HITCHCOCK AND CHASE GRASSES OF THE WEST INDIES. 337 



Panicum chauvinii Steud. Syn. PL Glum. 1: 68. 1854. 



Panicum divaricatum var. stenostachyum Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Incl. 551. 1864. 



Shrubby, with strong canes, clambering to a height of 3 or 4 meters, the 

 main branches often fascicled, the vigorous secondary foliage shoots mostly 

 strongly divaricate or zigzag ; usually glabrous throughout except on the margin 

 of the sheaths ; blades commonly less than 1 cm. wide, only on vigorous shoots 

 as much as 1.5 cm. wide; panicles usually less than 10 cm. long, the branches 

 defiexed at maturity. 



Among shrubs at low altitudes, southern Florida to Central and South Amer- 

 ica, throughout the West Indies. Originally described from Jamaica. The 

 type of Panicum bambusoides is from Porto Rico ; of P. chauvinii from Guade- 

 loupe; of P. divaricatum var. stenostachyum from Jamaica. This species and 

 L. sloanei were included by Richard 1 under the name Panicum glutinosum. 

 In Cuba called " pito de bejuco." 



The commonest West Indian species of the genus, growing on all the islands, 

 especially near the coast. 



6. Lasiacis lignlata sp. nov. 



Panicum divaricatum var. puberulum Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 551. 1864. 



Clambering to a height of 5 to 10 meters, the robust glabrous central cane 

 as much as 1 cm. in diameter, the wide-spreading main branches and the 

 arcuate secondary ones not in fascicles, not zigzag ; sheaths ciliate on the over- 

 lapping margin, otherwise glabrous ; ligule membranaceous-ciliate, brown, 1 to 

 2 mm. long; blades flat, firm, 6 to 12 cm. long, 0.8 to 1.5 cm. wide, lanceolate, 

 acuminate, narrowed to the base, glabrous on the upper surface, puberulent 

 beneath, the margins scabrous; panicles ovoid, terminating the numerous 

 branches, exserted or partly included, rather open, 5 to 10 cm. long, usually 

 half to three-fourths as wide, the branches few, spreading, finally reflexed, 

 branching or flowering from near the base, usually bearing 5 to 10 short- 

 pediceled spikelets; spikelets about 4 mm. long, obovoid and purplish black at 

 maturity, the glumes and sterile lemma as well as the fruit with a lanate tuft 

 at the tips. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, nos. 865564 and 865565 (both speci- 

 mens from the same individual), collected among bushes along stream, St. 

 Anns, near Port of Spain, Trinidad, November 28, 1912, by A. S. Hitchcock 

 (no. 10007). 



In habit this species resembles L. divaricata, from which it differs in the 

 long ligule, the puberulent under surface of the blades, and the arcuate or 

 nearly straight, not zigzag branchlets. 



Panicum divaricatum var. puberulum was described from Trinidad, the type 

 collected by Crueger. This species was collected at Bahia by Salzmann and 

 distributed as Panicum fruticosum Salzm. This name was mentioned by 

 Steudel 2 as a synonym under Panicum praegnans, a different species from 

 Oaxaca, and under Panicum latifolium by Doell * as a synonym. 



Clambering over bushes and small trees, Porto Rico to Brazil. 



Porto Rico (Arecibo, Chase 6454 ; Mayaguez, Britton & Marble 678 ; Maricao, 

 Sintenis 215 ; * Cayey, Chase 6734, 6747 ; Sierra de Luquillo, Sintenis 1557 ; 

 Lares, Sintenis 5918), Tortola (Shafer 1147), St. Thomas (Britton & Marble 

 1230), Trinidad (Tabaquite, Hitchcock 10120; Port of Spain, Hitchcock 9962, 

 10007 ; Cedros, Hitchcock 10151 ; St. Joseph, Hitchcock 10020 ; Tamana, Broad- 



*In Sagra, Hist. Cuba 11: 307. 1850. 



2 Syn. PL Glum. 1: 74. 1854. 



•In Mart. Fl. Bras. 2 2 : 2Q7. 1877. 



4 This number in the Krug & Urban Herbarium is Lasiacis sorghoidea. 



