HITCHCOCK AND CHASE—-NORTH AMERICAN PANICUM. 49 
Panicum trichocondylum Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. 2: 74.1854. “‘Duchaising legit 
in Ins. Guadaloup.”’ The type specimen, in the Steudel Herbarium, bears a label 
with the data as published. 
Panicum praticola Salzm.; Doell in Mart. Fl. Bras. 2°: 203.1877. This is given asa 
synonym of P. maximum Jacq. Doell cites ““Salzmann Herb. Bahiense N. 683,” 
which specimen we have nef seen. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Plants light green, 1 to 2.5 meters high, or taller in cultivation, in tufts of few to 
many culms, from creeping ,rootstocks; culms robust, erect or sometimes genicu- 
late and rooting at the lower nodes, glabrous, the nodes usually densely hirsute; 
sheaths shorter than the internodes, papillose-hirsute to glabrous, ciliate, 
usually a dense ring of pubescence at the juncture with the blade; ligules 4 
to 6 mm. long, stiffly and densely ciliate from a membranaceous base; blades erect 
or ascending, flat, 30 to 75 cm. long, 1 
to 3.5 cm. wide, very scabrous on the 
margin, otherwise glabrous, or hirsute 
on the upper surface at the base; pani- 
cles finally long-exserted, 20 to 50 cm. 
long, usually about one-third as wide, 
densely flowered, the long, rather stiff 
‘branches ascending, naked at the base, 
the lower in whorls, the axils pilose, 
the branchlets short, appressed, bear- 
ing more or less clustered, short-pedi- 
celed spikelets; spikelets 3 to 3.3mm. 
long, 1 to 1.1 mm. wide, and about as 
thick, oblong-ellipsoid, glabrous, somewhat shining, faintly nerved; first glume about 
one-third the length of the spikelet, obtuse; second glume and sterile lemma subequal, 
slightly exceeding the fruit, thin in texture, the lemma inclosing a staminate flower; 
fruit 2.3 to 2.5 mm. long, about 1 mm. wide, elliptic, transversely rugose, minutely 
puberulent at the apex. 
Fig. 68.—Distribution of P. maximum. 
DISTRIBUTION. 
Cultivated for forage under the name of Guinea grass in the Gulf States, especially 
in Florida, and southward through tropical South America, whence it has escaped into 
fields and waste places;4 also in the tropical parts of the Old World. 
Froriwa: Duval County, Fredholm 373; Indian River, Curtiss 3597**; Eustis, 
Nash 1730; Grasmere, Combs 1170; Orange County, Baker in 1897; Braiden- 
town, Combs 1310; Caximbas Island, Simpson 580; Key West, Blodgett; with- 
out locality, Simpson. 
Mexico: State of Vera Cruz, Finck 8 and in 1893, Smith 1409; Cérdoba, Kerber 
48; State of Colima, Hmrick 3; Huitamalco, Liebmann 425 in part; Zacualpan, 
Purpus 3774. 
@ Trimen (Hand. Fl. Ceyl. 5: 154. 1900) states the following concerning this grass: 
“The well-known Guinea Grass was introduced from W. Trop. Africa into Jamaica 
about 1774, by Mr. John Ellis, as food for some birds which he had imported. The 
birds died, and the seed, being thrown away as useless, yielded a magnificent grass 
greedily eaten by cattle and horses. It was introduced into India in 1802 by Sir 
John Sinclair, and must have been rapidly disseminated, for I find a specimen in 
Rottler’s Herbarium (named P. meneri, miliacea, var. (?) P. nodosum, nob.) received 
from Heyne, with the date, June 3, 1808. There is no record of its introduction into 
Ceylon, but it is included in Moon’s Catalogue, published in 1824.” 
