Manual of the grasses of the united states 



665 



date and ciliate at base, panicle 

 branches mostly viscid ; spikelets 

 obovoid-spherical at maturity, 

 oval when young, 5- to 7-nerved, 

 puberulent. Autumnal culms re- 

 maining simple or only sparingly 

 branching, the thick white-mar- 

 gined blades of the winter rosette 

 conspicuous. 



73. Panicum sphaerocarpon Ell. 



(Fig. 982.) Vernal phase light green; 

 culms 20 to 80 cm. tall, radiate- 

 spreading, sometimes nearly erect, 

 the nodes appressed-pubescent ; blades 

 7 to 14 mm. wide; panicle 5 to 10 cm. 

 long, about as wide; spikelets 1.6 to 

 1.8 mm. long. Autumnal phase pros- 

 trate-spreading, sparingly branched 

 late in the season from the lower and 

 middle nodes, the branches short, 

 mostly simple. % — Sandy soil, 

 Vermont to Kansas, south to north- 



ern Florida and Texas; Mexico to 

 Venezuela. Panicum sphaerocarpon 

 var. inflatum (Scribn. and Smith) 

 Hitchc. and Chase. Differing from P. 

 sphaerocarpon in having a ligule as 

 much as 1 mm. long, spikelets 1.4 to 

 1.5 mm. long, and more freely branch- 

 ing autumnal culms; many inter- 

 grades occur. % —Moist sandy 

 soil, Coastal Plain, Delaware to Flor- 

 ida and Texas, north to Oklahoma 

 and Missouri. 



Figure 983. — Panicum polyanthes. Two V1377C 

 spikelet, and floret, X 10. (Type.) 



74. Panicum polyanthes Schult. 

 (Fig. 983.) Vernal culms erect, 30 to 

 90 cm. tall, the nodes glabrous or 

 nearly so; blades 12 to 23 cm. long, 

 15 to 25 mm. wide, the upper scarcely 

 reduced ; panicle 8 to 25 cm. long, one- 

 fourth to half as wide, densely flow- 

 ered; spikelets 1.5 to 1.6 mm. long, 

 minutely puberulent. Autumnal phase 

 remaining erect, producing simple 

 branches from the lower and middle 

 nodes. 01 — Damp ground, woods, 

 and openings, Connecticut to Okla- 

 homa, south to Georgia and Texas. 



Figure 982. — Panicum sphaerocarpon. Plant, X 1 ; 

 two views of spikelet, and floret, X 10. (Deam, Ind.) 



Figure 984. — Panicum erectifolium. Two vieV70 of 

 spikelet, and floret, X 10. (Type.) 



75. Panicum erectifolium Nash. 

 (Fig. 984.) Vernal culms 30 to 70 cm. 

 tall, erect or ascending; sheaths usu- 

 ally crowded at base; ligule very 



