SETARIA ITALICA AND ITS IMMEDIATE ALLIES 
171 
sheet the measurements can be easily obtained. The leaves are 
respectively 30 cm. long by 14 mm. broad and 24 cm. long by 14 mm. 
broad ; the panicle is dense, about 11 .5 cm. long by 13 mm. in diameter, 
with the lobes scarcely noticeable except at the very base. The setae 
are quite visible in the photograph, decidedly exceeding the spikelets 
and the fragment sent me shows them to be green and more than twice 
the length of the spikelet. The fruit is quite immature, but un- 
questionably belongs in the straw-colored group. These characters 
enable me to identify the form as that named Panicum italicum var. 
praecox by Alefeld, Landw. Fl. 315 (1866) and taken up by Kornicke 
in Korn. & Wern. Handb. Getreideb. i: 276 (1885) which I have 
classed as subvar. germanica. 
Earl}^ in the study of the subject I realized that a second form of the 
species was causing some of the confusion as some authors referred 
back to Panicum germanicum Mill., others to P. germanicum Willd. 
Willdenow, Sp. PI. i : 336 (1797), described a plant as P. germanicum, 
"P. spica composita coarctata, spiculis glomeratis, involucellis setaceis 
flore iongioribus, rachi hirsuta." As will be noticed, at once, the 
setae are described as longer than the spikelets as opposed to the 
variety /3 ''involucellis flore brevioribus." Also the fact that the 
spike is described as composite should be noted. Willdenow refers 
to Roth, Tent. Fl. Germ., but his description clashes with Roth's 
in the length of the setae. Through the courtesy of Prof. Engler, 
Dr. Pilger wrote me as follows about the Willdenow Herbarium speci- 
men ''Was im Herbarium Willdenow unter Panicum germanicum 
liegt ist eine kraftige Form von Setaria italica. Obere Halmblatter 
(die letzten unter der Rispe) 20 cm. und dariiber lang, 15-17 mm. breit. 
Rispe 13 cm. lang, im oberen Teil sehr dicht, 13^2 cm. in Durchmesser, 
an der Basis locker unterbrochen. Spelzen und Granen d= braunlich 
violett gefarbt. Granen ziemlich kurz. Deckspelze oval, glanzend, 
griinlich-gelb, fast garnicht gerunzelt, nur hier und da schwache 
Runzelung." At a later date Dr. Pilger sent me a few spikelets of the 
Willdenow material which have purplish setae noticeably longer than 
the spikelets, and have straw-colored fruit. These facts place P. 
germanicum Willd. in the form called P. italicum var. macrochaetum 
by Kornicke, in Korn. & Wern. Handb. Getreideb. i: 273 (1885) 
which I have renamed var. Hoslii as Kornicke derived his name from 
Pennisetum macrochaetum Jacq. Eclog. Gram. 3: t. 25 (1815-20), a 
species pictured and described as having green setae: P. macro- 
chaetum Jacq. is referable to subvar. germanica. 
