WEST INDIAN" GRASSES DESCRIBED BY SWARTZ. 141 



Panicum hirsutum Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 1: 173. 1797. 



The type specimen from "Jamaica, Swartz" is, as described by Swartz, a robust 

 plant with appressed-birsute sheaths and a large, somewhat compact panicle about 

 20 cm. long, with glabrous acute spikelets about 2 mm. long. Pringle no. 5573 from 

 Mexico is the same. 



Panicum kalmii Sw. Adnot. Bot. 6. 1829. 



The type specimen, from Kalm marked P. kalmii and also P. heterophyllwm, is Pani- 

 cum sphaerocarpon Ell.' 1 



Panicum compactum Sw. Adnot. Bot. 14. 1829. 



The type specimen is from Jamaica, and belongs to this species as described by 

 Grisebach. 5 Grisebach describes this as a new species "Sw. Herb.," overlooking 

 the description by Wikstrom in the Adnotationes cited above. There is an earlier 

 P. compactum Kit., c but this is mentioned as a synonym under Panicum germanicum 

 and hence, not being actually published, is not a valid name. I do not find that 

 Kitaibel's name was taken up before the publication of P. compactum Swartz. 



Milium compressum Sw. Prod. 24. 1788. 



No specimen of this could be found, but the excellent description of Swartz in his 

 Flora d leaves no room for doubt. It is the common pasture grass of the West Indies 

 called Paspalum compressum Rasp, and Anastrophus compressus Schlecht. The char- 

 acters of the species and its allies seem sufficiently distinct from Paspalum to warrant 

 the segregation of the group as a genus. Schlechtendahl suggested for it the name 

 Anastrophus. Axonopus Beauv. has been rejected by some authors on account of the 

 dubious characters assigned to it; and has been accepted by others for diverse groups, 

 usually centered around Panicum cimicinum Retz. Beauvois 6 assigns four species to 

 this new genus, none of which he figures: Milium compressum, M. digitatum, M. cimi- 

 cinum, M. paniceum. In a note he mentions another species, Axonopus aureus , which he 

 characterizes very briefly , and which he says seems to him as if it ought to belong to that 

 genus. He complicates matters somewhat by placing the mark of doubt in the index 

 after all the species of this genus except A. aureus. The type of the genus must be 



spikelet, convex, prominently 5-nerved, sterile lemma as long as spikelet; flat on 

 back, prominently 5-nerved, the first pair of nerves forming the angle of the incurved 

 edges, the second pair of nerves near the margin, sterile floret with three stamens and 

 a well-developed palea as long as the lemma, fertile lemma and palea minutely rough- 

 ened but not rugose, the former bearing a prominent apiculation about 0.5 mm. long. 



Low moist places on the plains of Mexico. 

 Specimens examined: 



Pringle 9592, Federal District, Cerro de Guadaloupe, altitude 2,770 meters, August 

 19,1901; Palmer 533, 254; Conzatti & Gonzales 348; Bourgeau 222, 439; Nelson 

 in 1893; Pringle 375. 



Besides these specimens which are in the National Herbarium I have examined the 

 following cited by Fournier under P. caespitosum (Mex. PI. 2: 18. 1886): Bourgeau 679, 

 Berlandier 575, 795, Liebmann 382, Schaffner 190, 317, Virlet 1309. 



The type specimen is no. 156925 of the U. S. National Herbarium (Prkigle's 9592). 



The genus Brachiaria was established by Grisebach (in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. 4: 469. 

 1853) with a single species, B. erucaeformis (-Sibth.) Griseb., which is the type. 

 Brachiaria differs from Panicum chiefly in having spikelets so placed that the fertile 

 floret stands with its palea toward the axis, i. e., with the first glume toward the 

 axis. The spikelets are subsessile in one-sided racemes, these racemose on an elon- 

 gated axis. 



« Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1: 125. 1816. <*F1. Ind. Occ. 1: 183. 1797. 



&F1. Brit. W. Ind. 552. 1864. «Agrost. 12. 1812. 



cln Schultes, Oester. Fl. ed. 2. 1: 212. 1814. 



