418 POACE.E. 



Perennial, 20-60 cm. liigh. Leaf-blades smooth or rough 

 above, 3-15 cm. long, 1.5-2 mm. wide, hairy at the ligule. Spikes 

 1-3 in number, rarely 4 to 5, remote, 2-4 cm. long; pedicels 2-3 

 mm. long, short, hairy, often with a bract 2-4 times as long; 

 rachilla not projecting beyond the spikelets. Spikelets 7 mm. 

 long; empty glumes villous, 1-nerved, first lanceolate, 4.5 mm. 

 long, second ovate-lanceolate, 7.5 mm. long, sparsely hairy on 

 warty glands; floral glume hairy on the back, 5.5 mm. long, not 

 including setae, and 1.5 mm. wide; lateral setae extending to the 

 top of the 2-cleft middle lobe, not including a seta about 1 mm. 

 long; palea as long as its glume; rachilla above the floret about 

 1.5 mm. long, clothed above the middle with soft hairs 2-3 mm. 

 long, bearing 3 setae about 6 mm. long, the lateral ones wing- 

 margined on the inside above; still another, broad involute emar- 

 ginate 3-lobed empty glume 1.5 mm. long. 



Nebraska, Duffey; Texas, Nealleij; Montana (Nor. Trans. 

 Cont. Surv.), Canby <& Scrihner. 



Wisconsin, California to Texas and Mexico. 



Var. major Yasey, ined. Much larger, culms often 70 cm. high; 

 leaves longer, spikes 3-5 cm. long. Spikelets, glumes, and palea 

 about the same as those of the species. 



Mexico. 



Var. pallida Scribn. ined. Spikes light yellowish green. 



Mexico, Pringle 407. 



Yar. ramosa Scribn. B. ramosa Scribn. ; Yasey's Grasses S. W. 

 Part 1, 44 (1891). Much branched. 



Mexico, Prinr/Ie 4:14:. 



Mr. Pringle says: *' The most abundant species of the plains, 

 especially abundant and forming a close sod in the low arid jiortions. 

 In amount of yield and quality it is surpassed by no common grass 

 of the plains, and is the one native species adapted to forming per- 

 manent mowing, and one, I believe, whicli would, as well as any 

 species employed in American agriculture, bear the effects of close 

 grazing in enclosed areas.'' 



6. B. polystachya (lieiith.) Torr. Pacif. K. Eep. 5:366, f. 10 



