Giucii.Aii No. lii.-lAgros. 50.) Issued .July 1, \m). 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



DIVISION OF AGROSTOLOGY. 

 [Grass and Forage Plant Investigation.] 



NEW SPECIKS OF NORTH AMERICAN (BRASSES. 



Ill Circular N(j. '.» of this Uivision there was published i:) new 

 species of North American grasses belonging chiefly to the genus 

 Poa. Circular No. 10 was also technical in its character, being 

 devoted to Poa fendleriana and its allies. In the present circular 

 nine new or little known species of grasses are descri])ed. 



1. ANDROPOGON TENNESSEENSIS Scribner. u. comb. (.1. provin- 



cidlis var. tennenseensis Scribn. Bui. Tt'iin. Agr. Expr. Sta. 7: 2;J. 1894.) 

 Pedicellate splkelet iisually hennaplirodite, H-K) mm. long, the 1st glume lanceo- 

 late, acuminate, rounded on the back, ll-i:5-nerved, apex acute, snbaristate 

 ( If minutely bimucronate, scabrous all over the Imck and especially on the 

 nerves and margins. Second glume T-9-nerved, lanceolate, acute or snb- 

 aristate. scabrous all over the back and ciliate along the hyaline, infolded 

 margins above. Third glume about as long as the outer ones, lanceolate, 

 acute, scabrous on the back above and fimbriate-ciliate along the margins. 

 Fourth glume sh(jrter than the third, apex bifid, ciliate on the margins 

 above, awned. Awn slender, a little twisted, '2-4 mm. long. Palea i-'i as 

 long as its glume. Stamens and pistil as in the sessile spikelet. Sessile 

 spikelet about 8-10 mm. long, more than twice as long as the pedicels. First 

 glume rigid and very rough-scabrous all over the back, ciliate-scabrous along 

 the keels above. Second glume compressed and strongly keeled, long-acu- 

 minate pointed, scabrous on the sides and very rough on the keels, ciliate 

 on the narrowly inflexed margins above. Third glume a little scabi-ous on 

 the back above. Racemes as in A. j^rovincialis. Hairs on pedicels and 

 joints yellow. Pedicels and outer glumes very rough scabrous. 

 Open fields. Knoxville, Tenn. Rare. 



2. PUCCINELLIA SIMPLEX Scribn., sp. nov. (Fig. 1.) 



A slender, densely csespitose, erect or spreading, glabrous annual, 0.5-2 dm. high, 

 usually branching near the base, with soft, narrow leaves and simple, race- 

 mose panicles 2-8 cm. long. Sheaths loose or somewhat inflated, mostly 

 longer than the internodes; ligule 2.5-8.5 mm. long, acute, hyaline; leaf- 

 blade 2-3.5 cm. long, flaccid, 1-2 mm. wide, mimitely scabrous toward the 

 apex, otherwise glabrous. Spikelets solitary, or 2-3 on short, appressed 

 branches, 2-3 flowered, about 5 mm. long, with unecpial, acute, glabrous 

 empty glumes, the second one 3-nerved, and acuminate flowing glumes 

 which are 5-nerved, inibescent on the back and 3-3.5 mm. long. 



Woodland, California, collected by J. W. Blankinship, May fi, 1893. This species 

 is entirely distinct from any other with which I am acquainted. Its slender, 

 somewhat wiry culms, rigid, strict panicles and pubescent, acute flowering 

 glumes are its most striking characters. 



