■222 POACE.E. 



Sheaths much shorter than the interuodes ; ligule very short, with 

 some liairs at the throat; blades pale green, smooth or scabrid, in- 

 volute-setaceous at the apex, those of sterile shoots about one-third 

 as long as the culm, those of the culm 3-4 in number, and 2-6 

 mm. wide, the upper one 3-6 cm. long. Panicle exserted, narrow, 

 12— iO cm. long, the short erect rays in twos or threes. Empty 

 flumes subequal, ovate, bristle-pointed, often tinged with purple, 

 5-13 mm. long, first 3-5-nerved, second 3-nerved; floret pubescent, 

 5-6 mm. long, including the very short acute callus and the 2 

 minute teeth concealed by the thin short crown of hairs; palea 

 about half as long as the glume; awn slender, flexuose, usually 

 twice bent, 20-40 mm. long. Anthers naked. 



California, U. S. Dept. Agricul. 237, from Jones; Montana, 

 Canby 340. 



Some use is made above of Dr. Thurber's description in S. 

 Wats. Bot. Calif. 2:288 (1880). Prof. Scribner, Coult. Bot. Gaz. 

 13: 171 (1886), says: " It is a valuable forage plant, as it does not 

 possess the long and very sharp-pointed racliilla below the flowering 

 glume which renders S. spartea Trin. ('Porcupine-grass') so inju- 

 rious to stock." 



Rocky Mountains. 



Var. Lettermani Vasey, Contrib. U. S. Nat. Mus. 3 : 50 (1892). 

 ;S^. Lettermani Vasey, Bull. Torr. Club, 13: 53 (1880). 



Leaf-blades filiform; panicle slender, 10-15 cm. long, inter- 

 rupted; lower rays 3-4 cm. long, mostly single. 



Utah, Jones; Idaho, Lettermcin 102 for U. S. Dept. Agricul. 



Var. minor Vasey, Contrib. Nat. Herb. 3 : 50 (1892). Culms, 

 leaf, and spike slender. 



Rocky Mountains, Weiman; Oregon, Jones. 



Var. pubescens Vasey, 1. c. Awn pubescent to the second bend. 



"West Washington, Suksdorf. 



Var. robusta Vasey 1. c. Culms very stout, 1 cm. diam.; spike 

 30 cm. long. 



California, Vasey. 



18. S. multinode Scribn. ined. 



Culms erect, slender, branching once below the middle, about 



