HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 



53 



with some of the specimens referred to P. dichotomiflorum. A few specimens men- 

 tioned under the latter species have papillose-hispid sheaths, but are low branching 

 plants with the habit of that species 

 rather than of P. bartowense. Although 

 most of the specimens cited below are 

 erect and simple, one, Chase 3850, is 

 much branched and spreading at the 

 base like P. dichotomiflorum, and it is 

 possible that the erect, simple habit 

 has no special significance as a specific 

 character. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Low ground, often growing in shallow Fig. 34.— Distribution of J>. bartowense. 



water, Florida and the Bahamas. 



Florida: Homosassa, Combs 971; Titusville, Chase 4007; Manatee, Tracy 6691; 

 Braidentown, Tracy 7738; Palma Sola, Tracy 7740; Bartow, Combs 1220; 

 Myers, Hitchcock Lee Co. PI. 483; Palm Beach, Curtiss 5386; Little River, 

 Eaton 467; Miami, Chase 3850, Eaton 164 in part, Hitchcock 648, 658, 697; 

 without locality, Simpson in 1889. 

 Bahamas: Great Bahama, Britton & Millspaugh 2706; North Bimini, Brace 3467 

 (all in Field Mus. Herb.). 



19. Panicum elephantipes Nees. 



Panicum elephantipes Nees, Agrost. Bras. 165. 1829. u Habitat in sylvis udis 

 archipelagi Paraensis." The type, in the Munich Herbarium, labeled as above, 

 consists of a large detached panicle, a leaf, and a few inches of a culm. 

 Panicum fistulosum Hochst.; Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. 1: 71. 1854. The locality 



mentioned is, "Surinam" and the specimen cited is 

 "Hrbr. Kappler nr. 1434." A specimen of Kappler 

 1434 was examined at the Florence Herbarium and 

 another at Stockholm. As no specimen of this num- 

 ber was found among the Steudel plants at Paris, we 

 are unable to locate the type. 



In India is found a similar species, described in 

 Hooker's Flora of India « as P. proliferum (P. palu- 

 dosum Roxb.) which, judging from the specimens in 

 the U. S. National Herbarium, is a smaller plant, 

 with small, tardily exserted panicles 10 to 15 cm. 

 long. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Culms ascending from a decumbent, often widely 

 creeping base, rooting at the nodes, succulent, as 

 much as 2 cm. thick, apparently a meter or more 

 high, glabrous, the nodes glabrous, usually conspicu- 

 ously dark colored; sheaths glabrous, longer than the 

 internodes, loose, the lower often tesselated by cross partitions between the nerves; 

 ligules about 3 mm. long; blades 15 to 50 cm. long, 7 to 20 mm. wide, glabrous beneath, 

 pilose above, at least near the base; panicles large and open, as much as 40 cm. long, 



Fig. 35.— P. elepMntipes. From 

 type specimen. 



oFl. Brit. Ind. 7:50. 1896. 



