Barley Tribe 61 



long; outer empty glumes of lateral spikelets similar, the inner 

 awn-like and not ciliate; flowering glume about 12 mm. long, 

 scabrous above ; awn 2-5 cm. long; flowering glumes of the lat- 

 eral spikelets smaller; awn 15-40 mm. long; palea ciliate on the 

 keels. 



A very common and troublesome grass in all our valleys, especially in 

 pastured land. Commonly called Fox-tail. 



41. ELYMUS L. WILD RYE. 



Mostly erect rather tall grasses with flat leaves and 

 closely flowered terminal spikes. Spikelets 2-6-flowered, 

 the uppermost imperfect, sessile, in 2's rarely in 3's or 

 4's at the alternate notches of the continuous or articu- 

 late rachis ; rachilla articulate above the empty glumes 

 and between the flowers. Empty glumes 2, nearly 

 equal, rigid, narrow, 1-3-nerved, acute or awn-pointed, 

 persistent, and subtending the flowers like an involucre ; 

 flowering glumes shorter, rounded on the back, obscure- 

 ly 5-nerved, obtuse, acute or awned from the apex. 

 Palea a little shorter than the glume, 2-keeled. Sta- 

 mens 3. Styles short, distinct. Grains adherent to the 

 glumes and palea, hairy at the summit. 



1. E. condensatus Presl. Culms stout, from stout creeping 

 rootstocks, 10-25 dm. high ; sheaths smooth : ligule 2-4 mm. long ; 

 leaves 3-5 dm. long, 25 mm. wide or less at the base, long 

 acuminate, smooth or nearly so toward the base, becoming sca- 

 brous toward the apex, flat, the edges somewhat involute above; 

 spike rather dense and ample or somewhat lobed, 2-5 dm. long, 

 erect; spikelets imbricated in 2's or 3's or more, 4-5-flowered ; 

 empty glumes subulate, scabrid, about 12 mm. long; flowering 

 glumes scabrous below, 11 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, 7-nerved; palea 

 equaling the glume, scabrous and ciliate on the keels above. 



Frequent in canyons and in somewhat moist places on all the hills and in 

 the chaparral belt of the mountains. 



2. E. triticoides (Nutt.) Buckley. Culms rather slender, 

 smooth and usually glaucous, from slender rootstocks, 6-10 dm. 

 high; sheaths smooth; ligule a ciliate ring; leaves 15-30 cm. 

 long, 5-8 mm. wide, scabrous on the margins and nerves above; 



