NEW WESTERN PLANTS. I. 
A. D. E: ELMER. 
AGROPYRON SPICATUM pubescens, n. var.—A tufted subalpine 
perennial. Culms slender, 4° high, cinereous pubescent below 
the joints. Blades mostly involute, soft pubescent on both 
sides, pointed, averaging 1% in length, divaricately disposed; 
sheaths pubescent, shorter than the internodes; ligule very 
short. Spike 7-10™ long, glabrous or sometimes glaucous; 
spikelet flattened, 5—7-flowered; glumes abruptly terminated by 
setaceous points, lower 8™™ long, 3-nerved, upper g™™ long, 
usually 5-nerved ; lower palet 5-nerved toward the apex, bearing 
a slender divergent awn; upper palet equal in length, slightly 
scabrous on the nerves above the middle, emarginate ; stamens 
3, anthers 3™™ long. 
This variety (number 1158) was collected by the writer at an altitude of 
Iooo™ on Mt. Stuart, Kittitas county, Washington, in July, 1898. Type 
specimen is in the herbarium of Stanford University. 
Festuca arida, n. sp.—A loosely tufted fibrous rooted annual, 
turning purplish at maturity. Culms varying from 3-13 in 
length, geniculate at the lower joints, striate, nearly glabrous. 
Leaves 1-5 ™ long, involute, smooth outside, canescent inside; 
sheaths exceeding lower internodes, margins overlapping, smooth, 
the upper one inflated and partially inclosing the young inflor- 
escence; ligule very minute, brownish. Panicle at maturity 
exserted, divaricately branched; rays usually single, ridged, 
puberulent; spikelets few, secund, sessile, 6™™ long, 2-3- 
flowered from near the base ; glumes entirely smooth, unequal by 
1™™, lower sharply acuminate and 1-nerved, upper 3-nerved, 
6™= long; lower palet 5-nerved, nearly 6™™ long, ciliate with 
long and dense hairs over the entire back, bearing an awn 5™™ 
long; upper palet of equal length, rather broad from the middle 
toward the base, acuminate toward the apex, hyaline except the 
two nerves which terminate in fine bristle-like points; anthers 
52 [JULY 
