1896. ] Nash’s ‘American Grasses.”’ 15 
Represented in the National Herbarium by specimens from: 
Montana (350 Scribner); Nebraska (771 C. L. Shear, 2,551 
Rydberg, and 2,795 Fred Clements); Devil’s Lake, N. Dak. 
(C. A. Geyer); Minnesota (E. P. Sheldon); Missouri (no. 
4236 B. F. Bush), Kansas (Dr. Carruth, and Mr. Swingle); 
Colorado (S. M. Tracy). 
The grass which appears to have caused the existing con- 
fusion here, is the more slender and heretofore unidentified 
Vilfa Richardsonis Trin., of which the following is the 
synonymy: 
Sporobolus aspericaulis (Nees). 
Muhlenbergia aspericaulis Nees, ex Trin. 
Vilfa Richardsonis Trin. Agrost. 1: 81. 
Vilfa cuspidata auct. plur., not Torrey in Hook. Flor. Bor. Am. 
Sporobolus brevifolius Nash, not Scribner. 
This species has a very wide range, and is well represented 
in the National Herbarium: Northern Maine (C. G. Pringle); 
(147 Fernald); New Brunswick (19 John Brittain); Anticosti 
(48 John Macoun); Oregon (765 Cusick); Colorado (1075 John 
Wolfe); Idaho (552 Coulter); Nevada (1279 Sereno Watson); 
Montana (410 and 627 C. L. Shear), etc. 
This is a very slender, erect grass, branching only at or 
near the base, with sheaths much shorter than the internodes, 
and very short, almost filiform, arcuate-spreading leaves. A 
constant character, mentioned by Trinius, is that the culms 
are minutely, but distinctly punctate, ‘‘punctis asperis obsiti.” 
This species is very closely allied to Sporobolus depauperatus 
(Vilfa squarrosa Trin.), into which it may pass. 
Referring again to the article published in the Torrey Bul- 
letin, I would say that, if Sporobolus vaginaeflorus Vasey be 
regarded as a species distinct from Sporobolus vaginaeflorus 
Wood, why make a new name for the former, when there is 
One that might be taken up? Cryptostachys vaginata Steud. 
Is evidently Sporobolus vaginaeflorus Vasey, and, carrying 
out the premises, the rules of nomenclature require us to take 
up Steudel’s name which gives us for the species the follow- 
ng synonymy: 
Sporobolus vaginatus (Steud.). 
Sporobolus vaginacfiorus Vasey, not Wood. 
Sporobolus neglectus Nash (1895). 
Cryptostachys vaginata Steud. (1855). 
