PIPKK — NOKTH AMEKICAX SPECIES OF FESTTCA. 47 



DESCRIPTION. 



Densely tufted; culms smooth, 10 to 20 cm, high, nearly covered by the overla]>- 

 jiing sheaths; sheaths smooth, about G to cat-h culm; ligule truncate, scarious, 0.5 mm. 

 long; blades closely involute, very smooth, erect, 5 to 8 cm. lojig; panicle consisting 

 of few to several (2 to 15) large purple P]^ikelets; spikelets 10 to 14 mm. long, 2 to 

 4-fIo\vered; joints of the rachilla hisjiidulous, 1 to 1.5 mm. long; glumes puhoqual, 

 lanceolate, smooth or mimitely scabrous, 10 to 15 mm. long, nearly equaling the 

 spikolet; lemma minutely scabrous', elliptic-lanceolate, 8 to 10 mm, long, bearing a 

 short, straight awn; palea shorter tluin the lenjnui, Ijidcntate at apex, scabrous on 

 the nerves, the inflt^\cd sides half as broad as the iuternerve. 



A very peculiar species ui)On wliich Fournier founded the genus Helleria, which, 

 however, seems not distinct enough from Festu<a. The species was poorly figured 

 by II. B. K., l)ut has been hnelv ]>lated bv Hemslev.'' 



The following specimens have been examined: 



Crater of Xeva<lo de Tolu(*a, Prinf/fc 4304, liosc tt* Pninter 8017. 

 IztaccihuatI, Pfi.rpiis 27. 

 Perote, Xeho^i 45. 

 Volcano Tolucu, Xehoti li. 

 Mount Orizaba, lAehmann, 



Festuca procera H. B. K. 



Festuca procera II. E. K. Nov. Gen. Sc S]). 1: 154. 1S15. "Crescit locis alsis, sub- 

 frigidis regni Quitensls prope Chillo, San Antonio de Lulumljand^a et Lloa, inter 

 alt. 1280 et 1470 hexap/' 



Diplachae procera S[>ivng. Syst. 1: :J51. 1S25. '-(^nito."' Festuca or gijalh WWhl. 

 in herbarium and F. prorera llumb. are cited as svnonvms, 



Fedaca orgijaUs Willd.; Fourn. ^lex. 1*1. 2: 124. hSS(>. Iiased on D»plarhnc pro- 

 cera Spreng. 



Fournier cites as a Mexican specimen Bonpland's no. 22S5 in Herbarium Mus. Tar. 

 "absque loco, e Nova-IIisi>ania/' and further remarks that it differs from F, procera 

 II. 15, K. especially in its smooth culm, imijlying that F, ifnjifalk is distinct fn^m that. 

 Ilunisley cites F. orfjt^aliH as from South M<^\_ico — on the authority of Ilumlxtldt and 

 Bonpland. But F. orf/i/alis is found('<l on the name Dip/achtu' jirocrra Spreng. and 

 oil nothing else; and this in turn seems clearly founded on F'>itaca prorerrtJl. H. K., 

 notwithstanding that 8preng(4 says "cnlmo i>roi'ero glabro," while II. H. K. have it 

 ''culmo scabro." The literary evidence indicates tliat the sup2X)sed Mexican speci- 

 men of Bonpland is probably sonnc of the original material of Fc4itca procera. The 

 species is unknown to us, 



Festuca niirabilis sp. nov. 



■ b 



Densely tufted; culms very stout, 1 to 2 meters high, 4-joiiited, cyliudric, smooth, 

 faintly striate; sheaths striate, scabrous, mostly shorter tlian the internodes; blades 

 l)ale-green, firm, mostly folded, 3 to 5 mm. broad, striate and scabrous on botii sides, 

 50 to 80 cm. in lengtli, long-atttnuate to the apex; ligule scarious, truncate, short 

 on the basal leaves, 4 to 5 nun. long on the culm leaves; paiucle 20 to 30 cm. 

 l<nig, rather loose, usually secund, somewhat drooping, efjualed or overtopped by 

 tlie uppermost leaf; axis stnooth below, scabrous above; rays in about seven series, 

 usually in twos, slender, scabrous, simple or with but few branches, spikelet-bearing 

 at the tips; spikelets yellowish-green, stnnigly flattened, 5 to 7-tlowered, 1.5 to 2 cm. 

 long; joints of the rachilla cylindric, 1 to 2 nun. long, strongly scabrousdurtellous; 

 glumes subulate, the lower 1-nerved, 7 nun.^long, the upper 3-nerved, 10 mm. loJig; 



«Biol. Centr. Am. r>ot. 3: b2S. pi. t02 h. 



