Bicknell : Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 191 





PURPURASCENS 



of dry levels and 



A v 

 barrens. 



Stipa avenacea L. 



Dry levels near head of Tom Never's swamp, 1904; only a 



single spikelet found, dried and accidentally persistent ; east of 

 Almanac Pond, Sept. 1907, leaves only. 



MUHLENBERGIA MEXICANA (L.) Trin. 



Sparingly by borders of yards and street-sides in town — the 

 much-branched, leafy form with numerous, lateral, flattened, short- 

 branched panicles ; defined as the type of M. mexicana by Scrib- 



ner (Rhodora 9:18. F 1907). 



M. diffusa Schreber, reported in Mrs. Owen's catalogue as 

 having been noticed in a yard in Orange Street, should possibly be 

 referred to the above species, which occurs in yards along this 

 same street. 

 Phleum pratense L. 



- 



Common, spikes mostly dried. 



Alopecurus pratensis L. 



Admitted to Mrs. Owen's catalogue ; I saw nothing of it. 



* Sporobolus vaginaeflorus (Torr.) Wood. 



Found only in a sandy spot about one mile out on the road to 

 Surfside ; here it was growing sparingly in 1899 and subsequent 

 years. Comes into flower perhaps later in the year than any other 

 grass found on the island ; at the middle of September 1907 it was 

 not yet in bloom and in other years was only beginning to bloom 

 towards the middle of the month. 



Agrostis alba L. 



Common ; panicles dried. The prevailing plant is the reduced 



state — var. vulgaris, which abounds on the dry commons ; the 

 typical form occurs in richer soils. A lax form having more diffuse 

 panicles and smaller spikelets is found in damp thickets. 



* Agrostis maritima Lam. 



Very 



The usual form 



often grows in close masses, has very narrow leaves, with ligules 

 often 5 mm. long, numerous slender culms, and contracted spike- 

 like panicles 7-10 cm. long and less than 0.5 mm. thick. A stouter 



