106 Rydberg: Studies ox the Rocky Mountain flora 



I regard the subgenus Hesperochloa of Festuca, proposed by 

 Piper, as representing a distinct genus and here propose it as such. 



HESPEROCHLOA (Piper) Rydb. gen. nov. 

 Festuca subgenus Hesperochloa Piper, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. lo: 



ID. 1906. 



Densely tufted dioecious perennial, occasionally stoloniferous. 

 Inflorescence a narrow panicle. Spikelets turgid, 3-5-flowered; 

 rachilla scabrous on the basal half. Empty glumes 2, broadly 

 lanceolate, subscarious, shining, the lower i -nerved, the upper 

 3-nerved. Floral glumes ovate, acuminate, rounded on the back, 

 faintly nerved. Petals scabrous-ciliate on the keels. Styles obso- 

 lete; stigmas hispidulous on all sides, not plumose; ovary deeply 

 sulcate near the apex, sparsely hispidulous; grain beaked and 

 bidentate at the apex. 



Hesperochloa Kingii (S. Wats.) Rydb. comb. nov. 

 Poa (?) Kingii S. Wats. Bot. King Exped. 387. 1871. 

 Festuca confinis Vasey, Bull. Torrey Club ii: 126. 1884. 

 Festuca Kingii Scribn. U. S. Dept. Agr. Agrost. Bull. 5: 36. 1897. 



Not Festuca Kingiana (Endl.) Steud. 1855. 

 Festuca Watsonii Nash, Britt. Man. 148. 1901. 



This was originally described as a doubtful Poa and afterwards 

 transferred to Festuca because the floral glumes are rounded on 

 the back. There are, however, certain characters in the stigmas 

 and the grains that make it fit poorly in either genus. In both Poa 

 and Festuca the stigmas are plumose, that is, the branches are 

 spreading bilaterally, while in Hesperochloa the short bristlelike 

 branches stand out in all directions, a condition rather rare among 

 the grasses. 



Hordeum caespitosiim Scribn. is found locally throughout the 

 range, H. montanense was described from Montana, H. miirinum 

 and H. Aegicerashsixeheen introduced and are locally established 

 especially in Utah. 



Sitanion Raf . is a very perplexing genus, and it is very doubtful 

 if the many species proposed by J. G. Smith can be upheld. It is 

 evident that S. longifoliiim and S. hrevifolium are but local forms 

 of one species, depending on the amount of moisture. As this 

 species is the only one found anywhere near the type locality of 



