PIPER NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF FESTUOA. 5 



Helleria Fourn. Mex. PI. 2: 128. 1886. 



Based on Bronius lividusYL. B. K. {FestucalividaWiWdi.). Included 

 in Festuca by Bentham and Hooker and by Hackel. 



An examination of the list of names shows that seven genera have 

 been proposed for varying groups of perennial Festucas (excluding 

 Leucopoa), and that fifteen names have been proposed for var3dng 

 groups of the annual species. Of the former class none has received 

 wide acceptation. In regard to the latter class there has been much 

 difference of opinion. 



In the great modern works on plant genera the following views are 

 maintained: Hackel, in Engler and Prantl's Pflanzenfamilien, recog- 

 nizes Festuca, Sclerochloa, Catapodium, and Scleropoa as distinct, 

 merging the remaining proposed genera, including Ctenopsis and 

 Leucopoa, into Festuca. Bentham and Hooker include Catapodium 

 and Scleropoa in Festuca, unite Leucopoa with Poa, but maintain 

 Sclerochloa and Ctenopsis. Baillon follows Bentham and Hooker. 



Atropis (Puccinellia) is maintained as a genus by Hackel, but 

 reduced to a section of Gl3^ceria (Panicularia) by Bentham and Hooker 

 and b}^ Baillon. Ascherson and Graebner, in their recent treatment 

 in Synopsis der Mitteleuropaischen Flora, unite Atropis with Festuca, 

 into which they also merge Sphenopus and Cutandia. 



We accept Hackel's delimitation of the genus, but exclude Leucopoa. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The genus Festuca is represented in all parts of the world, but prin- 

 cipally in temperate or mountain regions. In Europe there are, accord- 

 ing to Hackel,^* 28 perennial species, but on a different species concept 

 Richter^ increases this number to 103. The European annual species 

 number about 26. 



In North America we recognize 22 perennial and 12 annual species, 

 two of each group introduced from Europe. In Mexico there are about 

 10 additional perennials, and in the remaining parts of tropical North 

 America a few others. 



Excluding known synonyms there are still accredited to Asia about 

 32 species, to Africa about 43 species, to Australasia about 10 species, 

 and to South America about 75 species. It is altogether probable that 

 many of these are synonyms. 



« Monographia Festucariim Europaearum. 

 ftPlantae Europaeae. 



