HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 283 



171. Panicum scribnerianum Nash. 



Panicum macrocarpon Torr. Fl. North. & Mid. U. S. 143. 1823, not LeConte 1819. 

 "Hab. On the banks of the Connecticut River, near Deerfield, Massachusetts. Sent 

 to me by Dr. Cooley." The type, in herbarium of Columbia University, is a single 

 culm with terminal panicle. It is labeled in Torrey 's hand "Panicum macrocarpon*, '[ 

 followed by a brief diagnosis, and "Near Deerfield, Mass. Dr. Cooley." On the same 

 sheet was mounted the specimen of P. latifolium, which is taken as the type of P. 

 macrocarpon LeConte. a Torrey makes no mention of P. macrocarpon LeConte, 

 published a few years earlier in his Catalogue of the Plants of New York. 



Panicum scribnerianum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 22 : 421. 1895. This is proposed 

 as a new name without description, the following citations being given: "Panicum 

 scoparium S. Wats, in A. Gray, Man. Ed. 6, 632. 1890. Not Lam. Panicum scoparium 

 var. minor Scribn. Bull. Univ. Tenn. 7 : 48. 1894. Not P. capillare var. minor Muhl. 

 1817." The author does not state upon which of these two the new name is based, 

 but since it "is proposed in honor of Prof. F. L. Scribner, who was the first to indicate 

 its difference from P. scoparium Lam.," it seems evident that the intention is to 

 raise Scribner 's variety to specific rank, changing the name because of P. capillare 

 var. minor Muhl. But examination of Scribner 's type & shows that it is not the 

 species described as P. scoparium in Gray's Manual and as P. scribnerianum by Nash 

 in the Illustrated Flora, c Britton's Manual, ^ and Small's Flora. « Owing to the 

 confusion and uncertainty arising from Scribner 's citing a specimen which disagrees 

 in part with his description, it seems best to take the first citation given by Nash as 

 the basis of P. scribnerianum, excluding the reference to P. scoparium var. minor. 



Panicum scoparium S. Wats.; Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 22 : 421. 1895. As synonym 

 under P. scribnerianum Nash. The name is cited by Nash as "S. Wats, in A. Gray 

 Man. Ed. 6, 632. 1890. Not Lam.," but Watson did not publish this name, since 

 misapplication of a name does not constitute publication. The description of "P. 

 scoparium Lam." [misapplied] in Gray's Manual, ed. 6, is identical with that of 

 "P. pauciflorum Ell.?" of previous editions back to the first. In the first edition / 

 the range is given as " N . Pennsylvania ( Carey) and W. New York to Michigan. ' ' The 

 Carey specimen, in the Gray Herbarium, is a single branching plant with hispid 

 sheaths, a primary panicle, destitute of spikelets, and two secondary panicles with 

 scarcely mature spikelets. The accompanying label reads: "Panicum n. sp.? pauci- 

 florum Ell.? Wysox. Penna. J. Carey, July 1836." This specimen we take as the 

 type of P. scribnerianum. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Vernal form in clumps of few to many culms, 20 to 50 cm. high, erect or ascending, 

 often geniculate at base, glabrous or harshly puberulent or sometimes ascending 

 papillose-pilose; sheaths rather loose, conspicuously striate, ciliate on the margin, 

 ascending-pubescent between the nerves and papillose-hispid with spreading or 

 ascending hairs to nearly glabrous, the papillae often without hairs; ligules about 1 

 mm. long; blades ascending or erect, 5 to 10 cm. long, 6 to 12 mm. wide, usually 

 firm, acuminate, rounded and ciliate at base, glabrous on the upper surface, appressed- 

 pubescent to glabrous beneath; panicles short-exserted, 4 to 8 cm. long, rarely longer, 

 two-thirds to three-fourths as wide, the flexuous branches ascending; spikelets 3.2 

 to 3.3 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, obovate, turgid, blunt, sparsely pubescent to nearly 



°See note under P. latifolium L., page 314. 



&See notes on P. scoparium minus Scribn. under P. malacophyllum Nash, page 280. 



c Britt. & Brown, Illust. Fl. 1: 118. 1896. 



<*Man. 87. 1901. 



«F1. Southeast U. S. 103. 1903. 



/A. Gray, Man. 613. 1848. 



