1921] Fernald,— Expedition to Nova Scotia 193 



panicles contracted, 0.3-1.5 dm. long, mostly with strongly ascending 

 branches: spikelets 2.7-3.4 mm. long; upper glume shorter than the 

 sterile lemma: caryopsis ellipsoid, obtuse, 1.6-1.8 mm. long, 0.8 

 0.9 mm. wide. — Valley of the Tusket River, Nova Scotia: gravelly 

 margin (northwest side) of Tusket (Vaughan) Lake, August 20, 

 J 920, Fernald, BisseU, Graves, Long & hinder, no. 19,759; sandy and 

 gravelly beach of Butler's (Gavelton) Lake, Gavelton, September 4, 

 1920, Fernald, Long & hinder, no. 19,763; wet peaty margin of But- 

 ler's Lake, Gavelton, September 4, Fernald, Long & hinder, no. 

 19,7(>4 (type in Gray Herb.); wet peaty shore, East Branch of Tusket 

 River, Gavelton, September 4, Fernald, Long & hinder, no. 19,765; 

 sandy and gravelly margin of Pearl Lake, Kemptville, October 7, 

 1920, Fernald & hinder, no. 19,701 ; peaty margin of Kegesliook 

 Lake, October 8, 1920, Fernald & hinder, no. 19,762. See pp. L60, I OS. 



Differing from typical P. longifolium as it occurs from Texas and 

 Florida to New Jersey in its low stature, glabrous and rather broader 

 leaves, very contracted and short panicle, longer spikelets, short 

 upper glume and broad and bluntish grain; the southern plant being 

 mostly 6-8 dm. high, with the usually pilose-based leaves 2-5 mm. 

 wide, the panicle 1-2.5 dm. long and with loosely ascending branches, 

 the spikelets 2.4-2.7 mm. long, the upper glume equaling or longer 

 than the lemma and the slender and acute grain 0.4-0.7 mm. wide. 

 Jf the material from the South alone were accessible for comparison 

 the Nova Scotian plant would seem a distinct species; but some 

 specimens from New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island show 

 spikelets up to 3 nun. long and grains quite as broad as in the Nova. 

 Scotian material, but with the elongate glume and looser panicle of 

 the southern plant; while specimens from Lake YYerden, Rhode 

 Island have the panicle as contracted as in the Tusket Valley plant. 



P. pepaupesatum Muhl., var. psilophyllum, n. var., foliis utrinque 

 glabris vel vaginis sparsissime setulosis. 



Leaves wholly glabrous or the sheaths very sparsely setulose. 

 Nova Scotia to Megantic Co., Quebec, Wisconsin and Virginia. 

 Type: extremely sterile land, Canton, Maine, July 7, 1900, ./. C. 

 Parlin, no. 1957 (Gray Herb.). In Nova Scotia known only from 

 Queens, Annapolis and Kings Cos. Macoun records it from King- 

 ston. We collected it in a sandy and gravelly railroad yard at 

 Middleton (Annapolis) and in gravelly soil near the mouth of Broad 

 River (Queens). 



The characteristic plant about Middleton, in the undisturbed soil 

 of the dry plains and open woods, completely lacks the large primary 

 panicles on elongate culms and bears only reduced basal panicles of 

 1-4 spikelets. This extreme form may be called 



