544 POACE^. 



blades of sterile shoots flat, or oftener more or less conduplicate^ 

 very abruptly concave-pointed, 5-30 cm. long, those of the culm 

 3, smooth or scabrous, the upper one shorter than its sheath, usu- 

 ally 6-10 cm. long, 2-2.5, rarely 4-7 mm. wide. Panicle rather 

 close or open pyramidal, the diameter of the base about the 

 same as the length, 1-19 (mostly about 10) cm. long, rays scabrous 

 or smooth in half- whorls of 3-6, the longest 3-11 cm. long, rather 

 densely flower-bearing on the upper half. Sj)ikelets often tinged 

 with purple, many with pedicels 1 mm. or less in length, oval, 

 ovate, ovate-lanceolate, 3-6-flowered, 4-7 mm. long, joint of 

 rachilla 0.5 mm. long; empty glumes acute, scabrous on the keels, 

 first 2.5-3 mm. long, 1- (rarely 3-)nerved, ovate-lanceolate, second 

 3-3.5 mm. long, 3-nerved, oval-lanceolate; floral glume thickly 

 webbed at the base, pubescent on the marginal nerves and on tbe 

 lower two-thirds of the keel, 3-4 mm. long, oval, subacute when 

 spread, the apex scabrous for 0.5 mm. or less; palea linear, 2.5-5 

 mm. long, scabrous on the keels. Anthers 1.5 mm. long. 



Variety aiigustifolia is a name applied to forms with narrow radi- 

 cal leaves, but is scarcely a variety. A very valuable pasture-grass. 

 See Vol. I. p. 133, Fig. 51. Xearly allied to P. trivialis L., under 

 which see note. 



Pennsylvania, U. 8. Dept. Agririd. (362 from Scribner: Mon- 

 tana, Canby £ Scribner 393; Yellowstone Park, Frank Ticeedy 

 277, 646; Oregon, Howell, the indigenous form. Several forms 

 cultivated at Agricultural College, ]\Iichigan. 



Common throughout Europe, central and Russian Asia, alsa 

 Nortli America and in the Southern llemisphere. 



24. P. Brandegei Scribn. 



An alpine annual (?) 2-4 cm. high. Ligule truncate, 1 mm. 

 long; blades thin, flat or conduplicate, 1-3 cm. long, 0.5-1 mm. 

 wide. Panicle sparingly branched, 0.5-1 cm. long. Sinkeletj 

 purplish, broadly oval, 3-4 mm. long, 3-4-flowered, joint of rachilla 

 0.5-0.7 mm. long; empty glumes thin, 3-nerved, second oval» 

 acute or obtuse, 2.7-3.1 mm. long; floral glume not webbed nor 

 pubescent, about 2 mm. long, very broadly oval, ei'ose, thin, ob- 

 scurely 5-nerved; palea linear, incurved, smooth, nearly 2 mm. 



