42 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY [Vol. 8 
1753- Species Plantarum, pages 55, 56. 
Panicum glaucum is composed of : 
Panicum spica tereti, involucellis bifloris fasciculato-pilosis. Fl. zeyl. 44 
[Pearl millet]. 
Gramen alopecuroides maderaspatanum, spica quasi geniculata molli. 
Pluk. aim. 177. t. 190./. 6 [Elytrophorus articulatus]. 
j8 Gramen paniceum s. Panicum sylvestre, simplici spica. Scheuch. gram. 
46 [Chaetochloa viridis]. 
7 Panicum spica simplici, aristis aggregatis flosculo subjectis. Gron. virg. 
134 [Yellow foxtail]. 
Panicum indicum altissimum, spicis simplicibus mollibus in foliorum alis, 
pediculis longissimis insidentibus. ToiirneJ. inst. 515 [Unidentifiable]. 
Habitat in Indiis. 
Setae in spica longitudine flosculorum. Foliorum vaginae oris pilosae. 
Dum spica recens prodiit Flosculi in series dispositi observantur. [This 
description applies only to pearl millet.] 
Dr. Stapf says it is very probable that the Hermann plants of the Flora 
Zeylanica were returned to their owner and were not at Linnaeus's hand 
when preparing the Species Plantarum, that Hermann's plants can not be 
accepted as types without further evidence. Dr. Stapf holds that such 
evidence is wanting in the case of Panicum glaucum. I should say the 
description ("Bristles the length of the flowers," and "In the young spike 
the flowers are seen to be disposed in series") supplies the evidence that 
Linnaeus had a plant of pearl millet at hand. The name glaucum itself 
applies well to the bluish head of pparl millet, not to the yellow head of the 
foxtail. 
But, Dr. Stapf says, Linnaeus undoubtedly had Gronovius's plant 
(yellow foxtail) at hand. This specimen is written up as Panicum glaucum 
and numbered 2 by Linnaeus himself (the number of P. glaucum in the 
Specieis Plantarum). But may not thjs naming and numbering have been 
done after the publication of the name? The fact that the two references 
to Chaetochloa (3 and 4 above) are preceded by /3 and 7 should also be 
considered. This method of indicating varieties was commonly used by 
Linnaeus in earlier works as well as in the Species Plantarum. It would 
seem that Linnaeus regarded the two species of Chaetochloa as varieties of 
P. glaucum, which itself was pearl millet. 
If the case ended here (as, strictly following priority, it does) the 
evidence, because of the description, would, I think, point much more 
clearly to pearl millet. "Bristles of the spike as long as the flowers" 
agrees with pearl millet; in yellow foxtail they are much longer. "In the 
young spike the flowers are seen to be disposed in series" points undoubtedly 
to the crowded fascicles of pearl millet that appear to run obliquely like 
the cells of a honeycomb. But in Systema Nature ed. 10. (2: 870. 1759) 
"seminibus undulato-rugosis. Sp. PI. n. 2. 7." is added to the diagnosis for 
P. glaucum, which otherwise is taken verbatim from the Flora Zeylanica 
