No. 19. 
SPOROBOLUS TRICHOLEPIS (Torr). (Vilfa tricholepis Torr.) 
Plant slender, perennial, often purplish in culm and inflorescence, smooth 
throughout. 
Culms tufted, erect, seldom branching, smooth, slightly compressed, 1 to 2 
feet tall. 
Leaves of radical shoots with rather loose, scarious sheaths and narrow invo- 
lute blades 2 to 4 inches long; of culm 2 or 3; sheaths close, nearly equaling or 
exceeding internodes, blades involute, erect, 2 to 3 inches long; ligule membrana- 
ceous, truncate, lacerate, decurrent, + line long or less. 
Inflorescence an ovate, pyramidal, erect, or flexuous panicle, 4 to 6 inches long; 
branches mostly alternate, slightly spreading, 1 to 2 inches long, divided and 
rather loosely flowered on the upper two-thirds. 
Spikelets on long slender pedicels, lanceolate, 1-flowered, 13 lines long; first 
and second glumes nearly equal lanceolate, acute or obtuse, carinate, thin, smooth, 
1-nerved, 1 to 14 lines long; floral glume lanceolate, acute, or obtuse, mem- 
branaceous, pubescent or villous on the 3 nerves, 14 lines long; palet lanceolate, 
acute, membranaceous, slightly ciliate above, pubescent on the 2 approximate 
nerves, or nearly smooth, 14 lines long. 
Grain narrowly oiligtspal: compressed, yellow, 4 line long. 
PLATE XIX; a, empty glumes; 0, floral glume and palet opened to show 
stamens a pistil. 
Mexico northward to Colorado, 
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2A et 
