128 Chase — Notes on Genera of Panicese. IV. . 



Steudel (Syn. PI. Glum. 1 : 56. 1854) follows Trinius' own later limita- 

 tion of the subgenus Braehiaria.* 



Bentham (Benth. c*c Hook. Gen. PI. 3:1102. 1883) uses the name 

 Braehiaria for a section of Panicum and in about the sense equivalent to 

 the group Geminata (Hitchc. & Chase, Contr. Nat. Herb. 15 : 30. 1910). 

 Hackel (Engler & Prantl. Pflanzenf. 2 : 2 35. 1887) also uses it as a sec- 

 tion of Panicum and apparently in the same way, his diagnosis being: 

 Inflorescence as in Paspalum, spikelets awnless. 



Nash (Britton, Man. 77. 1901 ) recognizes Braehiaria as a genus (giving 

 Ledebour as the author), differentiating it by the racemose inflorescence 

 and awnless spikelets of 3 glumes. Two species, Panicum digitarioides 

 (P. hemitomon Schult.) and P. obtusum H. B. K., in both of which the 

 spikelets arc in the position normal lor Panicum and Paspalum, not the 

 reversed position of Braehiaria eruciformis, are transferred to it. Later 

 (in Small, Fl. Southeast. U. S. 50 and 80. 1903) Nash adds to his diag- 

 nosis of the genus Braehiaria "flowering scalewith its opening toward 

 the raohis ." thus limiting the genus to Grisebach's type species and its 

 allies. Pan icurn digitarioides and P. obtusum he here restores to Panicum. 

 Hitchcock (Contr. Nat. Herb. 12 : 141. 190S) accepts Braehiaria in this 

 emended sense, separating it from Panicum chiefly on account of its 

 " having spikelets so placed that the fertile floret stands with its palea 

 toward t lie axis." 

 See- a-Uo Milium Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4 : 251). 1901, not L. 1753. This includes a 



B>u-to. P- ■a.'ja single species, M. alternans Bubani, based on Pa>iicum eruciforme Smith. 

 No generic description is given but something of the author's concept of 

 the genus is shown by his statement that it is not possible to separate 

 Panicum beckmanniaeforme Mikan (P. geminatum Forsk. ) from Milium 

 alternans, indicating that Milium is used in the historic sense. W^ »^rVoX. 



Description. — Inflorescence of several to manyjleiise racemes along a 



common axis; spikelets solitary, rarely in pairs, subsessile in two rows 



on one side of a 3-angled, sometimes narrowly winged rachis, the back of 



the fertile lemma turned from the axis; spikelets dorsally compressed, 



sometimes turgid; first glume usually less than half the length of the 



spikelet; second glume and sterile lemma equal or nearly so, 5- to 7- 



nerved, the lemma enclosing a hyaline palea and sometimes a staminate 



flower; fruit indurate^ (in the type species smooth and shining) usually 



le.tTMn« ap;c4A.I«te papillose-rngose, the^niargins ef-the lem-naa inrolled, the apex rarely 



° r att " a t; rP«* <1 -. tKe mucronatc pointed. Animator perennial, branching herbs with linear u.^vk«^W- 



leaves, the culms often decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes, con- v"^ **'* 



lined to the warmer temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres. 



^i^' Bracidaria is here distinguished from allied genera by the strictly 



racemose inflorescence and reversed position of the spikelets (in winch 



the first glume is present) taken in combination. 



*Schlechtendal's stricture (Linnaea 26 : 537. 1853) of Steudel for including under 

 Panicum section Braehiaria Trin. a different aggregation of species from that included 

 under it by Trinius himself, must have been made in ignorance of Trinius' later paper, 

 for Steudel, not only includes the same species as did Trinius, but gives them in the 

 same order, only interspersing a few of what he considers allied species. 



