GRASS FA1\IILY 



243 



9. Agropyron violaceum (Hornem.) Lange. 

 Alpine Wheat-grass. Fig. 575. 



Triticum Tiolaccitm Hornem. Fl. Dan. pi. 2044. 1832. 



Agropyron violaceum Lange, Consp. Fl. Greenland 3: 135. 1880. 



Agrop\ron cai'.inum lioriiemaniii Pease & Moore, Rhodora 12: 7i. 

 191'0. 



Differs from ^4. tciicrum in having lower culms, usu- 

 ally less than 50 cm. tall, and a shorter denser spike, mostly 

 5-iO cm. long, usually tinged with violet, the spikelet's 

 closely overlapping. 



Alpine meadows and rocky summits, in the Alpine Zone; Wash- 

 ington (Mount Baker, Hitchcock), Oregon (Imnaha National Forest, 

 Sampson), alpine regions, southward in the mountains to Colorado 

 and the high summits of New York and New England. August. Type 

 locality, European. This species has been referred to Agropyron 

 biflonun (Brign.) Roem. & Schult. 



Agropyron violaceum andinum Scribn. & Smith, U. S. Dept. 

 Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 4: 30. 1897; A. hrevifolium Scribn. U. S. 

 Dept. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. 11: SS. pi. 13. 1898. A. caninum 

 andinum Pease & Moore, Rhodora 12: 75. 1910. Differs in having 

 short-awned lemmas. Alaska to Washington (North Fork of Bridge 

 Creek, Elmer), Oregon (Summit Wallowa Mountains, Ctisick), and 

 the mountains of Colorado. Type locality: Colorado. 



10. Agropyron laeve (Scribn. & Smith). 

 Hitchc. 



California Wheat-grass. Fig. 576. 



Agropyron parishii lac7e Scribn. & Smith, U. S. Dept. Agr. 

 Div. Agrost. Bull. 4: 28. 1897. 



Agropyron laeve Hitchc. in Jepson, Fl. Calif. 1: 181. 1912. 



Culms 1-1.5 meters tall, without rhizomes; blades 

 fiat; spike as much as 30 cm. long; spikelets distant, 

 usually shorter than the internodes of the rachis; 

 glumes obtuse, several-nerved, about 10 mm. long; 

 lemmas about 10 mm. long, long-awned ; awn 1.5- 

 2.5 cm. long. 



Only known from California, Clinton (Hansen), Dunlap 

 to Millwood {Griffiths) , San Jose (Norton), Lassen National 

 Forest, Cuyamaca Mountains (Palmer), the latter being the 

 type locality. Tune-July. 



11. Agropyron caninum ( L. ) IJeaiiv. 

 Bearded Wheat-grass. I-'ig. 577. 



Triticinu cauininn L. Sp. PI. 86. 1753. 



Agropyron caninum Beauv. Ess. Agrost. 102, 146. 1812. 



Culms erect. 30-90 cm. tall, without rhizomes ; 

 blades flat, rather lax, 2-6 mm. wide, scabrous ; 

 spike more or less nodding at apex, rather dense, 

 7-15 cm. long; spikelets 12-14 mm. long; glumes 

 pointed or awned ; lemmas 3-5-nerved, awn straight, 

 or somewhat spreading, once or twice the length of 

 the lemma. 



Dry hillsides and mountain meadows. Transition to Hud- 

 sonian Zones; Alaska to California, east to New England. 

 June-Aug. Type locality, European. 



