FESTUCE^. 597 



apex; ligule obsolete, of tliose on the culm biauricula.te, ciliolate; 

 blades of the culm loosely conduplicate when living. Panicle 2.5-7 

 cm. long, dense, linear, oblong, lower rays bearing 3-4 spikelets. 

 Spikelets with short pedicels, 7-10 mm. long, oblong-elliptical, 3-6- 

 flowered, strongly tinged with violet or red; empty glumes acute, 

 subequal, first 3 mm. long, second 4 mm. long and reaching three- 

 fourths of the distance over the floral glume next above it; floral 

 glume lanceolate, 4-5 mm. long, acute, keeled even below the 

 middle, scabrous on the keel, awn 2 mm. long; palea linear-ob- 

 long, obsoletely bidenticulate, keels ciliolate. Anthers 1.75-2 mm. 

 long. Ovary obovate-cuneate, truncate, apex smooth. 



Vermo7it, Hosford for C. E. Faxon, collected in lumber-yards 

 ■at Burlington, Specimens are larger than the European plants. 

 Probably introduced from Europe. 



Subspecies, brevifolia (R. Br.) Hack. Monog. Fest. Eu. 117 

 (1882). F. brevifolia R. Br. Parry, 1st Voy. Suppl. 289 (1824). 



Densely tufted. Culms rigid, 5-10 cm. high, nodes 1-2 in 

 number, the upper one near the ground, nearly terete above, 

 glabrous or puberulent. Blades of sterile shoots setaceous, 0.5-0.6 

 mm. diam., 2-6 cm. long, smooth or scabrid, those of the culm 

 shorter or almost obsolete, 3-5-nerved, 1-3-ribbed on the inside, 

 sclerenchyma in 5-7 bundles; sheaths entire to the throat, soon 

 splitting with age. Panicle dense, linear, simple, racemose, 3-6 

 cm, long, the lowest branch bearing 2-3 spikelets. Spikelet':' 

 elliptical, 6 mm. long, 1-4-flowered, varying from green to violet; 

 empty glumes scarcely equal, second broadly lanceolate, acute or 

 obtuse, scarcely exceeding the middle of the floret; floral glume 

 3-4 mm. long, elliptical-lanceolate, smooth or scabrid, keeled above 

 the apex, awn about 1-2 mm. long; palea oblong, acute, 2-toothed. 

 Anthers oblong, 0.75-1 mm. long. 



Colorado, Letterman for U. S, Dept. Agricul. 714; Arizona, 

 Knowlton in 1889, Lemmon in 1884, 



Rocky Mountains, also Melville Island and Europe. 



Var. polyphylla Vasey ined. 



Culms CO-70 cm. high, grooved below the panicle. Leaves of 

 sterile shoots numerous, sheaths S2)lit for most of their length; 



