118 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



62. Panicum hians EH. 



Panicum hians Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1 : 118. 1816. Elliott gives no particular 

 locality, but he states that the species is " Very abundant near Michaux's old farm, 10 

 miles from Charleston." The type, in the Elliott Herbarium, is labeled "Panicum 

 Hians mihi. Hab: in pinetis humidis," but without particular locality. 



Panicum oblongifiorum Desv. Opusc. 89. 1831. "Habitat in Carolina * * * a 

 Bosc." The type is in the Desvaux Herbarium. 



Panicum jejunum Trin. Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. VI. Sci. Nat. 2 1 : 103. 1836. 

 "Louisiana." The type specimen, in the Trinius Herbarium, is marked "Louisiana, 

 mis. Hooker. 1835." 



Airaincompleta Bosc; Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 1 : 45. 1840. This is a nomen nudum 



mentioned as a synonym of Panicum debile [no author cited], but there is no cross 



reference under Panicum debile. We have seen specimens of this collected by Bosc, 



in the Trinius Herbarium, in the Padua Herbarium, and in the 



fDelessert Herbarium. All are Panicum hians. In the absence 

 A of any evidence as to which is the type specimen we take as the 

 / \ tyP e tne one m the Padua Herbarium, which appears to con- 

 /| II tain Bosc's own herbarium. The locality of this is given as 

 \| W Steinchisma hians Raf.; Ind. Kew. 2: 982. 1895. Based on 



w Panicum hians Ell. Nash« segregated the genus Steinchisma and 

 was followed by Hitchcock. & Steinchisma was first mentioned 

 From type specimen, by Rafinesque c in a letter to De Candolle in which he pro- 

 poses several new genera, this genus appearing as follows: " Stein- 

 chisma =Panicuni divaricatum, hians." This probably refers to Panicum hians Ell. 

 and to P. divaricatum Michx. which is given by Elliott as a queried synonym under 

 P. hians. Panicum divaricatum Michx. is, however, Festuca obtusa Spreng.^ Rafin- 

 esque's name is given by Steudel« as " Steinschisma Rafin. Panicum debile." 

 Panicum debile Ell. is P. verrucosum Muhl. 



Nash separated the genus Steinchisma on the character of the enlarged palea of the 

 sterile floret. This character is shared by Panicum exiguiflorum, P. cupreum, the 

 South American P. decipiens Nees, and, in less pronounced form, by P. laxum and P 

 pilosum, while P. polygonatum, which is evidently allied to P. laxum, has a very small 

 palea. This character, since it proves not to be correlated with any other, does not 

 seem to us sufficient for the segregation as a genus of those species showing it, especially 

 since such segregation would place closely allied species in separate genera. 



Beal/and Scribner^ misapply the name Panicum melicarium Michx. to P. hians 

 Ell. Panicum melicarium Michx. is Panicularia elongata (Torr.) Kuntze, P. melicaria 

 (Michx.) Hitched 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants perennial, cespitose; culms simple or sparingly branching, 20 to 60 cm. 

 high, erect or a few of the outer ones geniculate and rooting at the lower nodes, some- 

 times prostrate and sending up erect branches; sheaths usually much shorter than the 

 internodes, keeled, glabrous; ligules about 0.5 mm. long; blades 5 to 15 cm. long, 1 



« Small, Fl. Southeast. U. S. 105. 1903. 



& A. Gray, Man. ed. 7. 117. 1908. 



c Bull. Bot. Seringe 220. 1830. 



dSee Hitchcock, Contr. Nat. Herb. 12 : 149. 1908. 



« Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 2 : 635. 1841. 



/Grasses N. Amer. 2 : 127. 1896. 



9V. S. Dept. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 7: 66./. 48. 1897. 



/'See Hitchcock, Contr. Nat. Herb. 12: 149. 1908. 



