1918] Wiegand,—Some Species and Varieties of Elymus 89 
very dense spikes will usually be found to be just in flower. Before 
maturity the spikes elongate somewhat. 
The Linnean type of E. canadensis has been discussed by Hitchcock, 
Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. xii. 123 (1908). It is there shown that the 
types of E. canadensis and of E. philadelphicus were essentially the same, 
and were a plant with very broad leaves and loose nodding spikes. 
In his description Linnaeus states that the leaves were very broad, 
and the spikelets six-flowered. Considering these statements and the 
fact that the plant came from Canada (Kalm) there is little doubt 
whether this or the next species is the real E. canadensis. In the 
original description of E. glaucifolius it also is said to have broad 
leaves and six-flowered spikelets, and is therefore presumably the same 
plant, although it came from Pennsylvania from which state we have 
seen no specimens of E. canadensis. However this species is to be 
expected in the mountains of Pennsylvania. In describing E. glauci- 
folius it was quite possibly contrasted as to glaucescence with E. 
riparius which is scarcely glaucous but which has frequently been 
mistaken for E. canadensis. 
E. rosustus Scribner & J. G. Smith, Bull Div. Agrost. 4, p. 37 
(1897). E. brachystachys Scribn. & Ball, Bull. Div. Agrost. 24, p. 47, 
(1901).— Plant low or rather tall, more or less glaucous: leaves firm, 
with a strong involuting tendency, 5-15 mm. wide, usually entirely 
glabrous: spikes long-exserted, large (8-20, rarely 25 cm. long), usu- 
ally rather dense and stiff, upright and but slightly nodding; rachis- 
joints 4-7 mm. long: spikelets slightly spreading or subappressed, 
2-5-, mostly 3-4-flowered, 13-17 mm. long: glumes 15-35, mostly 
20-25 mm. long, broad or rather narrow (0.5-2 mm. wide), flat and 
thin above, flattish or slightly indurated at base, glabrous or nearly 
so, margins scabrous: lemmas glabrous or sparsely hispidulous, 2.8- 
5 em. long; the long slender awn somewhat curved and flexuous when 
mature and dry: palet 9-11 mm. long, rarely in small plants 8.5 mm. 
long: grain 6-8 mm. long.— Dry sandy, gravelly or rocky soil: south- 
ern Grafton County, New Hampshire, to Windham County, Vermont, 
eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut; also from Illinois and Michi- 
gan to Montana, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. 
The type material of E. robustus (Pammel, Iowa), of which a portion 
from the same distribution is in the Gray Herbarium, has the lemmas 
entirely glabrous, though the species as originally described included 
also the var. vestitus. The writer has been unable to detect any real 
difference between E. brachystachys Scribn. & Ball and E. robustus. 
Even the alleged difference in length of spike is scarcely apparent. 
