AVENE.E. 367 



Alpine summits of New lIami)8hiro, New York, to California 

 and northward. 



After some hours in comparing the original description of D. 

 atropurpurea and D. latifolia Vasey, in seeing the figures of tiie 

 latter in Hooker's Flora of N. A., comparing step by step authentic 

 plants from both the east and the west sides of the continent, I con- 

 clude that if we make two species, they will both be found on each 

 side of the continent. It seems to me that the distinctions are not 

 broad enough to warrant at most more than two varieties, and to show 

 this, even, I should need to see more good plants. From the Grand 

 Gulf, Mount Washington, is a plant from C. E. Faxon; from the 

 Rocky Mountains Hooker sends a plant collected by Drutnmond, 

 the type for D. latifolia. These two plants are of equal height; 

 the western plant has leaves possibly not quite so long-pointed, those 

 of the culm about 1 cm. longer aiul 1 mm. wider, the panicle i-o 

 cm. longer, the longest ray 3 cm. longer, bearing some 20 more spike- 

 lets, second empty glume I mm. longer; floral glume 0.1-0.3 mm. 

 longer, awns the same. Hooker in Fl. Hor. Am. 3:24:5 (1840) 

 says in regard lo D. latifolia: " It is remarkable for the breadth of 

 the leaves and for the large opaque (not glossy), purple-green (!olor 

 of the glumes." 



5. D. danthonioides (Trin.) Vasey. Aira danthonioides Trin. 

 Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. (VI.) 1:57 (1830). 



A slender erect smooth annual, 2-i cm. high. Sheaths about 3 

 in number, longer than the internodes, the upper one reaching about 

 half way to the top of the plant; ligule lanceolate, decurrent, 4 mm. 

 long; blades thin, involute, filiform, erect, 5-8 cm. long, 0.3 mm. 

 broad. Panicle thin, purple, linear or spreading, 10-15 cm. long, 

 rays in pairs, 2-3 cm. distant, the longest 5 cm. long, narrow, 

 flower-bearing on the outer three-fifths. Spikelets pedicellate; 

 empty glumes i>ubequal, linear-lanceolate, 3.5-4 mm. long, first 1- 

 nerved, second 3-nerved, rachilla hairy, florets overlapping for 

 one-third their length, 1.4 mm. long, oval before opening, trun- 

 cate, irregularly 4-5-toothed, awn near the middle 4.5 mm. long; 

 palea as long as its glume, apex truncate, ciliate. 



California, Pringle in 1882. 



