MANUAL OF THE GRASSES OF THE UNITED STATES 199 



obtuse or slightly emarginate. 91 



and hills, Montana to 

 British Columbia, south 

 to Colorado and Cali- 

 fornia ; western Texas 

 (Jeff Davis County) 

 (fig. 385). Specimens 

 with pubescent foliage 

 have been differenti- 

 ated as M. bella intonsa 

 Piper. 



8. Melica fugax Bo- 

 land. Little onion- 

 grass. (Fig. 386.) 

 Culms mostly 20 to 40 

 cm tali, in loose tufts, 

 the bulbs prominent; 

 sheaths retrorsely sca- 

 brous; blades 1.5 to 4mm 

 wide, scabrous, usually 

 pubescent on the up- 

 per surface; panicle 8 

 to 15 cm long, the 

 branches stiffly spread- 

 ing or reflexed at an- 

 thesis, the lower 2 to 

 4 cm long; spikelets 8 

 to 14 mm long, the 

 florets somewhat dis- 

 tant, usually purple- 

 tinged, the rachilla 

 soft, wrinkled in dry- 

 ing, often brownish; 

 second glume nearly 

 as long as the lower 

 lemma; lemmas ob- 

 scurely nerved, obtuse 

 or emarginate. % — 

 Dry hills and open 

 woods, Washington to 

 Nevada and central 

 California (fig. 387). 

 9. Melica inflata 

 (Boland.) Vasey. 

 (Fig. 388.) 

 Culms 60 to 100 

 cm tall, bulbous 

 at base; sheaths 

 glabrous or pu- 

 bescent; blades 

 flat, 2 to 4 mm 

 wide; panicle 15 



(M. bella Piper.) — Rocky woods 



m 



Figure 384— Melica 

 bulbosa. Plant, X 1; 

 floret, X 5. (Tide- 

 strom 1252, Utah.) 



Figure 385.— Distribution of 

 Melica bulbosa. 



Figure 383.— Distribution of 

 Melica spectabilis. 



Figure 38C— Melica fugax. Plant, X 1; 

 floret, X 5. (Vasey 9, Wash.) 



to 20 cm long, narrow, the rather distant branches, or some of them, 



