1886. | BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 171 
5. (592.) ALOPECURUS GENICULATUS Linn., var. ARISTULA- 
tus Torr. Flor. U. S. p. 97, Niccolet’s Rept. p. 163. A. aristu- 
latus Mx. Flor. I, p. 48; Gray, Man. p. 608; Coulter, Man. p. 
407. Wet shores of ponds and banks of streams. Cache Creek, 
alt. 6800 ft., Turbid Lake alt., 7900 ft. 
Although ranked as a species by most American authors, we 
are disposed to consider this grass a variety only of the Linnean 
species. The points of difference are its usually more erect habit, 
more slender spikes or rather panicles, smaller spikelets and gen- 
erally shorter awn. In these particulars it is essentially A. fulvus 
Smith. In A. geniculatus the spikelets are about 3 mm. long 
and the outer glumes are usually longer than the floret ; in the 
variety the spikelets are scarcely more than 2 mm, long while 
the flowering glume is as long as or slightly exceeds the outer 
ones. The awn varies from being nearly obsolete to twice the 
length of the spikelet. 
6. (262,609, 613.) Srrpa virIDULA Trin., Act. Petrop. 1836, 
p- 89; Thurber in S. Watson’s Bot. Calif. II, p. 288. S. parvi- 
fora Nutt. not Desf. S. spartea Hook. FI. Bor.-Am. IL. 237, not 
Trin. (teste Thurber.)—Meadows, Mammoth Hot Springs, alt. 
6200 ft., Sour Creek, alt. 8000 ft., junction of the East Fork and 
Soda Butte Creek, alt. 6700 ft. Common everywhere over the 
dry open areas up to 8000 ft. altitude. 
This grass varies a good deal in height of stem, length of 
leaves and size of panicle, but it is readily distinguished from the 
other species of the region by its strict, rather densely flowered 
and generally elongated panicle, and small spikelets. It is a val- 
uable forage plant, as it does not possess the long and very sharp- 
pointed rhachilla below the flowering glume which renders 5. 
spartea Trin. (* porcupine grass ”’) so injurious to stock. £ 
8. (611.) Stipa Ricuarpsont Link. Hort. Berol. 2, p. 245; 
Coulter, Man. 408.—Soda Butte, alt. 6800 ft., comparatively rare 
or local. This is a very graceful species with short leaves, slen- 
terminates in a slender, scabrous, once or twice geniculate awn, 
12-20 mm. long. 
8. (610.) Srrpa comata Trin. and Rupr., var. IN’ 
F lowering glume including the rhachilla at the base 15 mm. long, 
awn about 7 cm., straight beyond the geniculations. A form in- 
termediate between S. comata and 8. spartea, but belonging rather 
to the former. 
ae ae 
