88 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



nom. Panici pruinosi.) " The type, in the Berlin Herbarium, is labeled by Bernhardi 

 "Panicum pruinosum mihi, Delaware, affine P. virgato." The spikelets are 4.5 mm. 

 long. 



Panicum giganteum Scheele, Linnaea 22: 340. 1849. "Im trockenen felsigen 

 Flussbett des Cibolo zwischen San Antonio und Neubraunfels: Lindheimer. August." 

 We have not seen the type, but in the Engelmann Herbarium is a specimen of P. 

 virgatum collected by Lindheimer, which appears to be a duplicate type. It is 

 labeled "Auf felsigen Boden im Bett der Cibolo. Sept." 



Panicum glaberrimum Steud. Syn. PL Glum. 1: 94. 1854. "Cultum ex H. Berol. 

 eem. 1840. sub Ichnanthus glaber. Link. Am. sptr." The type, in the Steudel Herba- 

 rium, is labeled "Panicum glaberrimum Steud. Cultum in H. Berol. comun. Hohen- 

 acker." 



Ichnanthus glaber Link; Steud. Syn. PI. Glum. 1: 94. 1854. This name is men- 

 tioned under Panicum glaberrimum. 



Panicum hunthii Fourn.; Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3 : 490. 1885, not Steud. 

 1841. Based on "Panicum coloratum Kunth, Enum. * * * not L." Kunth 

 refers "P. virgatum Muhl." to P. coloratum L. as a synonym, probably basing this 

 reference upon a note which Muhlenberg a appends to his description of P. virgatum, 

 " 'Non virgatum sed coloratum L.' Smith." The species described by Muhlenberg 

 under this name is true P. virgatum L., and the specimen so labeled in the Muhlenberg 

 Herbarium must be taken as the type of P. hunthii Fourn. Fournier intended to 

 change the name of P. coloratum Kunth, not L., which must refer to the Muhlenberg 

 species, as the other references are to P. coloratum L. Founder's later description & 

 of P. hunthii and the specimens cited refer to P. elephantipes. A synonym cited, 

 P. arenarium [Brot. misapplied by] Schlecht., is P. gouini. 



Panicum ichnanthoides Fourn. Mex. PL 2 : 30. 1886. This name was earlier listed 

 without description by Hemsley.c Fournier cites "Orizaba (F. Mull[er] n. 2082 

 in herb. Petrop.)" The specimen in the herbarium of the Botanical Garden in 

 St. Petersburg labeled as above is Milller 2002, the number as printed being an error. 

 The panicle is narrow, the spikelets 3.5 to 3.8 mm. long. 



Panicum virgatum confertum Vasey, Bull. Torrey Club 13 : 26. 1886. Vasey gives 

 no definite locality, merely stating that the variety grows, "particularly on the sea 

 coast." The type, in the National Herbarium, is labeled "Seashore at Atlantic 

 City, N. J., Geo. Vasey, 1884." The panicles are narrow and compact, about 20 cm. 

 long and 5 cm. wide. The spikelets are about 3.5 mm. long. 



Panicum virgatum elongatum Vasey, Bull. Torrey Club 13 : 26. 1886. No defi- 

 nite locality is given. The type, in the National Herbarium, was collected at White 

 River, South Dakota, August, 1892, by E. N. Wilcox, no. 13. This is an immature 

 specimen, the long narrow panicle and slender spikelets, as described, being due to 

 immaturity. This name is not based on P. elongatum Pursh, since Vasey says, "per- 

 haps this is the Panicum elongatum of Pursh." 



Panicum virgatum diffusum Vasey, Bull. Torrey Club 13 : 26. 1886. "Sandy prai- 

 ries, Kansas, Colorado, etc." No specimen bearing this name can be found in the 

 National Herbarium nor any from Kansas or Colorado collected before 1886. Palmer's 

 no. 376 from Indian Territory in 1868, with a very large and diffuse panicle and 

 marked "P. virgatum?" by Vasey well answers his brief description. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants erect, usually 1 to 2 meters high, producing numerous scaly, creeping root- 

 stocks, glabrous throughout except as noted, commonly purple tinged, often glaucous, 

 especially on the internodes and upper surface of the blades; culms in large to small 

 clumps or even solitary, simple, robust, tough and hard; sheaths longer than the rather 

 short lower internodes, usually shorter than the upper ones, often ciliate, sometimes 



a Descr. Gram. 120. 1817. cBiol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3 : 490. 1885. 



6 Mex. PL Gram. 2 : 29. 1886. 



