8 



This species is closely related to E. dasijstacliijs Trin., a specimen of which, from 

 the Botanical Miisenm of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg, is in the 

 National Herbarium, but is easily distiuguished by the outer glumes. In 

 E. dasystachys Trin., the outer glumes are as long as the spikelet, distinctly flat- 

 tened, and smooth and shining on the buck, lu E. /^rofofu the outer glumes are 

 irreo-ular in leugth, usually much shorter than the spikelet, terete or subulate 

 from the very base, and are distinctly scabrous throughout and sometimes even 

 pubescent near the base. In the closely allied Ji". ^Mnce^s Fisch., the flowering 

 glumes are prominently nerved, while in E. brownii the nerves are not visible 

 from the back. 

 Elymus flavescens, Scribner &, J. G. Smith, sp., nov. (Fig. 1). A stout, erect peren- 

 nial 6 to 10 dm. high, from long, creeping rootstocks, with very long, somewhat 

 rigid leaves, and rather loosely-flowered, straw-colored spikes 10 to 20 cm. long. 

 Culms glabrous, usually pubescent just below the nodes. Sheaths striate, gla- 

 brous, often somewhat glaucous, the lowermost becoming loose and fibrous ; ligule 

 very short, scarious, distinctly auricled; leaf blades 20 to 40 cm. long, 1 to 8 

 mm. wide, linear, smooth below, strongly scabrous or strigose-pubescent above, 

 gradually tapering to the very acute, pungent tips. Spike linear or lanceolate, 

 often branching, forming a spikelike panicle; axis and pedicels more or less 

 silky-villous. Siiikelets somewhat compressed, 3- to 6-flowered, 1 to 2 cm. long, 

 densely villous with rather long whitish or yellowish hairs; outer glumes lan- 

 ceolate or linear-lanceolate, the second usually a little broader than the lirst, 

 more or less pubescent or silky-villous on the back, subaristate-point d, about 

 equaling the nearest flowering glume; flowering glumes broadly lanceolate, 

 ovate, very acute, mucronate or subaristate-pointed, margins scarious, very 

 densely silky-villous on the back with flavescent and more or less spreading 

 hairs, which are 2 to 3 mm. long; first flowering glume about 10 to 12 mm. long; 

 palea ranch narrower and about two-thirds the length of the glume, bifid at the 

 apex, scabrous along the keel above, pubescent below the lowermost and upper- 

 most spikelets often imperfect. 

 The habit of growth of this species resembles that of Elymus areuariux, but it is a 

 much more slender grass, with longer, more slender spikes, which are frequently 

 branched, becoming simple, spikelike panicles, and the spikes are conspicuous 

 by their pale yellow or whitish color and densely silky-villous s^nkelets. More 

 closely still does its habit of growth and inflorescence resemble E. dasysiachyn 

 Uttoralis Griseb., but in that grass the outer glumes arc glabrous and the floral 

 glumes are pubescent, not silky-villous. In American herbaria this species has 

 been referred to E. vtollis Brown and to E. dasystachys Trin. 

 Dry, sandy grounds and drifting sand dunes, Idaho to Oregon and Washington, 

 June. This species is represented in the National Herbarium by the following 

 specimens: 916 W. N. Suksdorf, June 11, 1886, Columbus, Klickitat County, 

 Washington; 257 E. Palmer, June .SO, 18ft2, Blackfoot, Idaho; Thomas J. Howell, 

 June 11, 1881, near the Dalles, Oregon, and one specimen from the Wilkes Exjilor- 

 ing Expedition, Avitliout locality. 

 Elymus dasystachys littoralis (uiseb. in Ledeb. Flor. h'oss. 4, 333. {Elymus Ut- 

 toralis Turcz.) A rather stout and somewhat rigid, erect ])erennial 8 to 10 dm. 

 high from extensively creeping rootstocks, with long, pungently pointed, narrow 

 leaves, and rather loosely flowered and often branched spikes 20 to 30 cm. Inug; 

 axis jjubescent. Culms glabrous, the lowermost nodes covered by loose, scarious, 

 and sometimes bladeless sheaths. Sheaths, excepting the basal ones, strongly 

 striate, glabrous; ligule very short, minutely ciliafe, usually strongly auriculate; 

 auricles, when i)rcseut, cymbiform; leaf blades 20 to 40 cm, long, 3 to 5 mm. 

 wide, glabrous beneath, strongly strigose-pubescent above, very long-acuminate- 

 pointed, becoming involute. Spikelets 5- to 9-flowered, solitary, in pairs, or 

 sometimes raised u])on short branches, the spike becoming a narrow panicle. 

 Outer glumes narrowly lanceolate, the second usually a little broader than the 



