Hemlock Rosette Grass

Panicum columbianum Scribn. Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. Agrost. 7:
78. 1897.
Panicum keterophyllum Bosc; Nees, Agrost. Bras. 227. 1829. Not P. keterophyllum Spreng. 1822. Panicum psammophilum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 576. N 1899. Not P. psammophilum Welw. Jl 1899.
Vernal plants light grayish-green, often purplish; culms tufted, 15-50 cm., rarely 60 cm. high, stiffly ascending, densely crisp-puberulent with long, ascending, crimped hairs commonly intermixed toward the base, but much less copiously than in P. tsugetorum; leaf -sheaths shorter than the internodes, less pubescent than the culms, sometimes puberulent between the nerves only; ligule less than 1 mm, long; blades firm, ascending or erect, 3-6 cm. long (seldom more than 5 cm. long), 3-5 mm. wide, broadest at the rounded base, the serrulate, often white, cartilaginous margin usually involute toward the acuminate apex, typically glabrous on the upper surface but sometimes sparsely pilose toward the base, densely appressed-puberulent to glabrous beneath; panicles 2.5-4 cm. (rarely 5 cm.) long, about three fourths as wide, the lower branches ascending, the axis and branches puberulent to nearly glabrous; spikelets 1.5-1.6 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, obovate, obtuse, turgid, densely short-pubescent; first glume one third to scarcely half as long as the spikelet, acute or subacute; second glume and sterile lemma subequal, scarcely covering the fruit at maturity; fruit 1.3 mm. long, 0.9 mm. wide, broadly elliptic, obtuse. Autumnal culms branching from the middle and upper nodes at the maturity of the primary panicles, becoming widely spreading or decumbent at base, the early branches sometimes nearly equaling the primary culm, the ultimate branchlets in short, appressed fascicles, the crowdeckblades usually equaling or exceeding the reduced panicles ; winter blades thickish, lanceolate, often sparsely pilose or ciliate.
Type locality: District of Columbia. Distribution: Maine to Virginia.

Panicum lancearium Trin. Gram. Pan. 223. 1826
Panicum Nashianum Scribn. Bull, U. S. Dep, Agr. Agrost. 7: 79. 1897.
Vernal culms cespitose, usually purplish, wiry, stiffly ascending from a more or less geniculate base, 20-50 cm. high, minutely grayish crisp-puberulent; leaf-sheaths puberulent, at least near the margin, much shorter than the internodes; blades ascending or spreading, firm, 2-6 cm. long, 3-7 mm. wide, puberulent or nearly glabrous beneath, usually glabrous on the upper surface, strongly ciliate toward the base, or sometimes nearly to the apex; panicles 3-6 cm. long, two thirds as wide, rather few-flowered, the flexuous branches spreading, or the lower reflexed; spikelets 2-2.1 mm. long, 1-1.2 mm. wide; first glume one third to half as long as the
spikelet, obtuse or truncate ; second glume and sterile lemma puberulent or sometimes glabrous, the glume slightly shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma; fruit 1.6-1.7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ob ovate-elliptic, minutely puberulent at the apex.
Autumnal culms geniculate-spreading, ascending at the ends, the stiff internodes occasionally elongate, branching from the middle nodes, the branches much longer than the internodes, late in the season bearing fascicles of short branchlets toward the summit, the reduced flat or involute-pointed blades spreading, the ultimate panicles reduced to a few spikelets, partly inclosed in the sheaths.
Type locality: North America.
Distribution: Virginia to Florida and Mississippi; Cuba; Santo Domingo.

Panicum portoricense Desv.; Hamilt. Prodr. 11. 1825
Panicum pauciciliatum Ashe, Jour. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 16: 87. 1900.
Vernal culms cespitose, erect or geniculate at base, slender, stiff and wiry, 15-30 cm. high, the internodes commonly reddish-purple, crisp-puberulent to nearly glabrous; leaf -sheaths much shorter than the internodes, striate, glabrous or crisp-puberulent, usually ciliate; blades firm, 2-5 cm. long, 3-6 mm. wide, ascending or spreading, glabrous to puberulent, ciliate near the base; panicles 2-4 cm., rarely 6 or 7 cm. long, two thirds as wide, the flexuous branches spreading or the lower reflexed, the pedicels and ultimate branchlets often directed toward the under side; spikelets 1.5-1.6 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; first glume one third to half as long as the spikelet, obtuse or truncate; second glume and sterile lemma puberulent, the glume shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma; fruit 1.4 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ellipticobo void, obscurely pointed.
Autumnal culms ascending from a decumbent base, branching from all but the uppermost node before the maturity of the primary panicles, the primary internodes often elongating, the terminal joint with its panicle together with the internode below it often falling early, thus giving the appearance of short culms branching at all the nodes characteristic of this species; early branches about equaling these shortened primary culms, repeatedly branching,
t
the ultimate branchlets in fascicles toward the ends, the reduced blades spreading, involutepointed; winter rosette appearing late, not conspicuous.
Type locality: Porto Rico.
Distribution: North Carolina to Florida and eastern Texas; Cuba; Porto Rico.

Panicum patentif olium Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 26 : 574. 1 899
Vernal phase often purplish throughout; culms several to many in a tuft, slender and wiry, widely decumbent-ascending, 25-55 cm. high, minutely puberulent or nearly glabrous; leafsheaths much shorter than the elongate internodes, a puberulent ring at the summit, otherwise glabrous or nearly so; blades stiffly spreading, 2.5-8 cm. long, 2-5 mm. wide, glabrous, acuminate, narrowed and sometimes ciliate toward the base ; panicles commonly rather short-exserted, 3-7 cm. long, about half as wide, the branches few, ascending; spikelets 2.4-2.6 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide, obovate, turgid; first glume one third to half as long as the spikelet, obtuse or subacute; second glume and sterile lemma puberulent or nearly glabrous, the glume slightly shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma; fruit 2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, elliptic, smooth and shining, minutely puberulent at the apex.
Autumnal phase decumbent or spreading, branching from the middle and upper nodes, the branches appressed and somewhat elongate, the secondary branchlets shorter and more or less fascicled, not greatly reduced; winter rosettes appearing late, inconspicuous, the narrow blades ascending.
Type locality: Eustis, Florida.
Distribution: Georgia to Florida and Mississippi.

Panicum webberianum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 23: 149. 1896
Panicum onslowense Ashe, Jour. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 16: 88. 1900.
Vernal phase commonly purplish; culms few to several in a tuft, rather stout, erect or ascending, 20-50 cm. high, minutely puberulent or glabrous; leaves somewhat crowded below, distant above; leaf-sheaths minutely puberulent at the summit, often ciliate on the margin, otherwise glabrous or nearly so ; blades firm, ascending, especially the lower somewhat incurved or spoon-shaped, 3-9 cm. long, 4—12 mm, wide, usually ciliate at base and sometimes along the margin, rounded or subcordate at base, acute but not long-acuminate; panicles finally longexserted, 4-10 cm. long, two thirds as wide, the numerous flexuous branches spreading or the
¥
lower even reflexed, the branchlets and pedicels usually rather short, thus giving to the main branches a somewhat racemose appearance; spikelets 2.3-2.5 mm. long (in exceptional specimens only 2.1-2.2 mm. long), 1.2-1.3 mm. wide, obovoid to pyriform, commonly green, conspicuously purple-stained at the base; first glume one third to two fifths as long as the spikelet ; second glume and sterile lemma minutely pubescent or glabrous, the glume slightly shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma; fruit 1.9-2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, elliptic, under a lens minutely papillose-roughened, puberulent at the tip.
Autumnal phase spreading or decumbent, flabellately branching at the middle and upper nodes, the branches appressed and rather evenly distributed, sometimes somewhat fascicled; winter blades 3-8 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, strongly stained with purple, forming a flat rosette.
Typs locality: Bustis, Florida.
Distribution : North Carolina to Florida.

Panicum wilmingtonense Ashe, Jour. Elisha Mitchell Soc. 16:
86. 1900.
Panicum alabamense Ashe, Bull. N. Car. Exp. Sta. 175: 116. 1900, Not P. alabamense Trin. 1854.
Vernal phase bluish-green; culms solitary in small tufts, slender, erect from an ascending
base, 20-40 cm. high, pilose with soft, ascending hairs, the nodes pubescent with short, reflexed 267
hairs ; leaf-sheaths pubescent like the culms, densely villous-ciliate at the summit ; blades rather stiff, ascending, 4-9 cm. long, 3-7 mm. wide, glabrous on the upper surface, softly pubescent to nearly glabrous beneath, strongly ciliate on the margin near the base, the thick cartilaginous margin white at least when dry; panicles 5-8 cm. long, the branches ascending; spikelets 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, elliptic, subacute; first glume one fourth to one third as long as the spikelet; second glume and sterile lemma pubescent, the glume slightly shorter than the fruit at maturity ; fruit 1.7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, elliptic, obtuse.
Autumnal phase spreading, branching from the middle and upper nodes, the branches rather crowded, the reduced involute-pointed blades exceeding the ultimate panicles; blades of the winter rosette as much as 7 cm. (rarely 12 cm.) long.
Type locality: Wilmington, North Carolina. Distribution: North Carolina and Alabama.

Panicum tsugetorum Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 25: 86. 1898
Panicum lanuginosum siccanum Hitchc. & Chase; Hitchc. Rhodora 8: 207. 1906.
Vernal plants usually pale bluish-green; culms 30-50 cm. high, spreading or ascending, the lower nodes often geniculate, densely appressed-pubescent with short, crisp hairs, long hairs more or. less copiously intermixed with these on the lower internodes or sometimes nearly to the summit; leaf-sheaths commonly not much shorter than the internodes, pubescent like the culm but less densely so, ascending-ciliate on the margin; ligule 1-1.5 mm. long; blades thickish, firm, with a thin white cartilaginous margin, ascending, 4-7 cm. long, 4^7 mm. wide,
i
rounded at the base, acuminate, glabrous or with a few long hairs near the base on the upper surface, appressed-puberulent beneath; panicles 3-7 cm. long, nearly as wide, the axis and spreading, flexuous branches appressed crisp-puberulent; spikelets 1.8-1.9 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, ob ovate-obtuse, rather turgid, short-pubescent; first glume one third to two fifths as long as the spikelet, acute; second glume and sterile lemma barely equaling the fruit at maturity; fruit 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, broadly elliptic, obtuse.
Autumnal phase decumbent-spreading, branching from the lower and middle nodes often before the maturity of the primary panicles, the branches ascending, the ultimate branchlets appressed, the blades not greatly reduced nor crowded; winter rosette appearing rather early, the blades often conspicuously long-pilose.
Type locality : New York Botanical Garden. Distribution: Maine to Illinois and Tennessee.