Bosc's Panicgrass

Panicum boscii Poir. in Lam. Encyc. Suppl. 4: 278. 1816
Panicum Waltheri Poir. in Urn. Encyc. Suppl. 4: 282. 1816. Not P. Walteri Pursh, 1814.
Panicum latifolium australe Vasey, Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. Bot. 8: 34. 1889.
Panicum latifolium molle Vasey, Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr. Bot. 8: 34. 1889.
Panicum Walteri molle Porter, Bull. Torrey Club 20: 194. 1893.
Panicum Porterianum Nash, Bull. Torrey <Club 22: 420. 1895.
Panicum pubifolium Nash, Bull. Torrey Club 26: 577. 1899.
Panicum Boscii molle Hitchc. & Chase; B. L,. Robinson, Rhodora 10: 64. 1908.
Vernal phase resembling that of P. latifolium, usually in larger clumps; culms 40-70 cm. high, erect or ascending, glabrous or minutely puberulent, rarely somewhat papillose, the nodes retrorsely bearded; leaf-sheaths much shorter than the internodes, ciliate, a pubescent ring at the juncture with the blade, otherwise glabrous or sparsely downy-pilose; ligule about 1 mm. long; blades spreading, 7-12 cm. long, 1.5-3 cm. wide, more or less tapering toward the sparsely ciliate, cordate base, acuminate, glabrous on both surfaces or puberulent on the lower and sparsely pubescent on the upper surface; panicles 6-12 cm. long, as wide or wider, the main axis and the flexuous spreading or ascending branches puberulent; spikelets 4-4.5 mm. long, 2-2.2 mm. wide, oblong-obovate, less turgid than in P. latifolium, papillose-pubescent; first
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glume one third to two fifths the length of the spikelet, pointed; second glume slightly shorter than the fruit and sterile lemma at maturity; fruit 3.2-3.5 mm. long, 1.5-1.6 mm. wide, elliptic, minutely pubescent, and usually black at the tip.
. Autumnal phase as in P. latifolium, rather more freely branching, sometimes topheavyreclining; spikelets more turgid than those of the primary panicles.
Typb locality: Carolina.
Distribution: Massachusetts to Missouri, and south to Florida and Texas.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Rhizomes present, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stems branching above base or distally at nodes, Stem nodes bearded or hairy, Stem internodes ho llow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly basal, below middle of stem, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades lanceolate, Leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, Leaf blades 2 or more cm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head, or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets dorsally compressed or terete, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets with 2 florets, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating below the glumes, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes distinctly unequal, Glumes equal to or longer than adjacent lemma, Glume equal to or longer than spikelet, Glumes 3 nerved, Glumes 4-7 nerved, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma coriaceous, firmer or thicker in texture than the glumes, Lemma becoming indurate, enclosing palea and caryopsis, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma 5-7 nerved, Lemma 8-15 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma awnless, Lemma margins inrolled, tightly covering palea and caryopsis, Lemma straight, Palea present, well developed, Palea about equal to lemma, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis.