32 CONTlirHUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM, 



Festnca scahrella major Ya^^eVj Contr. Nat. ITerb. 1: 27S. 189;i, Type specimen in 

 the National llerbarimn^ collected in Spokane County, Waf^hin^ton, by Suksdorf 

 (no. 118), June 18, 1884. Thit^ i*^ a much larf;er plant than tlic typo of Mdlca halliij 

 with a larger and looser panicle. IMost of the Ignited States material is tpiito 

 intermediate between the two. 



Festuca cawpeslris Ilyilb, Mem. N. Y. But. Gard. 1: o?. 11)00, Proposes a new 

 name for the above, on account of the older i^^s^^/^^^ '^)ittans vufjory-d^ey, whicli latter, 

 however, is a techni<'ally mipubli^hed name* 



de;sciuption. 



Densely tufted, the broad leaves numerous; culms erect, 2-jointed, smooth orscal)- 

 rous, 150 to 90 cm. high; u])per sheaths scabrous, closely enveloping the stem, the 

 lower smooth, exceetling the internodes, enlarged and somewhat exj)lanate at base; 

 ligule small; blades hard and strongly involute, i)ale or glaucous, 10 to oO or even 50 

 cm. long, j>urig{Milly acute, usually very scabrous, the basal onus deciduous from the 

 persisting sheaths; panicle narrow and rather close, often subsecund, 3 to 15 cm. long^ 

 rays solitary or in pairs, very scabrous, usually ascending or appressed, spikelet- 

 bearing near the end, the longest less than half the i>anicle, often pulvillate-thickened 

 at base; spikelets oblong 8 to li.* mm. long, 4 to B-flowered; glumes unc'iual, smooth, 

 or sc-abrous near the apex, the lower lanceolate, 1-nervcd, 7 to 8 una. long, tlie 

 upi)er ovate-lanceohite, 8-nerved, 8 to 9 mm. long; leunna firm, dull, 5-nerved, 

 keeled near the apex, densely and finely scabrous, 8 to 10 mm. long, acute or rather 

 abruptly nuicronate or short-awned; palea about as long as the lennna, n<ttched at 

 the apex, pubescent on the nerves, the infiextHl sides more than hall as broail as the 

 internerve. 



Festuca hallii ranges from British Columbia to North Dakota, (-olora-lo, and Wash- 

 ington. We would also refer here two specimens from Dawson, Yuk('n, namely, K. 

 S. Williams, July 13, 1899, and John McClean, no. 84. 



The species as thus delimited inchides rather diverse-looking material, but in the 

 light of the specMuiensat hand we can suggest no better disposition. There are good 

 reasons, indeed, for considering it a mere subspecies of F. allalca, 



21. Festuca aristulata (Torr. ) Shearms. 



Bromui< kalmil aridulattisToYv. Pac. R. Rej). 4: 157. lKr)(). Tyi)e in the National 

 Herbarium, collected on Mark West Creek, California, April ;U\ 1854, by Dr. J. M. 



Bigelow. 



Fc-<f}f(n callforuuu Vasey, Contr. Nat. Herb. 1: 277. 1893. Tyj)e in the National 

 IIerl)arium, collected on hills about Oakland, California, by Jiolander (no. 1505) in 

 18G2. 



DESCHirTION, 



A coarse tufted grass with numerous basal leaves; (udms erect, stout, 2-jointed, about 

 60 to 120 cm. high, striate, scabrous; sheaths somewhat scabrous, often purplish, the 

 lower lojig-persisting, the collar and auricles white-pilose; ligule ciliate, very short; 

 blades flat or involute, hard, densely beset with minute scarcely rough gramdationg, 

 8 to 40 cm. long, acute at the apex, 2 to 5 mm. broad, inclined to be deciduous from 

 the slu^atlis; panicle ample, usually loose, 10 to 30 cm. long; rays slender, usually 

 elongatedj terete or angled, i^cabrous, in about 4 whorls of 2 to 3 each, jtulvillate- 

 thickened basally; spikelets 8 to 18 mm. long, broadly oblong, compressed, mostly 

 5-flowered; joints of the rachillacylindric, scabrous, 2 to 3 nun. long; glumes oblong- 

 lanceolate, firm, smooth, except the scabrous midnerve, the lower 1-nerved, about 

 5 to 7 mm. long, the upper 3-nerved, 6 to 8 mm. long; lemma 8 to 10 mm. long, 

 lanceolate, convex, firm, 5-nerved, finely and evtndy scabrous, a<*uminate or short- 



