lMERIcajst species of pennisetum. 225 



lisetum antillarum (Poir.) Desv. (/. -7k^^*L^rC<, 'c^-c-^<Le^9 



THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF PENNISETUM. 225 



7. Pennisetum 



Panicum antillarum Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 4: 275. 1816. "Antilles (V. s 

 in herb. Desfont.). " The type specimen or a duplicate of it was examined by A. S 

 Hitchcock in the herbarium of the Botanical Garden at Florence and a fragment of 

 inflorescence was given him for the National Herbarium. So far as known this is 

 the only collection of this species in existence. The description given below, except 

 that of the inflorescence, is translated from Poiret's desc iption and that of Desvaux. 



Saccharumf antillarum Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. 2: 877. 1817. Based on Pan- 

 icum antillarum Poir. - ._ . 



Setaria antillarum Kunth, Rev. Gram. 1: 46. 1829. Based on Panicum antillarum 

 Poir. 



Pennisetum antillarum Desv. Opusc. 76. 1831. Based on Panicum antillarum Poir. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants probably perennial; culms erect, slender, terete, branching, scabrous below 

 the panicle, otherwise glabrous; sheaths pilose, ciliate at the throat; blades narrowly 

 linear, acuminate, pilose on the upper surface at least toward the base, glabrous 

 beneath; panicle 8 to 15 cm. long, very slender, acuminate, rather dense, the slen- 

 der angled axis minutely scaberulous; fascicles sessile, spreading; bristles scant, 

 very slender, unequal, most of them about equaling the spikelet, the 

 innermost conspicuously longer, 4 to 6 mm. long; spikelets solitary, 

 sessile, 2 to 2.5 mm. long; glumes and sterile lemma thin, brownish, 

 ciliolate, the first minute, sometimes obsolete, the second exceed- 

 ing the sterile lemma and the fruit, 5 to 7-nerved, minutely 3-lobed at 

 the apex, the middle lobe acute, exceeding the lateral ones; sterile 

 lemma 3 to 5-nerved, minutely 3-lobed, the middle lobe reduced to 

 a mucro, the palea obsolete; fruit about 1.5 mm. long and 0.4 mm. 

 wide, indurate, smooth and shining, the narrowed apex of both lemma 

 and palea ciliate-fimbriate. 



The spikelet and particularly the indurate, fimbriate-tipped fruit 

 show relationship to Pennisetum setosum. 



Known from a single collection from "Antilles. " 



8. Pennisetum crinitum (H. B. K.) Spreng. 



Fig. 69— Pen- 



Gymnothrix crinitaH. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 1: 112. 1816. "Crescit nisetum an- 

 in littore lacus Cuiseo [Lake Cuitzeo, Michoacan] prope La Puerta de f,*_*L? r "^ ' 

 Andaracuas, et juxta S. Rosa, * * * in regno Mexicano." The 

 type specimen has not been examined, but the detailed description 

 agrees perfectly with the numerous specimens from the region whence came the type. 



Pennisetum crinitum Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1: 302. 1825. Based on Gymnothrix crinita 

 H. B. K. 



Pennisetum humboldtianum Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3: 508. 1885. Based on 

 Gymnothrix crinita H. B. K. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants perennial, glabrous as a whole; culms solitary or few together, erect from a 

 curved or slightly geniculate base, robust, usually 2 meters or more tall, commonly 

 bearing leafy flowering branches from all but the lower nodes, these often bearing 

 sterile branches; internodes conspicuously channeled on the side toward the sheath, 

 the lower mostly compressed, relatively short, the upper elongate; sheaths much shorter 

 than the internodes, rather loose; ligule stiffly ciliate, about 0.5 mm. long; blades erect 

 or ascending, rather thick, flat, those of the main culm 20 to 40 cm. long, 8 to 18 mm. 

 wide, broadest at the base, those of the branches smaller; primary panicles usually 



(f- 



From type 

 specimen. 



^ 



