SETARIA ITALICA AND ITS IMMEDIATE ALLIES I9I 
rarely only purple-tipped. The leaves are the same as in the sub- 
species; the panicles are always lobulate, but sometimes more dense 
than in the subspecies and almost cylindrical, 7.5 to 22 cm. long, 15 to 
40 mm. in diameter; the setae are noticeably longer than the spikelets, 
up to 18 mm. long. 
This form passes into subvar. Metzgeri and many specimens are 
difficult to place. 
Range. — Commonly cultivated. Specimens not strictly cultural 
seen from eastern and central United States, from Germany, Russia 
in Asia and from British India. 
Setaria ITALICA (L.) Beauv. subsp. stramineofructa Hubb. var. 
HosTii Hubb. subvar. Metzgeri (Kornicke) comb. nov. Panicum ger- 
manicum Host, Ic. Gram. Austr. 2: 12 in part, t. 15 (1802) [the 
description covers more than this form, the plate is a perfect representa- 
tion of the commonest strain of the subvariety]. P. italicum var, 
Metzgeri Kornicke, in Korn. & Wern. Handb. Getreideb. i : 276 (1885) : 
Wern. in Korn. & Wern. 1. c. 2: 896 (1885). Setaria italica var. 
Metzgeri (Kornicke) Hack, ex Gramina Hungarica Exsiccatae 7: no. 
303^ and in Exsiccatae List published in Magyar Bot. Lapok 10: 462 
(191 1) nomen. 
Differs from var. Hostii principally in its shorter, denser panicles 
[rarely slightly lobulate toward the base] which are often clavate and 
truncate or sometimes penicillate at the tip and frequently taper at 
the base owing to empty clusters of setae. Plant commonly not so 
tall; leaves usually shorter and narrower; panicle i to 13 cm. long, 
7 to 17 mm. in diameter; setae always noticeably longer than the 
spikelets, up to 14 mm. long. Certain specimens resemble purple- 
setaed specimens of 5. viridis, but are readily distinguished by the 
free fruit and ordinarily by the larger spikelets. 
Range. — One of the most commonly cultivated strains and 
widely escaped in many parts of Canada and the United States. 
Specimens also seen from Italy, Hungary, Russia in Europe, India 
and the Philippines. 
Setaria italica (L.) Beauv. subsp. stramineofructa Hubb. var. 
Hostii Hubb. subvar. Metzgeri (Kornicke) Hubb. forma curtiseta 
forma nov. 
Differt a subvarietate Metzgeri setis quam spiculis brevioribus vel 
vix superantibus. 
6 Prof. Hackel wrote me that the combination was published on the label of this 
set of exsiccatae and synonymy is given on the printed label. 
