488 



CONTRIBUTIONS PROM THE NATIONAL HERBAEIUM. 



40. Panicum ichnanthoides Foum. 



Panicum ichnanthoides Foum. Mex. PI. 2: .30. 1886; Contr. XJ. S. Nat. Herb. 15: 88. 

 1910, as synonym under P. virgatum. The type specimen, M'dller 2002, in the her- 

 barium of the Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg, was collected at Orizaba. 



Panicum huchingeri Foum. Mex. PI. 2: 30. 1886. "Orizaba (Thomas in herb. 

 Buchinger)." Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 15: 329. 1910. We have been imable to find 

 the type. From the description it is evident that the species is alUed to P. virgatum 

 L., while the locality would indicate P. idmanthoides. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Plants in large clumps with knotted crowns, without creeping rootstocks; culms 

 1.5 to 2 meters high, erect or decumbent at base, smooth, firm, and hai'd, more or less 



glaucous about the nodes; sheaths shorter than the inter- 

 nodes, joubescent on the overlapping margin toward the 

 apex, otherwise glabrous; ligiile about 3 mm. long, mem- 

 branaceous-ciliate; blades elongate, mostly 8 to 15 mm. 

 wide, flat except at the narrowed and usually inroUed 

 base, scabrous on the margins, villous on the tipper 

 surface near the base, otherwise glabrous; panicle 20 

 to 40 cm. long, one-fourth to one-third as wide, the 

 long slender branches ascending; spikelets 3.5 to 4.2 

 mm. long, about 1.5 mm. wide, similar to those of 

 P. virgatum. 



This species is closely allied to P. virgatum L., from 

 which it differs in the absence of creeping rootstocks 

 and in the narrow panicle. The patch of plants from 

 which was collected Hitchcock's no. 6364 is probably 

 that from which Botteri, Miiller, and Thomas obtained their specimens. This patch 

 lies along a trail leading up a prominent hill at the western edge of the city of 

 Orizaba, a locality likely to be %dsited by all botanists collecting in that region. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Open rocky hillsides, southern Mex- 

 ico, British Honduras, and Nicaragua. 

 Puebla: Tehuacan, Endlich 1938. 

 Veracruz: Orizaba, Botteri 648, 



Hitchcock 6364, Miiller 2002. 

 British Honduras: Manatee La- 

 goon, Peck 73 (Gray Herb.). 

 Nicaragua: Jinotepe, Hitchcock 



Fig. 56.— Distribution of P. idmanthoides. 



Fig. 55.— p. ichnanthoides. 

 From type specimen. 



41. Panicum altura sp. nov. 



description. 



Plants perennial, in tangled masses, the culms decumbent and straggling at base 

 stout, reedlike, as much as 6 mm. in diameter, ascending to a height of 2 to 4 meters, 

 smooth and glaucous, simple or with extravaginal, mostly erect, sterile branches from 

 the swollen nodes; sheaths smooth; ligule a short membrane less than 1 mm. long, the 

 ciliate fringe once or twice as long; blades flat, firm, not greatly elongated, mostly 30 . 

 to 45 cm. long, 8 to 15 mm. wide, smooth except the scabrous margins, panicles rather 

 more densely flowered than in P. virgatum, 20 to 30 cm. long, narrowlj' ovoid in out' 



