62 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THK NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Glumes extending much beyond the lemmas. 



Annual. 



Panicle branches widely spreading 1. D. calycina. 



Panicle branches erect, the panicle elongated 2, D.elongata. 



Perennial ; panicle short, branches spreading 3. D. utropurpurea. 



Upper lemma equaling or extending beyond the glumes. 



Spikelets 6 to 7 mm. long 4. D. bottnica. 



Spikelets 3.5 to 5 mm. long. 



Plants 60 to 100 cm. high 5. D. caespitosa. 



Plants 40 cm. high or less. 



Culm leaves very short, basal ones filiform, soft; 



spikelets 3 to 4 mm. long 7. D. curt if alia. 



Culm leaves elongated, basal ones firm, involute; 

 spikelets about 5 mm. long 6. D. alpina. 



1. Deschampsia calycina Presl, Rel. liaenk. 1: 251. 1830. 



A rather slender, erect, cespitose species, 10 to 70 cm. high, with very narrow leaves 

 and spreading panicles; spikelets 6 to 8 mm. long with linear-lanceolate, 3-nerved, 

 subequal glumes; lemmas 2 to 3 mm. long, awned just below the middle; awn twisted 

 below, geniculate, 3 to 4 times as long as the lemma. 



In damp soils, upper Yukon and Yakutat Bay, thence southward to Utah, California, 

 Mexico, and Peru. 



Specimens examined: Yakutat Bay, Piper 4650; Dawson, Williams in 1899, prob- 

 ably introduced. 



2. Deschampsia elongata (Hook.) Munro in Benth. PI. Hartw. 342. 1857. 

 Aira elongata Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer. 2: 243. pi. 288. 1840 4 



A slender species 30 to 120 cm. high, with flat or involute, glabrous leaves and nar- 

 row elongated panicles; spikelets about 4 mm. long with nearly equal, very acute, 

 3-nerved glumes which exceed the florets in length; lemmas about 2 mm. long, bear- 

 ing a slender awn near the base, which is at least twice as long as the lemma. 



Introduced in Alaska at Yakutat Bay and in southeastern Alaska, and extending 

 southward to Montana and Mexico. 



Alaska specimens: Yakutat, Piper 4737; reported from Chilkat, by F. Kurtz." 



3. Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahl.) Scheele, Flora 27: 56. 1844. 



Aira atropurpurea Wahl. Fl. Lapp. 37. 1812. Mountain haihgrass. 



A slender, alpine grass 15 to 40 cm, high, with flat leaves and few-flowered, nodding 

 panicles 3 to 12 cm. long; spikelets about 5 mm. long with ovate-lanceolate, acute, 

 glumes and erose-truncate, awned lemmas 2.3 mm. long; awns geniculate, exceed- 

 ing the lemma. 



In moist soil, the Aleutian Islands, Yakutat Bay, and southeastern Alaska eastward 

 to Labrador and south in the mountains to New York and Colorado; also in Europe, 

 Asia, and South America. 



Specimens examined: Juneau, Cooley in 1891; Latouche, Piper 4724, 4733; Una- 

 laska, Applegate, viviparous form, Kellogg 98, Piper A"t '22; Atka Island, Turner 1189; 

 Sitka, Evermann 229, Piper 4734, 4735; Iliuliuk, Harrington in 1871-72; Yes Bay, 

 Behm Canal, Gorman 137. 



4. Deschampsia bottnica (Wahl.) Trin. Fund. Agrost. 158. 1820. 

 Aira bottnica Wahl. Fl. Lapp. 36. 1812. 



A rather stout, glabrous, cespitose perennial 60 to 100 cm. high, with numerous firm, 

 very smooth, usually involute leaves, and elongated, mostly contracted, pale or 

 purplish panicles 15 to 30 cm. long; ligule often 1 cm. in length; spikelets 6 mm. long, 

 lanceolate; lemmas about 4 mm. long, the awn usually exserted. 



« Bot. Jahrb. Engler 19: 421. 1894. 



