310 rxRAMINILK. Atropis. 



at once. Specimens from loralitii's nv.w tlie coast generally have very pale gieen siiikdets, wliilc 

 in tiiosc IVom the mountains, especially eastwaixl, the llorets are more or less pui|ile, save the 

 colorless broail niarj^iii and apex. In bome specimens the lower palet is minutely scalnous ami 

 without the pnlieseince njion the nerves. The plant seems to be com[)letely ilitCLiou.s, the staminate 

 llorets being more acute than the others. 



4. A. tenuifolia. ('ulms very slender, densely tufted, 1 to 2 feet high and 

 with tho foliage glabrous or more or less scabrous ; railical tufts 3 or -1 (rarely G) 

 inches high, of exceedingly narrowly linear luucronate-pointed leaves ; those of the 

 culm scarcely wider, A- to 1 inch long; ligule long, pointed : panicle 2 to G inches 

 long, the erect rarely spreading distant rays mostly in threes; si)ikelets 2-5- 

 (mostly 3-) llowered, usually puberulent : glumes very acute, 'j as long as tho ilorcts, 

 rough on the midnerve, the lower occasionally and the upjier strongly 3-nerved near 

 the base : lower palet barely 2 lines long, narrowly lanceolate, obtuse, often erose at 

 the apex, rough on the midnerve, the other nerves reaching about g its length, 

 ])uberulent or with a few scattered hairs near the base ; upper about as long. — 

 Poa tenuifolia, Nutt. ; Buckl. in Proc. Phil. Acad. 18G2, 9G ; Gray in same, 33G, 

 excl. syn. ; Watson, Bot. King Exp. 387 ; Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. viii. 409. 



Frequent throughout the State, from San Diego (C'mipcr) to Oregon ami northwaiil, ami ea^st to 

 Coloratlo. Aeconling to Mr. Watson this is one of the most valuable of the "bunch grasses," 

 and the grain is collected by the natives for food. A most interesting as well as jiuzzling series 

 collected by Mr. Lemmon illustrates tlie great variety of forms assumed by this species, but the 

 strikingly slender leaves are conspicuous in all. In the majority, the paniide and often the whole 

 jplant is purplish, us they are in a specimen of Nuttall's Foa tcnuijolin, communicated by the laie 

 Mr. Durand. 



5. A. pauciflora. Culms 2 to 2i feet high : leaves pale green, striate-ncrved, 

 iinely scabr us, folded or convolute, erect and somewhat rigid ; radical clusters about 

 a foot long, narrowly linear, those of the culm wider (about 2 lines), the upiiermost 



1 to 3 inches long, mucronate ; ligule about 2 lines long, wider than the leaf: pani- 

 cle 5 to 10 inches long, very narrow, much interrupted below with one or two soli- 

 tary distant rays ; upper rays in twos or threes, 1 or 2 inches long, erect, with shoit 



2 - 4-tloweretl branches ; spikelets 1 - 2-llowered : glumes nearly equal, acute, smooth, 

 3-nerved at base, the upper nearly equalling the lower lloret ; lower i)alet U lines 

 long, finely scabrous throughout, the broad apex entire or barely mucronate, the 

 lateral nerves extending about two-thirds its length ; upper palet equalling tho 

 lower, strongly ciliate on the nerves. 



Wet Meadows, Sierra Valley, Lcmnum, 1871. Apparently a ]>crennial, of which the very long 

 narrow and somewhar rigid leaves and the slender panicle are strikingly unlike those of any other 

 species. The plant bears a strong resemblance in color ami general ajipearance to some forms of 

 Jt/rostix cxiiraUt, Trin. Spikelets with one and two jierfect florets are found in the .same ]ianicle ; 

 tlioso with one perfect (loret liavo a much larger abortive ilower than the 2-llowered, in which it 

 is often reduced to a minute [)oint. 



G. A. scabrella. Culm perennial, H to 2^ feet high, slender, leafy and clothed 

 below with loose sheaths, and with the leaves, sheaths and jjanicle njinutely sca- 

 brous : leaves flat or carinately folded, the lower G to 9 inches and the upper about 



3 inches long, scarcely over a line wide, curved-mucronate and rougher at the apex ; 

 ligule (at least the upper) 6 lines long, acute, and jtubescent on its outer surface : 

 panicle 4 to G inches long, narrow, somewhat dense ; rays in ])airs, the lower 1^ to 2i 

 inches long, erect, mostly branched and tlower-bearing to the base; s[)ikelets 3-5- 

 flowered, the upjiermost iloret imperfect, all rather di.stant : gliunes two-thirds as 

 long as the llorets, both 3-nerved bcilow : lower palet 2 lines long, narrowly lanceo- 

 late, prominently 5-nerved, punctulate-scabrous all over and rough-hairy on the 

 nerves, especially below, where the hairs are somewhat crisped ; apex obscurely 

 toothed or mucronate ; upper palet slightly the shorter, 2-toothed at the apex, 

 strongly ciliate on the nerves and scabrous between them : stamens 3 : ovary abortive. 



Oakland, rmhindcr. The specinn'us, whith are wilhont radical leaves, appear as if from n wet 

 locality. The large anthers and aboitivc ovary indicate that the jilant is pr<>l)ably dicci.ious. Il 



