118 CONTRIBUTIONS FEOM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM, 



v/62. Panicurn hians Eli. 



Panicum hians Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1 : 118. 1816. Elliott gives no particular 

 locality, but he states that the species is "Very abundant near Michaux's old farm, 10 

 miles from Charleston." The type, in the Elliott Herbarium, is labeled "Panicum 

 Hians mihi. Hab: in pinetis humidis," but without particular locality. 



Panicum oblongiflorum Desv. Opusc. 89. 1831. "Habitat in Carolina * * * a 

 Bosc." The type is in the Desvaux Herbarium. 



Panicum jejunum Trin. Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. VI. Sci. Nat. 2' : 103. 1836. 

 "Louisiana." The type specimen, in the Trinius Herbarium, is marked "Louisiana, 

 mis. Hooker. 1835." 



Aira incompleta Bosc; Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 1 : 45. 1840. This is a nomen nudum 

 mentioned as a synonym of Panicum debile [no author cited], but there is no cross 

 reference under Panicum debile. We have seen specimens of this collected by Bosc, 

 in the Trinius Herbarium, in the Padua Herbarium, and in the 

 Delessert Herbarium. All are Panicum hians. In the absence 

 of any evidence as to which is the type specimen we take as the 

 type the one in the Padua Herbarium, which appears to con- 

 tain Bosc's own herbarium. The locality of this is given as 

 "Caroline." 



Steinchisma hians Raf.; Ind. Kew. 2: 982. 1895. Based on 

 Panicum hians Ell. Nash a segregated the genus Steinchisma and 



.„ , , , „ , . was followed by Hitchcock, b Steinchisma was first mentioned 



Fig 111 P liidTis 



From type specimen, ^y Rafinesque c in a letter to De Candolle in which he pro- 

 poses several new genera, this genus appearing as follows: " Stein- 

 ehisma= Panicum divaricatum, hians." This probably refers to Panicurn hiwns EU. 

 and to P. divaricatum Michx. which is given by Elliott as a queried sjTionym imder 

 P. hians. Panicum divaricatum Michx. is, however, Festuca obtusa Spreng.<^ Rafin- 

 esque's name is given by Steudel« as "Steinschisma Rafin. Panicum debile." 

 Panicum debile Ell. is P. verrucosum Muhl. 



Nash separated the genus Steinchisma on the character of the enlarged palea of the 

 sterile floret. This character is shared by Panicum exiguiflorum, P. cupreum, the 

 South American P. decipiens Nees, and, in less pronounced form, by P. laxum and P 

 pilosum, while P. polygonatum., which is evidently allied to P. laxum,, has a very small 

 palea. This character, since it proves not to be correlated with any other, does not 

 seem to us sufficient for the segregation as a genus of those species showing it, especially 

 since such segregation would place closely allied species in separate genera. 



Beal/and Scribneri? misapply the name Panicum melicariiim Michx. to P. hians 

 Ell. Panicum melicarium Michx. is Panicularia elongata (Torr.) Kuntze, P. melicaria 

 (Michx.) Hitchc./i 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants perennial, cespitose; culms simple or sparingly branching, 20 to 60 cm. 

 high, erect or a few of the outer ones geniculate and rooting at the lower nodes, some- 

 times prostrate and sending up erect branches; sheaths usually much shorter than the 

 internodes, keeled, glabrous; ligules about 0.5 mm. long; blades 5 to 15 cm. long, 1 



a Small, Fl. Southeast. U. S. 105. 1903,. 



& A. Gray, Man. ed. 7. 117. 1908. 



c Bull. Bot. Seringe 220. 1830. 



'^See Hitchcock, Contr. Nat. Herb. 12 : 149. 1908. 



e Nom. Bot. ed. 2. 2 : 635. 1841. 



/Grasses N. Amer. 2: 127. 1896. 



gV. S. Dept. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 7: 66./. 48. 1897. 



feSee Hitchcock, Contr. Nat. Herb. 12: 149. 1908. 



