No. !)1. 

 FESTUCA MICROSTACHYS Nnft. I'l. (Imnl). 187 (184S). 



Phinl iuimial oi' liiciiiiiiil, tul'tcd, soinctiiiii's witli ;i nitlicr wciik lootstock. 



Vutms erect or sj)readiiif;', ofti'ii neiiiriilate at the lower nodes, smooth, slender, H> 

 to 20 inches tall. 



Lmvvx ot the cnlm usually .3; sheatihs sniootli or ]iul)psc(')it, close, half ojien at 

 tlie tliroat, usually sliorter than the rather short lower luxles; l)la(U's invoUite, narrow, 

 2 or .'} inches long; ligule wider than the blade, but very short. 



fiiflorrscciirr siMi|ile and laceiiiose or usually branched. es])ecially below, secund 

 l»y the twisting' of the an^idar axis which is 2 to 5 inches lonjj; rays sinj^le, spreadinj,"- 

 or sometimes dcMcxed, channrlcd a l(ove, crowded to tlu' bast^ on the lower side with 

 s](il;elefs on short, cjavate iiedicels. 



iSpiLclrts .'{- to t! tiowered, .'U to ■"> lines hmg; eini)ty j;lnines narrowly ovate, acute, 

 smooth or rarely (hinly ]iubescent, the first 1-nerved, 2 to 2i lines lonji, the second .'?- 

 nerved and .1 to I line lonjicr than the lirst. moi'e than half the leiif;th of the adjacent' 

 floret; tloral f;Iiime lance-ovale, acute, roughly i)ubesceiit or nearly smooth, obscurely 

 5-nerved, about ."} lines loTig, terminatinji' in a his|>id awn, .'} to '> lines long; palct 

 lance-oblong, with liisjiid keels terminating in two setose teeth wliich ]>roJect imaily a 

 hue beyond the glume at maturity; stamens seldom more than on(^ fully developed 

 and this M'itli a STuall anther not exserted; grain si)indlesha])ed, channeled (mi one 

 side, ilark ]iur])le, 2i lines long, falling with the adherent glume and jtah^t; internode 

 of rachilla A linc^ long, readily disarticulating between the florets, the iii)i)er joint 

 bearing a snuill rndiment. 



I'l.ATK XCI; 1 and L*. ordinary forms of the species; .'{, dwarf form; a, s])ikelet; 

 /;, floret, ventral view; c, floral glume unrolled, dorsal view; '/, palet; c and /', s|(ikelet 

 and eidarged view of tloral glume of dwarf form. 



Southern California to Washington and eastward to .\ri/.ona and Itah. ^'ery 

 variable, especially in the inllorcscence and pubescence. 



