30 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



This plant is easily distinguishable from any of ,the North American forms of 

 F. ovina. Some European subspecies, however, as F. ovina vaginafa smd F. ovina 

 psammophila, have, like the American plant, the combination of rigid leaves and 

 awnless lemmas. It may therefore be necessary to reduce our plant to subspecific 

 rank, 



17 Festuca viridula Vasey. 



Festuca viridula Vasey, 111. N. A. Grasses 2: 93. 1893. Type in the National Her- 

 barium, collected in California by Bolander. 



In the original description Doctor Vasey gives "California" as the locality for the 

 species. At that time he had before him, from California, two specimens from Bolan- 

 der and one from Lemmon, all of which he \?iheUed Festuca viridula in his own hand- 

 writing, adding in the case of one Bolander specimen a mark of doubt. Inasmuch 

 as part at least of the accompanying illustration is drawn from a Bolander specimen, 

 the one so marked without mark of doubt is selected as type. This specimen was 

 received from the Thurber herbarium, labelled Festuca gracillima Hook., and is doubt- 

 less the basis of Doctor Vasey's statement to the effect that Thurber was in error in 

 identifying the species in the Botany of California as Festuca graciWuna Hook. 



In a later publication C' Doctor Vasey cites a specimen collected by Suksdorf on 

 Mount Adams, Washington, as the type, but this statement is incompatible with the 

 original description. 



Bolander' s specimens probably all came from Summit Station, in the Sierras. At 

 least the second specimen above mentioned is ticketed as being from that j^lace. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Densely tufted, the coarse roots much interwoven, and the tufts, therefore, difficult 

 to separate; culms erect, smooth, shiny, 3-jointed, 50 to 100 cm. high; sheaths 

 smooth, striate, shorter than the internodes; ligule very short, truncate; blades 

 erect, narrowly linear, acute at the apex, soft, scaberulous above, strictly 7-nerved, 

 the basal ones usually involute, 10 to 30 cm. long, those of the culm shorter, flat or 

 loosely involute; panicle loose and open, suberect, 10 to 15 cm. long; rays faintly 

 angled, swollen at base, scabrous, tiie upper solitary, the lower in pairs and 5 to 8 cm. 

 long, branched and spikelet-bearing near the tip; spikelets oblong, 3 to 6-flowered, 

 10 to 12 mm. long, pale green or more commonly purple; joints of the rachilla scab- 

 rous, cylindric, 1 to 2 mm. long; glumes membranous, smooth or nearly so, the 

 lower lanceolate, 1-nerved, about 2.5 mm. long, the upper ovate, subacute, 3-nerved, 

 scarious-margined; lemma firm, membranaceous, keeled toward the apex, 5-nerved, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, or somewhat mucronate, often somewhat denticulate near 

 the apex, smooth or nearly so, shining rather than dull, 6 to 7 mm. long; palea about 

 equaling the lemma, obtuse, the nerves ciliate. 



The species is common in subalpine meadows in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, 

 and ranges south in the Sierras to middle California. 



18. Festuca howellii Hack. 



Festuca howellii tiack.; Beal, Grasses N. Am. 2: 591. 1896. Type in Herbarium 

 Michigan Agricultural College, collected by Thomas Howell, in the mountains at the 

 head of Deer Creek, Josephine County, Oregon, July 5, 1887; a duplicate in the 

 National Herbarium. No other specimens than those of the type collection are 

 known. 



a Contr. Nat. Herb. 1 : 279. 



