216 



POACEAE 



6. Puccinellia nutkaensis (Presl). 

 Fern. & Weath. 



Pacific Alkali Grass. Fig. 503. 



Poa nutkaensis Presl, Rel. Haenk. 1: 272. 1830. 

 Puccinellia nutkaensis Fern. & Weath. Khodora 18: 22. /. 

 49-5S. 1916. 



Culms in small tufts, rather stout, 40-60 cm. tall; 

 leaves scattered, smooth, the blades loosely involute, 

 more or less spreading; panicle narrow, 10-15 cm. 

 long, the branches appressed, the lower as much as 

 7 cm. long ; spikelets about 8 mm. long ; glumes 

 nearly equal, 3-nerved, narrow, about 3 mm. long; 

 lemmas 4 mm. long, smooth. 



Saline soil near the coast, British Columbia to central 



California (Point Reyes, Davy; San Mateo County, Jaffa). 



June-Aug. Type locality: Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island. 



This species was referred to P. festucaeformis (Host) 

 Pari. (Hitchc. in Jepson, Fl. Calif. -1: 163. 1912). 



68. FESTUCA L. Sp. PI. 73. 1753. 



Spikelets few to several-flowered, the rachilla disarticulating above the glumes and 

 between the florets ; glumes narrow, acute, unequal, the first soinetimes very small ; lemmas 

 rounded on the back, membranaceous or somewhat indurate, 5-nerved, the nerves often 

 obscure, acute or rarely obtuse, awned from the tip or rarely from between the minute 

 teeth of the bifid apex. Annual or perennial low or moderately tall grasses of various habit, 

 the spikelets in narrow or open panicles. [Latin, an old name for a grass.] 



Species about 100 in the temperate and cool regions of the world. Type species, Festuca ovina L. 



1. F. octofioia. 



2. F. bromoides. 



Plants annual. 



Spikelets densely 5-13-flowered; lemmas without a scarious margin. 

 Spikelets loosely 1-5-flowered; lemmas with a narrow scarious margin. 

 Panicle long and narrow, the branches appressed. 



First glume about two-thirds as long as the second. 

 First glume not more than half as long as the second. 



Lemmas ciliate. 3. F. mcgalnia. 



Lemmas not ciliate. 4. F. mynros. 



Panicle rather short, the princii)al branches and sometimes the pedicels divergent or even reflexed. 

 Spikelets glabrous. 



Pedicels of nearly all the spikelets finally reflexed, notably those of the upper part of the 

 main axis; branches of panicle reflexed; spikelets mostly 1- or 2-flowered. 



5. F. refiexa. 

 Pedicels of spikelets appressed; lower branches of the panicle usually finally reflexed; spikelets 

 usually 3-5-flowered. 6. F. pacifica. 



Spikelets pubescent, the pubescence on glumes or lemmas or both. 



Pedicels of spikelets appressed or slightly spreading; lower branches of panicle usually spread- 

 ing or refle.xed. 

 Lemmas pubescent. 



Lemmas hirsute; glumes glabrous or pubescent; lower branches of panicle spreading or 



reflexed. 7. F. grayi. 



Lemmas woolly-pubescent; glumes glabrous; panicle nearly simple, the branches scarcely 

 / spreading. 8. F. arida. 



Lemmas glabrous; glumes pubescent. 9. F. confusa. 



Pedicels of spikelets and the branches of the panicle all finally spreading or reflexed. 



Clumes glabrous; lemmas pubescent. 10. F. microstachys. 



Glumes pubescent; lemmas glabrous. 11. F. tracyi. 



Glumes pubescent; lemmas pubescent. 12. F. eastivoodae. 



Plants perennial. 



Rhizomes usually present; blades broad and flat, firm; panicle narrow; spikelets awnless. 



13. F. confi>iis. 

 Rhizomes wanting (base of culms decumbent in F. rubra). 

 Blades flat, rather soft and lax. 



Lemmas awnless (or rarely short-awned), indurate or firm, not keeled. 14. F. elatior. 



Lemmas awned, membranaceous, more or less keeled. 



Florets long-stipitate, the rachilla appearing to be jointed a short distance below the florets. 



IS. F. subuliflora. 

 Florets not stipitate. 



Lemma indistinctly nerved; awn terminal; blades broad and thin. 16. F. subulata. 



Lemma distinctly 5-nerved; awn from between 2 minute teeth; blades narrower, rather firm. 



17. F. einieri. 

 Blades narrow or involute, usually not lax. 



Collar and mouth of sheath villous. 18. F. calif ornica. 



Collar and mouth of sheath not villous. 



Culms scabrous, densely cespitose, rather stout, 50-100 cm. tall. 19. F. scabrella. 



Culms smooth. 



Culms slender and decumbent at the usually red and fibrillose base; awn of lemma shorter 

 than the body; blades smooth. 20. F. rubra. 



