No. 17. 

 ORYZOPSIS EXIGUA Tlmil,. Bot. Wilkes Exj). 481. 



P/«7i< poreniiiiil, tufted, with nuTiieroiis stiiilc slioots. 



Culms erect, slender, terete, liis]ii(l. (J to 15 iiidics lii^li: inidcs black, sciircely fOii- 

 stricted. 



Leaves o{ sterile shoots miiiicroiis. witli dose striate, hispid slieatlis, aud narrow 

 involute, wiry, si-ahrous blades 4 to 7 inches loiij;'. Leaves of culm usually 4; lower two 

 with short, overlai)pin};' sheaths and blades like the radical leaves, next sheaths above 

 ninch shorter than the internodc, npix-r sheath usually vaginate and longer, ui)per 

 blades erect, 2 to 4 inches long; lignle nieinbraiiaceons, acute, 1 to 2 lines long. 



InJIoresvcnrc a narrruw secuntl panicle included at tirst, l.J to :i inches long; 

 raehis tlexuous, branches usually in pairs, erect, unequal, the longer bearing usually 2 

 sjiikelets and tli(^ shoiter one. 



Sfikctiln lanceolate, tnrgid, 1 flowered, l-'i lines long; enij)ty glumes oblong-uvate, 



barely a<iif ■ almiptly acuminate, membranaceous, minutely scabrous, e(iual,2 toL'.J 



lines long, .! ner\-cd or ."> neiN'cd at the base, the nerves anastomosing; sti])e short, 

 bliuit; lloret spindle-shaped, 1! to 2A lines long, .| as thick; tloral ghune herbaceous, 

 becoming ehartaceons, obtuse or with purple teeth at the apex, clothed throughout 

 with short i)nl)escence, .')-nerve<l, the neives uniting above; awn ))<'rsistent, minutely 

 hispid, brown, 2 to .■> lines long; palet eipialing the glume ami like it in texture and 

 l)ubes<^ence, obtuse f)r bidentate at the apex; lodicules 2, ^ linelong; anthers exsertod ; 

 giain oblong, tlattened, o1)li(]ue at the obtuse ai)ex, yellow, minutely wrinkled, 1;} lines 

 long, ^ as wide. 



l'l,ATK XVIi; K, s|iikelel ]iartly dissected, eidarged 5 times. 



Oregon and Washington, iu the mountains. The persistent awn and elongated 

 floret of this sj)eeies place it (;lose to Stipa, and indicate that it is diilicult to nnike 

 eveu an artificial distinction between the two genera. 



