Torrey Botanical Society

Two New Grasses from the West IndiesAuthor(s): George V. NashSource: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 35, No. 6 (Jun., 1908), pp. 301-302Published by: Torrey Botanical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2479223 .

Accessed: 22/05/2014 08:00

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Torrey Botanical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Bulletin of theTorrey Botanical Club.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.146 on Thu, 22 May 2014 08:00:02 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Two new grasses from the West Indies GEORGE V. NASH

Panicum Grisebachii sp. nov. A pereninial with long branchinig creeping stems, long lance-

olate leaf-blades, and rather small panicles. Stems srnooth and glabrous, the lower nodes rooting: leaf-sheaths oIn the lower parts of the stem and braniches shorter than the inteirnodes, oIn the upper portioIns overlapping, hispid with ascending hairs, ciliate oil the margiins; ligule a narrow scarious rinig about 0.5 mm. wnide; blades asceindinlg, 6-I2 cm. long, up to i cm. wide, lanceolate, long-acuminate at the apex, somewhat narrowed toward the rouinded base, glabrous oIn the upper surface, shortly pubescent on the lower: panicle 5-IO cm. long, minutely pubescent, its asceindinlg braiclheS 2-3 cm. long and usually bearing but few spikelets spikelets finally becoming black, 4-4.5 mm. long, 3-4 mm. broad, the first scale a little less than one half as long as the spikelet, orbiculai, apiculate, 7-9-ner-ved, villous at the apex, clasping the base of the spikelet, the second scale orbiculati, 7-9-nerved, villous at the obtuse apex, the third scale orbicular, obtuse, 9-I i-inerved, einclosinlg a palet, the fourth scale chartaceous, enclosiing a palet of similar texture and a perfect flower.

At present this is known oInly from Cuba. Type specimein col- lected in the vicinity of Madlruga, by Britton & Shafer, nio. 758, March 28, I903, in the herbarium of the New York lBotanical Gardeni. I would also refer here the followiIng: Baker 3817, Pinar del Rio, October 28, 1904; Rzige/ 187, Matanzas, 1849; !xVrzg/gt 3157.

This is the Cuban plant which has beeni commonly but erro- neously referred to Pa;z61uz inartiiicellse Griseb. That is quite another grass, differing in its erect habit, broader leaf-blades, and pointed spikelets.

Pharus parvifolius sp. Inov. A perennial grass with branchinig stems which creep extensively

aind root at the lower nodes, and small elliptic-lanceolate leaf-blades which are broadest below the middle. Stems shortly villous, espe- cially above: leaves numerous; sheaths smooth and glabrous, over-

301

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.146 on Thu, 22 May 2014 08:00:02 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

302 NASI-I: NEW GRASSES FROM THE WEST INI)IES

lapping; ligule a lacerated scarious ringo about I mm. wide; blades 6-I2 cm. lon1g, I.5-3 cm. wide, oIn petioles up to 1.5 cm. loing, elliptic-lanceolate, rounded or somewhat cuneate at the base, long- acuminate at the apex, srnooth and glabrous, with 3 or 4 rather in- distinct primary nei-ves oIn each side of the midrib: panicle shortly villous, finally much exserted, coinsistiing usually of a single brailch which is loinger than tl-he main axis of the paniicle: staminate spike- lets 2.5-3 mm. long, glabrous: pistillate spikelets IO-I2 mm. long, the empty scales about one half as long as the spikelet, the flowerinig scale I 0- I 2 mm. long, cyliindric, often somewhat curved, densely glandular-pubescent with spreading hairs, excepting the somewhat obtuse, short-cuneate apex.

This interestiing plant is at preseint known from Haiti, Cuba, and IPorto Rico. Type specimen collected by the writer in deep shade in a ravine called Les Roches, a few miles to the west of Plaisanice, Haiti, oIn August I I, 1905, at anl altitude of about 54.0 meters, Naslh & Tayilor I482, ill the herbarium of the New York l3otanical Garden. The following specimens are also referred here: Maron z/55, near Jaguey, Yateras, Oi-iente, Cuba, April 24, 1907, 420-5 IO meters; Eggers 4939, Loma del Jaguey, Cuba, March, 1889, 8oo meters; Sibzteilis 63o8, Arecibo, Porto Rico, February 28, 1887 (sterile).

In the character of the spikelets, this is related to Piziarulsgo-iaber H.B.K. It is, however, at once distinguished by its habit, this having a long creeping stem which branches at inter-vals, the plants thus forming large open mats, a feature quite unusual in the genus. The leaf-blades are also quite different in size and slhape, being broadest below the middle and long-acumiinate, whereas in P. glaber they are broadly oblanceolate-elliptic, that is, broadest above the middle, and much larger. The writer saw the two species growing together in Haiti, and the differences of habit and leaf-blade are very marked. In addition to the above differeinces, the panicle of the new species is much smaller, and usually reduced to a single brainchi, givinig the appearance of a paniicle broader than loIng.

NEWV YORK BOTANICAi GARDErN.

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.146 on Thu, 22 May 2014 08:00:02 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions