POACEAE. 57 



Plant with creeping rootstocks. F. rubra. 



Plant tufted; rootstocks none. 



Tufts separable with difficulty; lemmas acute, 



not awned. F. viridula. 



Tufts easily separable; lemmas awned. 



Panicle loose; lemmas long-awned. F. occidentalis. 



Panicle close; lemmas not long-awned. F. ovina. 



Leaves rather broad, flat. 



Lemma firm, not at all keeled, awnless. F. elatior. 



Lemma rather thin, keeled above the middle, awned. 



Floret with a narrow stalk-like base. F. subuliflora. 



Floret not stalk-like at base. F. subulata. 



Festuca octoflora Walt. Tufted annual, 8-30 cm. tall; panicle 2-6 cm. 

 long, rather dense, often one-sided; spikelets 6-10 mm. long, 7-13-flowered; 

 lemmas 3-4 mm. long, scabrous, attenuate into an awn about as long. 



In dry open places. 



Festuca pacifica Piper. Annual; stem single or a few in a loose tuft, 

 5-30 cm. tall; panicle 4-10 cm. long; branches mostly solitary, longest below, 

 all erect at first but becoming spreading or reflexed by means of a prominent 

 pulvinus at the base; spikelets 2-6-flowered; lemma 6-7 mm. long, the awn 

 two to three times as long. 



In prairies, rare west of the Cascade Mountains. 



Festuca reflexa Buckl. In habit like F. pacifica; panicle 5-12 cm. long, 

 the rays solitary; spikelets at length all spreading; lemma lanceolate, glabrous 

 or scabrous, bearing a short or long awn. 



Dry open places, Vancouver Island to California. 



Festuca megalura Nutt. Tufted annual, 30-40 cm. tall, smooth; panicle 

 spike-like, elongated, flexuous, 5-25 cm. long, pale-green; spikelets 4-5-flow- 

 ered, 2-2.5 cm. long, including the awns; lemma lanceolate, scabrous, the body 

 5 mm., the awn 10-15 mm. long. 



Along roads and streets, native, but appearing as if introduced. 



Festuca myuros L. Mouse-tail Fescue. Very similar to F. megalura, but 

 the panicle usually smaller; lemma not ciliate; first glume very short. 

 Sparingly introduced; native of Europe. 



Festuca bromoides L. Glabrous; stems 10-30 cm. high; panicle usually 

 dense, 5-10 cm. long; rays solitary; glumes subequal, the lower shorter. 

 Waysides, introduced from Europe. 



Festuca aristulata (Torr.) Shear. (F. calif ornica Vasey.) Coarse tufted 

 grass, 60-120 cm. high, scabrous throughout; junction of sheath and blade 

 white-hairy; panicle large and very loose; spikelets 5-flowered; lemma 8-10 

 mm. long, lanceolate, scabrous. 



Dry ground, upper Willamette Valley to California. 



Festuca rubra L. Perennial, with short running rootstocks; the whole 

 plant smooth; stems 60-100 cm. tall, slender; leaves narrow, involute, 10-20 

 cm. long; panicle narrow, erect, about 10 cm. long, the short erect branches 

 in twos, spikelet-bearing to the base; spikelets frequently purplish, 10-12 cm. 

 long, 5-6-flowered; lemma smooth, 5-6 mm. long, tipped with an awn 3-4 mm. 

 long. 



Mostly along the seashore. F. rubra kitaibeliana (Schult.) Piper is a 

 subspecies distinguished by having pubescent lemmas. 



Festuca viridula Vasey. Densely tufted," dark green, smooth; stems 50- 

 100 cm. high; leaves narrow, erect, soft, 7-nerved, the basal ones involute; 



