description applies well to 

 glabrous specimens of E'Mnochloa polystachya. The ligule is described as "margo 

 pilosus." This leaves litthTdoubt as to the identity of the species. 



Panicum spectabile Nees, Agrost. Bras. 262. 1829. "Habitat, uti videtur, in regno 

 Angola Africae, a Lusitanis ob^eximium, quod praebet, pabulum inde in Brasilium 

 allatum, et variis per omne 

 imperium locis cultum, e. g. 

 ad Sebastianopolin, Soteropo- 

 lin, Maragnanum, Para. ' ' Nees 

 further states, in regard to 

 its introduction from Angola, 

 "Capim de Angola, incolis, de 

 cujus culturaconferatur: Obser- 

 vagoes a cerca do Capim de 

 Angola, ultimamente trazido e 

 cultivado aqui. Rio de Janeiro. 

 1818." A specimen in ■ the 

 Munich Herbarium marked, 

 "Capim de Angola. Martius. 

 Iter Brasiliensis, " is taken as 

 the type. Dr. Otto Stapf in- 

 forms me that he has no evi- 

 dence that this species grows 

 in Africa and that the state- 

 ment by Nees that it was intro- 

 duced from Angola appears to 

 be an error. 



Echinochloa spectabilis Link, 

 Hort. Berol. 2: 209. 1833. 

 Based on Panicum spectabile 

 Nees. 



Orthopogon hirsutus Spreng. ; Steud. Nom. Bot 

 given as synonym of Panicum spectabile. 



Panicum phyllanthum Steud. Syn. PL Glum. 1: 47. 1854 

 lectum in Montevideo." The type has not been examined. 



Panicum bonplandianum Steud. Syn. PL Glum. 1 : 48. 1854. 

 polystachyus H. B." 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants perennial, usually in colonies; culms coarse, 1 to 2 meters tall, from a long 

 creeping rooting base, glabrous, the nodes densely hispid with appressed yellowish 

 hairs; sheaths glabrous or papillose-hispid; ligule a dense line of stiff yellowish hairs as 

 much as 4 mm. long; blades as much as 2.5 cm. wide, scabrous on the margins and 

 upper surface; panicle 10 to 30 cm. long, rather dense, the axis angled, very scabrous; 

 racemes ascending, the lower mostly 3 to 6 cm. long, densely hispid at base, the rachis 

 very scabrous and more or less papillose-hispid; spikelets rather closely set, nearly 

 sessile, about 5 mm. long; sterile floret staminate, the awn 2 to 10 mm. long'; fruit 

 rather soft, about 4 mm. long, extending into a point about 0.5 mm. long. 



Fig. 26. — Echin ochloa polystachya. From Pittier 4383, Panama. 



ed. 



2: 234. 1841. A name only, 

 "Ex. hrbo. Deloche, 

 Based on ' ' Oplismenus 



