P A N I C U M. 
■232 
Guildford. Dr. Milne found it in a coppice near Pur- 
fleet; and Mr. Curtis obferved it in Batterfea-fields; He 
has figured it without any awns, in which ftate it mod 
frequently occurs with us. Leers remarks, that the 
florets are fcarcely. awned in cultivated grounds, but that 
in wet places it is found with very long awns. Linnteus 
flays, that the latter, ( 3 , with awns ten times as long as the 
glumes, differs manifeftly from the common fort, in which 
the awns are fcarcely half as long again as the glumes. 
14. Panicum fetigerum, or briftle-bearing panic-grafs: 
fpikes remote ; florets diredfed one way ; teeth of the 
rachis briftle-bearing. Culms filiform, branched, leafy. 
Leaves two inches long, fubcordate at the bafe, with the 
edges of the flieaths ciliate. Flowers directed one way, 
in pairs, really feffile, one of them placed higher than the 
other. Native of China, whence it was fent by Eladh. 
Retzius is of opinion, that P. repens of Burmann, 
Ind. 26. t. 11. f. 1. is not the repens of Linnaeus, nor the 
g.rojjarium, but this fpecies. 
15. Panicum colonum, or purple panic-grafs: fpikes 
alternate, directed one way, awnlefs, ovate, rugged j rachis 
xoundifh. Root annual. Culms a fpan high, round, 
afcending. Native of the Eaft Indies. Cultivated in 
1699 by the duchefsof Beaufort. It flowers in July and 
Auguft. 
16. Panicum fluitans, or floating panic-grafs: fpikes 
alternate, feffile, directed one way ; the third calycine 
valve minute. This is a very beautiful fmooth even grafs. 
It differs from P. brizoides, which it refembles very much, 
in having the two valves of the calyx of the fame length 
with the corolla, the acceffory valve only (hort and retul'e : 
both have the appearance of a Pafpalum. Native of the 
Eaft Indies, Arabia, and Madagafcar. 
17. Panicum brizoides, or briza-like panic-grafs: fpikes- 
alternate, feffile, diredled one way ; two of the calycine 
valves much ftiorter than the corolla, and retufe; the 
third the fame length with the corolla. Native of the 
Eaft Indies. 
Swartz defcribes a grafs of Jamaica under this name, 
but it may be doubted whether it is the lame fpecies. 
Culm from one to three feet high, fimple, round, even. 
Leaves broadilh, not long, acute, ereift, rugged at the 
edge, ftriated, iheathing at the bafe; tire neck beardlefs. 
Rachis terminating, almoft a foot long, fimple, linear. 
Stigmas purple. Seed fafcened to the corolla, roundilh. 
18. Panicum eruciforme, or caterpillar panic-grafs : 
fpike compound ; its branches alternate, eredi, clofe- 
preffed, linear, hairy; flowers crowded, turned to one 
fide, without awns ; ftems branched from the bottom. 
Difcovered by Dr. Sibthorp in fields about the temple of 
Juno, in the ifland of Samos. Differs from the laft in 
having a flender hairy Item, branched from the bottom, 
with numerous bent joints ; leaves fliort and fpreading ; 
branches of the fpike more flender, linear, and hairy ; 
glumes lefs tumid, and the outermoft valve of the calyx 
much more minute. 
19. Panicum flavidum, or yellowiffi panic-grafs : culm 
leafy; fpikelets remote, feffile, preffed clofe, directed one 
way, few-flowered. This is an upright grafs, from two 
inches to half a foot in height. Root fibrous, the fibres un¬ 
divided. Culms feveral, eredf, clothed with fmooth leaves 
to the very loweft fpike. Spikelets from three to feven, 
fliort, commonly lix-flowered, eredt, feffile, prefi'ed clofe, 
three quarters of an inch diftant from each other. Flowers 
globular, alternate, direfted one way, yellow with green 
nerves ; all the glumes of the calyx violet-coloured at the 
tip. It is very nearly allied to P. brizoides, which how¬ 
ever is larger, green, and has longer leaves, with flieaths 
relatively narrower. The fpikelets have as far as thirteen 
ovate white unfpotted florets. Native of Ceylon, whence 
it was fent by Koenig. 
20. Panicum dimidiatum, or half-fpiked panic-grafs : 
fpike halved, and diredled oneway; fpikelets five-flowered ; 
alternately preffed to the hollowed rachis. Culm ten feet 
high, very finely ftriated, afcending. Leaves at the bafe 
of the culm diftichally alternate, three inches long, on the 
middle of the culm one; all linear, blunt. Spike ter¬ 
minating, linear, three inches long, as it were halved. 
Rachis dilated, membranaceous, jointed, at the joints 
alternately deeply gaffied, excavated alternately in front 
for the fpikelets. Spikelets five-flou'ered, glued as it were 
in the hollow of the rachis, feffile, with the partial 
rachis fiexuole. Flowers awl-lha-ped, feffile, ftriated, flat 
in front, gibbous behind. Calyx three-valved, one- 
flowered: outer valve cartilaginous, flat, with the fides 
bent at a right angle, lanceolate, ftreaked ; inner equal in 
length, thinner, boat-form, gibbous, rounded and ftriated 
at the back, cjliate-bearded at the tip, involving the 
edges of the outer valve ; acceffory valve fliort, trun¬ 
cated, at the bafe of the outer valve. Corolla equal in 
length to the calyx, but narrower. This is the P. dimi¬ 
diatum of Linnseus, very different from that grafs whycii 
the younger Linnaeus made a fpecies of Rottbollia. Na¬ 
tive of the Eaft Indies, where it was found by Koenig. 
21. Panicum Burmanni, or wave-leaved panic-grafs : 
fpikes moftly four, remote, directed one way, fimple; the 
two outer glumes of the flowers awned. This is very 
different from P. hirtellum of Linnaeus. Culm decum¬ 
bent, branched, villofe, and rooting at the bafe. Spike¬ 
lets four to three. Rachis clothed with long hairs, ef- 
pecially under the pedicels. Florets alternate, commonly 
abortive. Corolla fnow-white, very fmooth. Native of 
the Eaft Indies, whence it whs fent by Koenig; alfo of 
Italy. 
22. Panicum hirtellum, rough-haired panif-grafs, or 
Scotch grafs : fpike compound ; fpikelets prefi'ed clofe, 
alternate; calyxes doubled; all the valves awned, outer 
longeft. Culm creeping, afcending, three inches to a 
foot. The fmaller leaves waved, the larger ftift'. Spike 
compound. Spikelets directed one way. Three valves 
of the calyx almoft equal; the fourth, which is inmoft, 
minute, membranaceous, awnlefs. The awns of the others 
long, (five times as long as the valve in the outmoft,) 
ferruginous-red, glutinous ; according to Linnaeus, fili¬ 
form, blunt, finally hooked. Antheras whitifti; ftigmas 
feathered, long, blood-red. Native of the Weft. Indies. 
This grafs is cultivated, and thrives very luxuriantly, dn 
all the low and marfhy lands of Jamaica, where it is almoft 
univerfally tiled as fodder for all their ftabled cattle: it is 
planted near the towns with great care, and found to be 
one of the moft beneficial produftions of the ifland. Its 
general growth is from two to four feet. 
23. Panicum pilofum, or hairy panic-grafs: fpikes 
panicled, alternate, diredled one way; fpikelets in pairs, 
one fmaller, acuminate, even ; rachis compreffed, hairy ; 
culm divaricate, jointed. Culm three or four feet high, 
branched, compreffed, even : joints villofe, large. Leaves 
lanceolate, acute, even, rugged at the edge. Native of 
Jamaica, and other iflands in the Weft Indies, in woody 
mountainous paftures. 
24. Panicum molle, or foft panic-grafs : fpikes panicled, 
alternate, diredfed one way, fpreading ; fpikelets approxi¬ 
mating, pedicelled, diredied one way, awnlefs. Culm 
from two to three feet high, decumbent' at the bafe, a£- 
cending, fubdivided at bottom, jointed, round, thick, 
pubefcent. Leaves long, broad-lanceolate, rounded at 
the bafe, flat, villofe, foft. Valves of the corolla in the 
hermaphrodite florets nearly equal, ovate; one flatter. 
Antheras very dark purple ; ftigmas the fame, and villofe. 
Seed oblong, fliining. Valves of the neuter corollfl un¬ 
equal: outer ovate, ftriated, brown ; inner flat, whitifti, 
minute. It is known immediately from the other fpecies 
by its foftnefs. The culms being thick and fucculent, it 
is very grateful to cattle. Swartz fays that it is a native of 
Surinam, and is commonly called Dutch-graJ's in Jamaica, 
where it grows in moiftifli fertile paftures. 
25. Panicum fafciculatum, or fafcicled panic-gra-fs: 
fpikes panicled, alternate, eredf, fubfaftigiate; fpikelets 
directed 
