MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 



73 



27. Festuca dasyclada Hack. (Fig. 94.) Culms 20 to 40 cm tall; 

 blades folded, about 2 mm wide when spread, those oi the culm 4 to 



6 cm long, those of the innovations 10 to 15 cm long; panicle open, 



7 to 12 cm long, the branches rather 

 stiffly and divaricately spreading, 

 softlv pubescent ; angles ciliate ; spikes 

 lets pale, long-pediceled, 2-flowered; 

 glumes lanceolate, acuminate, the 

 first about 4 mm, the second about 

 6 mm long; lemmas rather thin, some- 

 what keeled, rather strongly nerved, 

 scaberulous, about 6 mm long; awn 

 about 2 mm long, from between 2 

 minute teeth. Ql —Rocky slopes, 

 rare, Utah. 



Festuca rigescens (Presl) Kunth- 

 Densely tufted, about 30 cm tall; blades 

 firm, involute, sharp-pointed; panicle nar- 

 row, few-flowered, 5 to 10 cm long; spike- 

 lets about 3-flowered, 6 to 7 mm long; lem- 

 mas ovate, thick, convex, awnless or mucro- Figure 94.— Festuca dasyclada. Panicle, X M;. 

 nate, 4 to 4.5 mm long. % —There is a &™»* and floret > X 5 - < Du P L x ^-) 

 single specimen of this species in the United 



States National Herbarium, labeled "Arizona, Tracy? On the sheet is a note 

 made by Professor Piper (Feb. 12, 1904) quoting Tracy, "In open pine woods 



4 miles southeast of Flagstaff, about June 20, 

 1887." This agrees exactly with specimens of this 

 species from Peru, whence originally described. 

 Since the species is not known north of Peru, ex- 

 cept from this specimen, it seems probable that the 

 label has been misplaced. 



28. Festuca viridula Vasey. Green- 

 leaf fescue. (Fig. 95.) Culms rather 

 loosely tufted, erect, 50 to 100 cm tall; 

 blades soft, erect, those of the culm flat or 

 loosely involute, those of the innovations 

 slender, involute; panicle open, 10 to 15 cm 

 long, the branches mostly in pairs, ascend- 

 ing or spreading, slender, somewhat re- 

 mote, naked below; spikelets 3- to 6- 

 flowered ; glumes lanceolate, somewhat un- 

 equal, 5 to 7 mm long; lemmas membra- 

 naceous, acute or cuspidate, glabrous, 6 to 8 mm long. % —Moun- 

 tain meadows and open slopes, 1,000 to 2,000 

 m, British Columbia to Alberta, south to cen- 

 tral California and Idaho (fig. 96). An im- 

 portant forage grass in the mountains of the 

 Northwestern States. Festuca howellii Hack., 

 differing from F. viridula in having more sca- 

 brous lemmas and awns 2 mm long, does 

 not seem sufficiently distinct to be recognized 

 as a species. % — Known from a single collection (Josephine 

 County, Oreg.). 



Figure 95.— Festuca viridula. Panicle, 

 X y 2 : floret, X 5. (Cusick 2431, 

 Oreg.) 



Figure 96.— Distribution of 

 Festuca viridula. 



