336 
P A N I C U M, 
rugged, and at the bafe, which is rough-haired. Panicle 
ere&, a foot long and more : the lower branches in whorls, 
the upper in pairs, Florets numerous, alternate, ovate- 
Iharpifti, prefled to the raceme, on Ihort fubflexuofe pedi¬ 
cels. Inftead of the hermaphrodite, there is often a female 
floret with a male at the fide of it, or a female alone with¬ 
out the hermaphrodite and male. Seed oblong, fliining. 
Native of the Weft Indies; laid to have been brought 
from the coaft of Africa. Guinea-grafs is much efteemed 
in Jamaica, both forflieepand cattle ; and flowers chiefly 
in Oflober. 
58. Panicum nemorofum, or wood panic-grafs : panicle 
Ample, branches diftant ereff, florets remote fcattered 
ovate acuminate, culm decumbent jointed, (heaths and 
neck hairy. Height from one to two feet. Roots and 
radicles very long, filiform. Culm creeping at the bafe, 
amending, fomewhat branched, rooting at the joints, 
round, ftriated, pubefcent or fmooth, loofe. Panicles 
final], ereff, with terminating and axillary peduncles ; 
branches fliort, few-flowered ; florets pedicelled, final!, 
green. The two valves of the corolla, in the hermaphro¬ 
dite flower, are oblong, blunt, whitifh ; one of them 
(mailer, and included ; anthera; pale; ftigmas feathered, 
whitifh. In the male flower, the outer valve is ovate, 
acute, concave, and includes the inner, .which is fmaller, 
ovate, acute, and more tender; antherse purple. Native 
of Jamaica and Hifpaniola. 
59. Panicum acuminatum, or (harp-leaved panic-grafs i 
panicles Ample fhorterthan the leaves, branches capillary 
dift'ufed, fpikelets remote obovate, culm decumbent 
jointed branched, leaves lanceolate-fubulate eredl, (heaths 
villofe. This grafs is a fpan in height. Culm creeping, 
but in a fertile foil ere£t, round, tomentofe: branchlets 
afcending, fliort, about an inch in length, leafy, (heathed, 
jointed, tomentofe-hirfute. Florets final!, ovate, obtufe, 
on fliort waved pedicels. Valves of the hermaphrodite 
corolla ovate ; anthers purple; ftigmas villofe, dark pur¬ 
ple, fliort; feed oblong, fliining. In the male or neuter 
floret, the outer valve is like the inner calycine valve, 
ovate, ftriated ; the inner is very finall, flat, whitifli. Na¬ 
tive of Jamaica, on fandy fields in the mountains. 
60. Panicum rigens, or ftiff-panicled panic-grafs 1 pani¬ 
cle fimple rigid fpreading, culm branched decumbent, 
leaves horizontal rugged. Culm a foot high and more, 
decumbent, creeping a little, branched, jointed, (heathed, 
round, ftriated, fmooth. Florets remote, ovate, minute. 
Glumes of the corolla, in the hermaphrodite florets, a 
little lefs than thole of the calyx, more (lender, whitifli; 
anthers ovate, largifh, bifid, vertical, whitifti-yellow; 
ftigmas villofe, long, recurved, whitifli. In the neuter 
floret, the outer valve of the corolla is ovate and ftriated, 
the lame fize with the inner glume of the calyx : the in¬ 
ner valve is tender, lefs, whitifli. This grafs is diftin- 
guiflied by its rigidity. Native of Jamaica in the high 
mountains. 
61. Panicum fufcum, or brown panic-grafs: panicle 
fimple, branches ereff, florets directed one way in pairs, 
one on a (horter pedicel; culm ereift fubdivided, leaves 
broad-lanceolate. Height from one to two feet; culm 
jointed, round, pubefcent. Leaves retufe and oblique at 
the bafe, entire, fmooth, ftriated, three or four inches 
long. Panicles peduncled, an inch and more in length ; 
peduncle long, filiform: florets brownifli green, ovate. 
The reft as in P. carthaginenfe, which it relembles : but 
the culm is by no means branched, the (heaths are more 
contracted, the panicles peduncled, the florets in pairs, 
and the glumes ovate not acute. Native of Jamaica, in 
boggy paltures. 
62. Panicum laxum, or loofe panic-grafs : panicle Am¬ 
ple nodding, branches capillary, fpikelets approximating 
alternate prefl'ed clofe, culms fimple filiform flaccid,leaves 
linear-lanceolate. Height from two to four feet; culm 
fubdivided, comprefled a little, ftriated, even. Leaves 
ftriated, even, fprea-ding. Florets very minute, pedicel- 
led, prefled clofe, approximating, ovate, bright green. 
Valves of the corolla in the hermaphrodite floret equal, 
lefs than the calycine glumes, ovate, concave ; antherse 
yellowifti ; ftigmas blood-red ; feed roundifh, (hining, ex¬ 
tremely fmall. In the neuter floret, the outer valve re- 
fembles that of the calyx. Native of Jamaica, in dry woods; 
flowering at the end of the year. 
63. Panicum latifolium, or broad-leaved panio-grafs : 
panicle with racemes lateral fimple, leaves ovate-lanceo¬ 
late hairy at the neck. Native of North America. 
Loureiro fays that he found it in Cochinchina. He de- 
fcribes the culm as annual, thick, five feet high. Leaves 
lanceolate, large, plaited and grooved, with an embracing 
villofe neck. Introduced 1765, by Mr. John Cree. It 
flowers in Auguft and September; and is a perennial 
grafs. 
64.. Panicum flavefcens, or yellow panic-grafs: panicle 
fimple ereit (lift - , branches fubfaftigiate, the lowed oppofite, 
fpikelets approximating diredled one way, pedicels two- 
flowered. Height three or four feet. Culm fimple, eredt, 
round, at top comprefled and pubefcent. Florets prefled to 
the rachis, ovate, blunt, fmooth, yellow. Valves of the 
hermaphrodite corolla ovate, concave; antherae fmall, 
purple ; ftigmas villofe, blood-red ; feed oblong, fliining, 
yellow. Outer valve of the neuter floret concave, ovate, 
ftriated : inner flat, more tender, whitifli. This fpecies is 
Angular in the colour being conftantly yellow, which is 
not the cafe in the reft. It occurs but rarely, in dry places 
in thefouthern parts of Jamaica. 
65. Panicum diffufum, or dift'ufed panic-grafs: panicle 
fomewhat fimple capillary fpreading, fpikelets diftant, 
culm decumbent fimple, leaves linear, hairy at the neck. 
Culm a foot, fometimes two feet, in height, afcending, 
filiform, round, leafy, fmooth. Leaves long, fturp, ereff, 
ftriated, even. Sheaths ftriated, villofe at the neck and 
throat. Glumes of the hermaphrodite corolla equal, lefs 
than the calyx, pellucid, whitifli; antherae purple ; ftigmas 
villofe, blood-red ; feeds roundifh, yellow, (hining. In 
the male floret, outer valve ovate, acute, fmooth ; inner 
minute, flat, whitifli; filaments one to three, minute, bar¬ 
ren. Common in dry places in the Weft Indies. 
66. Panicum oryzoides, or rice-like panic-grafs : panicle 
almoft fimple, branches eredf, florets fomewhat remote 
ovate acute, culm ereft undivided, leaves broad-lanceo¬ 
late rounded at the bafe, (heaths even. Culm three or 
four feet high, round, leafy, fmooth. Leaves a fpan long, 
entire, longitudinally ftriated, fmooth. Panicle a foot 
long: branches alternate, differ, angular, fubflexuofe, 
fmooth. Spikelets fmooth, pedicelled, commonly in pairs, 
onefliorter than the other; and much larger than in any 
of the fpecies. Native of Jamaica, in mountain-woods, in 
the fouthern parts. 
67. Panicum clandeftinum, or hidden panic-grafs : ra¬ 
cemes hidden within the (heaths of the leaves. Culms 
dichotomous, branched. Leaves ovate-lanceolate; with 
the (heaths dotted and hairy ; the racemes of fructification 
are fo entirely concealed within them, that no veftige ap¬ 
pears on the outlide ; in other refpefts it is nearly allied 
to P. latifolium. Native of Pennfylvania, where it was 
found by Kalin. 
68. Panicum arborefcens, or tree panic-grafs: ftem 
very much branched, leaves ovate-oblong acuminate. 
This grafs contends for height with the loftieft trees in 
the Eaft Indies, where it is a native; and yet the culm is 
fcarcely wider than a goofe quiil. In Linnasus’s Flora 
Zeylanica it is faid to be creeping. Leaves embracing, 
even, wider in this grafs, in proportion to its length, 
than in any other ; hence the culm refembles that of Com- 
melina. Introduced in 1776 by Monf. Thouin. It 
flowers here in March and April. 
69. Panicum curvatum, or crooked r chaft’ed panic- 
grafs : panicle racemed, glumes curved cbtule nerved. 
Native of the Eaft Indies. 
70. Panicum virgatum, or long-panicled panic-grafs : 
panicle rod-like ; glumes acuminate even, outmoll gaping. 
This is a very tall grafs, with a very large dift'ufed pani¬ 
cle. 
