PIPER NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF FESTUCA. 45 



acters of tufted habit, narrow involute leaves, long ligule, and awned lemma. Addi- 

 tional material is necessary before any satisfactory conclusion can be reached. 

 Specimens have been examined as follows: 



Nevada de Toluca, Rose & Fainter 7983. 



Mount C)rizaba, Seaton 193, 228. 



Without locality, Liebmann 510, 511. 



San Luis Potosi, Parry & Palmer 924. 



Near Cima, Rose & Painter 7208. 



Festuca rosei sp. nov. 



Perennial, tufted; culms stout, over 1 meter high, 4 or 5-jointed, smooth and 

 glabrous; sheaths smooth, those of the lower internodes equaling or exceeding 

 them; ligule short, ciliate; blades of the numerous basal leaves filiform and invo- 

 lute, smooth, 30 to 40 cm. long, those of the culm stouter; panicle narrow, erect, 

 about 20 cm. long; rays in about 5 sets, solitary, Init nearly all with a short basal 

 branch, somewhat scabrous on the angles; spikelets purplish, somewhat glaucous, 

 oblong, 7 to 9 mm. long, 3 to 5-flowered; joints of the rachilla nearly smooth, cylin- 

 dric; glumes unequal, firm in texture, scabrous on the nerve above, the lower lanceo- 

 late, 1-nerved, 3 to 4 mm. long, the upper oblong, 3-nerved, 4 to 5 mm. long; lemma 

 firm in texture, with a very narrow scarious margin, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 obscurely glaucous, 6 to 7 mm. long; palea lanceolate, 1)identate, scabrous on the 

 nerves, the infiexed sides less than half the inter nerve. 



Type specimen collected near Cima, State of Mexico, by J. N. Rose and J. H. 

 Painter (no. 7210), September 19, 1903. 



This species is readily distinguished from any other known to us by its very slender 

 leaves, stout culms, short ligules, and awnless lemmas. 



Festuca ■willdeno-wiana Scliultes. 



Festuca mexicana WiWd.; Spreng. Syst. 1: 356. 1825. 



*'F. panicula nutante pauciflora, ramis flexuosis, spiculis 3-flori8 strigoso-hispidis 

 aristatis, foliis linearibus angustissimis. Mexico." 



Festuca willdenowiana fechultes, Mant. 3: 650. 1825. Change.-! name of above, owing 

 to the older Festuca mexicana R. & S. Syst. 2: 732. 1817. 



Fournier, followed by Hemsley, refers to this species a specimen collected by 

 Schaffner without locality. 



We have seen no authentic material of this species, but we would refer to it with 

 little doubt the following specimens: Seaton 227 B, collected on Mount Orizaba, 

 4,200 meters altitude, August 7, 1891, and Pringle 4484, Sierra de las Cruces, State of 

 Mexico, August 12, 1893. The former specimen is the type of Festuca rubra pauciflora 

 Scribner. « 



DESCRIPTION. 



A tufted perennial; culms slender, erect, smooth and shining, 3-jointed, about 

 60 cm. high; sheaths striate, glabrous, shorter than the internodes; ligule nearly 

 obsolete; blades narrow, pale green, rather soft, very smooth, loosely involute, 10 

 to 45 cm. long, acute at the apex; panicle narrow, 10 to 15 cm. long, nodding; rays 

 slender, solitary, ascending, in about 3 sets, scabrous on the angles, pulvillate at 

 base; spikelets pale green or somewhat purplish, lanceolate, 3 or 4-flowered, 8 to 10 

 mm. long; joints of the rachilla cylindric, scabrous, 1 to 1.5 mm. long; glumes gla- 

 brous, unequal, the lower subulate-lanceolate, l-nerved, 2 to" 3 mm. long, the upper 



«Proc. Am. Acad. 28: 123. 1893. 



