338 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



way 4952, 4959; Caparo woods, Broadway 4923), and Tobago (center of island. 

 Hitch code 10261, 10262, 10269, 10275; Greenhill, Broadway 4038; Belmont 

 woods, Broadway 3551). 



7. Lasiacis sloanei (Griseb.) Hitche. Bot. Gaz. 51: 302. 1911. 

 Panicum lati folium Hamilt. Prodr. PL Ind. Occ. 10. 1825, not L. 1753. 

 Panicum sloanei Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 551. 1864. 



Climbing to a height of 3 or 4 meters, forming a strong central cane; 

 branches solitary or 2 or 3 together, elongate ; blades parchment-like in texture 

 at maturity, commonly 12 to 15 cm. long and 2 to 3 cm. wide, narrowed into a 

 very short pubescent petiole ; panicles commonly as much as 20 cm. long, nearly 

 as wide, the branches rather rigid. The spikelets are larger in this species 

 than in any other of the genus in the region. 



Climbing among bushes and small trees, West Indies to South America. 

 Originally described from Jamaica ; P. latifolium described from the Antilles. 



Cuba, Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Porto Rico, Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada, 

 and Trinidad. /^otS^- t kjl4*-*-*--<^+-S 



8. Lasiacis patentiflora sp. nov. 



High-climbing with a strong central cane as much as 8 mm. thick, the plant 

 glabrous throughout except at the summit of the sheaths ; branches numerous, 

 solitary, widely spreading and finally repeatedly branching, the branches and 

 branchlets straight or arcuate, divergent at a rather narrow angle; sheaths 

 with a ring of hairs at the summit or at least a tuft of hairs on either side, some- 

 times pubescent on the margins toward the summit ; ligule about 0.5 mm. long, 

 thin-membranaceous ; blades on vigorous shoots as much as 14 cm. long and 

 2.5 mm. wide, but mostly about 8 to 12 cm. long and 1.5 to 2 cm. wide, acumi- 

 nate, rounded-tapering to the base, usually somewhat unsymmetrical, glabrous, 

 scabrous on the margin and somewhat so on both surfaces ; panicles numerous, 

 short-exserted, mostly 12 to 20 cm. long, nearly as wide, the slender axis and 

 distant spreading flexuous branchlets angled, scabrous, the pedicels fiexuous, 

 spreading; spikelets pale, blotched with dark blue or purple at maturity, 3.4 to 

 3.8 mm. long, globose-obovoid, the glumes and sterile lemma lanate-ciliate on 

 the margin toward the apex ; fruit 3 mm. long, 2 mm. wide. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 865566, collected in the edge of 

 woods on a mountain side, center of the island of Tobago, December 20, 1912, 

 by A. S. Hitchcock (no. 10268). 



In habit and general appearance L. patentiflora resembles P. sloanei, from 

 which it differs in the narrower average width of the blades and the more 

 loosely flowered, rather large panicles with smaller spikelets on flexuous 

 spreading pedicels. 



Borders of v\ T oods and jungles, Dominica, Trinidad (Port of Spain, Hitchcock 

 9990, 10323, 10324 ; Heights of St. Ann, Hitchcock 10034 ; River Estate, Hitch- 

 cock 10037), and Tobago (Spey Side, Hitchcock 10255, 10257; center of island, 

 Hitchcock 10268, 10270; The Whim, Broadway 4841) ; also in Venezuela. 



9. Lasiacis sorghoidea (Desv.). 



Panicum lanatum Swartz, Prodr. Veg. Ind. Occ. 24. 1788, not Rottb. 1776. 



Panicum sorghoideum Desv. ; Hamilt. Prodr. PI. Ind. Occ. 10. 1825. 



Panicum lanatum var. sorghoideum Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 551. 1864. 



Panicum martinicense Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 552. 1864. 



Panicum swartzianum Hitche. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 140. 1908. 



Lasiacis swartziana Hitche. Bot. Gaz. 51: 302. 1911. 



Erect or clambering to a height of 5 to 7 meters, with a strong central cane 

 as much as 1 cm. thick, the main branches 1 meter or more long, arcuate, bear- 

 ing slender branchlets toward the pendent ends; sheaths and both surfaces of 



