HITCHCOCK AND CHASE — GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 317 



Panicum paniculatum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 3 2 : 363. 1898. 



Paspalum paniculatum minor Scribn. in Millsp. Field Mus. Bot. 2: 24. 1900. 



A weedy branching perennial, commonly a meter or more tall, the foliage 

 harshly pubescent, the flat blades 20 to 30 cm. long, about 1.5 cm. wide ; racemes 

 very numerous, slender, crowded in an oblong panicle, the minute crowded sub- 

 hemispheric spikelets pubescent. Exceedingly variable in size and in the amount 

 of pubescence. 



Savannas, open or partly shaded, mostly moist ground, Mexico and the West 

 Indies to South America ; common throughout the West Indies. Originally 

 described from Jamaica, the variety also described from that island ; P. hemis- 

 vhericum described from Porto Rico. 



45. Paspalum multicaule Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 4: 309. 1816. 

 Paspalum papillosum Spreng. Nov. Prov. Hal. 47. 1819. 



A low annual, profusely branching from the base and lower nodes, the sheaths 

 and narrow linear blades pilose; racemes a pair at the summit of the culm 

 (rarely solitary), divergent, slender, about 3 cm. long, the minute pale orbicular 

 spikelets irregularly sprinkled with globular hairs, these often wanting on some 

 of the spikelets but present on some on each plant. 



Moist savannas and open ground, Cuba (Province of Pinar del Rio), Trinidad, 

 Brazil, and Bolivia. Both P. multicaule and P. papillosum originally described 

 from Brazil. r , » 



46. Paspalum parviflorum Rjj^de; Fliigge, Monogr. Pasp. 98. 1810. 



A low annual with delicate, repeatedly branching culms, the sheaths and flat 

 linear blades pilose with long spreading hairs ; racemes 2 or 3, about 5 mm. 

 distant, divergent, 10 to 18 mm. long, pilose in the axils, the very minute 

 glabrous spikelets solitary. 



Apparently a plant of open moist sand, described from Porto Rico but not 

 since collected in any of the West Indies, our specimens being from Guiana and 

 Brazil. 



47. Paspalum clavuliferum Wright, Anal. Acad. Cienc. Habana 8: 203. 1871. 

 Perennial in small tufts with very slender, sparingly branching culms 25 to 40 



cm. tall, pubescent flat linear erect blades, and a pair of slender arcuate racemes 

 (sometimes a single one) 3 to 5 cm. long, the paired obovate, minutely pubescent 

 spikelets 1.5 mm. long, 



Open wet ground, Cuba (Zaza de Tunas and Ca'jalbana), Porto Rico (Campo 

 Alegre, Stevenson 2454), and southern Mexico to South America. Originally 

 described from Cuba, Wright 3444 * being the type. 



48. Paspalum orbiculatum Poir. in Lam. Encycl. 5: 32. 1804. 

 Paspalum pusillum Vent. ; Fliigge, Monogr. Pasp. 100. 1810. 

 Paspalum lenormandi Husn. Enum. Glum. 12. 1871. 



A glabrous creeping perennial with ascending flowering branches 10 to 20 cm. 

 tall, the delicate culms finally branching ; blades flat, spreading, mostly 1.5 to 4 

 cm. long, 4 to 7 mm. wide ; racemes 2 or 3, short-exserted, 4 to 5 mm. distant, 

 1 to 2 cm. long, the minute glabrous pale yellow suborbicular spikelets singly 

 disposed. 



Wet places, southern Mexico and the West Indies to South America. Orig- 

 inally described from Porto Rico; P. pusillum described from St. Thomas, and 

 F. lenormandi from Martinique. 



Haiti, Porto Rico, Dominica, Martinique, and Trinidad. 



1 Two other species, P. caespitosum and P. poiretii, were also distributed under 

 this number. 



