198 Bicknell: Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 



ment, Aug. 30, 1904, plants dried up but with some spikelets per- 

 sisting. Recorded from between 'Sconset and Sachacha. 

 Festuca Myuros L. 



Common along the railroad and in adjoining sandy fields near 

 the town, 1906; one station near 'Sconset, 1904; plants comple- 

 tely dried up but many spikelets remaining. 



* Festuca capillata Lam. 



Sandy commons and pastures in the town region and on the 

 south side of the island, stems and panicles dried but basal leaves 



still green. 



Festuca ovina L. 



My collections of Nantucket plants include no specimens of 

 true Festuca ovina nor have I now any quite certain recollections 

 of having met with it. My notes, however, refer to it as having 

 been found with spikelets nearly gone on the south pasture and in 

 the town region. It is recorded by Mrs. Owen and is probably 

 common. 



* Festuca rubra L. 



Under the currently accepted view as to what constitutes 

 Festuca rubra L. in this country it is necessary to place under this 

 name two Nantucket grasses which are quite probably distinct 

 species. The less common one is that to which the name more 

 properly applies, judging by comparison with presumably authentic 

 examples of the European plant. It is a low, rather stiff grass, 

 conspicuously blue-glaucous throughout and, although forming 

 close tufts, develops pronounced stolons, usually short and 

 assurgent or declined-upcurved, but sometimes more slender and 

 10- 1 5 cm. in length ; the basal leaves are numerous and very firm, 

 often stiffly curved, strongly involute, 1-2 dm. long, their lower 

 sheaths densely short-pubescent often with reflexed hairs and 

 usually much tinged with reddish-purple; the culms are 2.5-4 

 dm. high, bearing panicles 5-8 cm. long, the lower branches often 

 stiffly spreading; flowering scales scabrellous, 4.5-6 mm. long, 

 bearing delicate awns 1-2 mm. in length. This grass was found 

 at several widely separated localities in sandy places near the shore. 

 It is closely matched by specimens from Nova Scotia collected by 

 Howe & Lang, which bear labels corrected from F. ovina to F 



