NOTEWORTHY NorTH AMERICAN GRASSES 467 
A most distinct species with apparently no closely related 
forms in North America. It is at once recognized by its ashy- 
gray color, due to the short dense pubescence, its very scabrous, 
relatively broad outer glumes and scabrous long-awned flowering 
glumes. 
Elymus cinereus sp. nov. 
A rather stout, tufted perennial, about 10 dm. high, densely 
short-pubescent throughout, giving the whole plant an ashy-gray 
appearance. Culms stout, nearly glabrous where protected by 
the sheaths, elsewhere densely short-pubescent ; nodes pubescent ; 
sheaths shorter than the internodes, densely pubescent, ligule thin, 
truncate, 2 mm. long, densely short-pubescent ; leaf-blades firm, 
involute, 2-3 dm. long, about 5 mm. wide, densely short-pubescent 
on both surfaces. Spike about 15 cm. long, densely flowered, 
rachis puberulent. Spikelets usually two at each node, 3-4- 
flowered, empty glumes subequal, subulate, scabrous throughout, 
10-15 mm. long, flowering glumes lanceolate, acuminate, scarcely 
awned, 9-10 mm. long, rather prominently strigose-pubescent 
throughout. Palea nearly equaling the glume, scabrous, ciliate 
on the margins. 
Type specimens collected by C. A. Purpus, no. 6050, dry 
plains, Pahrump Valley, Nevada, May—October, 1808. 
This species in aspect resembles Elymus velutinus, the pubes- 
cence of the two species being nearly the same but in other re- 
Spects is not closely related to that species. Its most prominent 
distinguishing characters are its subulate empty glumes, which are 
never more than 0.5 mm. wide, and awnless flowering glumes. It 
is evidently related to Elymus triticoides Buckl., although that spe- 
cies is glabrous, or at least not at all pubescent. 
ERAGROsTIS AMABILIS Wright & Arn. in Hook & Arn. Bot. 
Beechy’s Voy. 251. 1841 
This very distinct and beautiful species was found rather 
abundantly along moist roadsides, at two stations in F lorida, 
Lloyd's and Live Oak, 65 miles apart, by Mr. A. H. Curtis, no. 
6898, September 12, 1901. How has this grass a native of India 
become established in northern Florida? Eragrostis amabilis is 
own to florists as a desirable ornamental grass and is cultivated 
for ornamental purposes in the United States and it was suggested 
that its appearance in Florida might be explained from this fact, 
and that it was an escape from cultivation. Regarding this point 
Mr. Curtiss writes as follows: ‘‘I cannot believe Fvagrostis 
