ril'ER— NUKTH AMEKI(^\N SPECIES OF FESTLJCA, 89 



32, Festuca fratercula Rupr, 



Fesium frakrcala Rupr.; Fourn. Mex, 1*1. 2: 124. 1881/' Type t'ollect(.^d on .Blount 

 Orizaba, Mexico, at 3,500 to 3,oS() meters altittide, by (Jaleotti. 



J^ESrKTPTKKV. 



A InQsely tufted, glabrous perennial, W to 90 cm. hi^^h; stem erect, ?:londer, very 

 f^moDtli and shining, with 3 node?; offshoots few, extrava^nnal, rather short; slieaths 

 smooth, much .sliorter than the internodos; li;^^nle very sliort, truncate; blades thin, 

 tlat, spreading, linear, 10 to 25 cm. lung, :i to G jum. w ide, ([uile smooth, seahrous on 

 the margiuy, attenuate-acuminate to the convolute apex; panicle slender 10 to 15 

 cm. long, flexuous and yomewhat nodding; rays mostly solitary, some in pairs, 

 very slender, scabrous on the angles, usually branched behnv the middle, the longest 

 10 cm. long, ascending, flower-ljcaring in the ui)per third; sx)ikelets obhjng, 3 to 

 5-floAvered, 7 to 12 mm. long; glumes membranous, green, the lower ] -nerved, ovate- 

 lancc<.)late, acute, 1.5 to 2 mm. long, scaritjus-margined, scabrous <ju the keel; the 

 ui>i)er oblong, 3-nerved, subatMite, scarioud-marglned, s(;abrous on the keel; lenuna 

 6 to 9 mm. long, 3-nerved, or with 2 additional faint intermediate nerves, 1anceolat<% 

 keeled to the base, scabrous, and bearing at a])(^x an awn 0.5 to 2 mm. long; palea 

 Jineardanceolate, acute, scabrous on the nerves, to (>.5 nmi. long, tlie inflexed 

 sides one-thinl as broa<l as the interncrve; apt^x: of ovary obtuse or euiarginafe and 

 slightly hairy, the stigmas rather distant; lodicnles oblitpie, entire or laciniate, as 

 long as tlie ovary (jr shorter. 



The following specimens are somewhat donl>tfully referred to this species: 

 Arizona: 



Rincon Mountains, XeaUi'u 177. 

 Colorado: 



Pagosa Teak, Balrr 17S, 177, 3(), 75, 94. 



Durango, Ttveechj 39l]a. 



33. Festuca subulata Trin. 



FeMiica sabahila Trin. in Hong. Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. VI. 2: 173. 1832. Type 

 from the neighborhood of Sitka, collected by :\Iertens. Presumablv it is in the St. 

 Petersburg Academy of Science. We have seen no authentic specimen, but the 

 ample description accords so well with T)laMts fn^m near the tvpe localitv that there 

 is scarcely room to question the identity of the species. 



F'.sfacajonesiiY'ciH^y^ Contr. Nat. Herb. 1: 278. 1893. Type in the National Herba- 

 rium, collected by M. E. Jont^s ''in southern Ttah/' but :\lr. Jones notes that the 

 locality is really in the "Wasatch :Mts., City Creek Canyon, above Salt Lake City.'' 



We can find no characters by which F, joncsii can be kej)t distinct from F. subulata, 

 even as a subspecies. The two type specimens are from almost the extremes of the 

 range of the species. Contrasted with the Alaska specimens, the tyi)e oi F, jonesii 

 has slightly narrower leaves, and somewhat smaller spikelets, with its florets closer 

 together, and the joints of the rachilla less scabrous. All manner of intergrades 

 occur, however, and in such mimbers tliat no satisfactory line of separation can be 

 drawn. 



DESCini'TION'. 



Stems erect, obscurely striate, retrorsely scaberulous, 40 to 120 cui. high, 2 to 4- 

 jointed; sheaths striate, nearly smooth, elongate but shorter than the internodes; 

 ligule scarious, about 1 mm. long; blades dark green above, paler beneath, flat, thin, 

 10 to 30 cm. long, 3 to 10 mm. broad, auriculate at base, usually sharply scabrous on 

 both faces, many-nerved, lax and spreading; panicle very loose and somewhat droop- 

 ing, 15 to 40 cm. long; rays in 3 to 5 sets, mostly in twos, all pulvillate at base, 



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a Thy original description isgh'enon p. ii't. 



