Panicum.] clxxiii. gbaminej!, (J. D, Hookfir.) 29 



partim ) ; Benth. Fl. Austral, vii. 474. P. brizoides, Jacq. Eclog. Gram, 2, 

 t. 2 ; Trin. Diss. ii. 128, 8p. Gram. Ic. t. 158, 159 ; Kunth Enum. PI. i. 78 ; 

 Ruxb. Fl. Ind. i. 293 ; Balz. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 290 ; Thw. JSnum. PI. Zeyl. 

 359; Trim. Cat. Ceyl. PI. 159; Duthie Grass. N.W. Ind.l; Miq. Fl. Ind. 

 Bat. iii. 445 ; Aitchis. Gat. Punjab PI. 159 ; Nees Agrost. Bras ] 15 ; Baker 

 Fl. Maurit. 433. P. distans, Trin. Sp. Gram. Ic. t. 172. P. brizoides, var. 

 distant, Trin. Ic. t. 159 B. P. flaocidum, Koen. mss. in Serb. Mus. Brit. 

 P. floridnm, Royle III. Bot. Simal. 420. P. gianulare, Lam. III. i. 170, 

 Encycl. iv. 740; Trim,. Diss. ii. 129. P. Sama, Ham. ex Wall. Gat. 

 8692 F. 



Plains of India ; in watery places from the Panjab to Assam and Burma, ascending 

 to 5000 ft. in Nepal and Kumaon, and southward to Ceylon. — Distbib. Trop. Asia 

 and Africa. 



Stem 1-4 ft., compressed, leafy, branched from the decnmbent base. Leaves 

 bifarious, 3-5 by ^-i in., linear-lanceolate acuminate, or ligulate with a rounded 

 tip ; sheaths compressed, lower tumid, mouth hairy ; ligule 0. Spikes few or many, 

 distant, i-1 in. Spilcelets 2-20, very pale, sessile. Glumes membranous, white with 

 green nerves ; III neuter or male ; IV sometimes almost orbicular, white or brownish, 

 very minutely rough.— The var. distans of Trinius is a depauperate state, and occurs 

 on the same plant as the normal. A still more depanperate form, densely tufteil, 

 with stems and leaves 2-3 in. long and very few spikelets, is Wall. Cat. 8692 D from 

 Herb. Wight, also found in Bengal. Mr. Rendle informs me that the Dameflavidum 

 may be a mistake for flaccidum, under which Koenig sent it to Retzius from Herb. 

 Mus. Brit, where it is nsimed jlaccidum. 



3. P. punctatum, Burm. PI,. Ind. 26 ; spikes longer than the inter- 

 nodes tip usually excurrent setiform, spikelets ^'a-iV in. plano-convex erecto- 

 patent glabrous, gl. I very short truncate, II = about half IV suborbicular 

 3-ijerved tip rounded or truncate. III ovate acute 3-5-nerved neuter, IV 

 ovate cuspidately acuminate granulate. P. flnitans, Betz. Ohs. iii. 8 (not 

 V. 18) ; Boxh. Fl. Ind. i. 293 ; Griff. Notul. iii. 25, Ic. PL Asiat. 139, f. 231 ; 

 Dalz. & Gibs. Bomb. Fl 290; Thw. Enum. PI. Zeyl. 339 ; Trim. Cat. Ceyl. 

 PL 104 ; Aitchis. Cat. Panjab. PI. 159 ; Duthie Grass. N. W. Ind. 4, Indig. 

 Fodd. Grass, t. 44, Fodd. Grass. N. Ind. 7 ; Baher Fl. Maurit. 433 ; Boiss. 

 FL Orient, v. 437 ; Bleud. Byn. Gram. 69 ; Nees Agrost. Bras. 115. P. 

 brizoides, Betz. I. c. ; Rottl. in Naturf. 1 1. Ges. Neue Schrift. iv. (1803), 

 £11 ; Wall Gat. n. 8690 ; Wight Cat. n. 1614. P. flnitans, Eerb. Madr. 

 WalL Gat. n. 8692 B. P. granulare, Bojer Sort. Maurit. 364. P. mncro- 

 natum. Both Nov. Sp. 45; Steud. I.e. ; Nees Agrost. Bras. 116. P. paspa- 

 loides, WalL L a. n. 8691 A (partim), B. 



Marshes throughout India, from the Panjab to Assam, and southwards to Malacca 

 and Cetlon. — Dibtbib. Malaya, Mauritius, trop. and N. Africa. 



Perennial, quite glabrous. Stem 2-4 ft., base floating, rooting at the nodes ; 

 lower internodes very stout, spongy. Leaves 4-8 in., linear, acute or acuminate; 

 lower sheaths dilated ; ligule a ring of hairs. Spihis many, ^-1 in., distant, sessile, 

 secund, appressed to the glabrous rachis, very pale ; rachis about j^^ in. broad, margin 

 quite smooth, tip free acicular as long as the upper spikelet. Spikelets I'j-j'o in- 

 long, imbricate, sessile, ovate-oblong. Glumes membranous, IV as long as III. — 

 Mr. Kendle informs me that he has examined in the British Museum the specimen 

 (in Herb. Sloane) on the figure of which Borman founded P. punctatum, and that 

 it is the same as P. fiuiians, Betz. And further, that the na,me Jhtitans is a ms. one 

 of Koenig, and was no doubt sent by him to Betz, who says that he received the 

 plant from Koenig. As to the rival claims of punctatum and fluitans for adoption, 

 the former (published in 1768) has a quarter of century's priority ; but whereas the 

 P. fluitans has had more than a century of recognition in all countries, P. punctaiwm 



