234 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Vernal plants light olive green; culms densely tufted, 25 to 45 cm. high, slender, 

 erect or ascending, papillose-pilose with spreading hairs 3 mm. long; sheaths shorter 

 than the internodes, pilose like the culm; ligules 4 to 5 mm. long; blades rather firm, 

 ascending or sometimes spreading, 6 to 10 cm. long, 5 to 10 mm. wide, often sub in- 

 volute toward the acuminate apex, little narrowed toward the base, pilose on both 

 surfaces, the hairs of the upper surface appressed, longer and less copious; panicles 

 short-exserted, 4 to 8 cm. long, usually as wide, loosely flowered, the spikelets long- 

 pediceled, the axis sparsely pilose, the branches rather stiffly ascending or spread- 

 ing; spikelets 2.2 to 2.3 mm. long, 1.1 mm. wide, oblong-elliptic, obtuse or obscurely 



pointed, papillose-pubescent with spreading hairs; 

 first glume sometimes glabrous, one-third to nearly 

 half the length of the spikelet, acute; second glume 

 and sterile lemma sub equal, the glume slightly 

 shorter than the fruit ac maturity; fruit 1.9 mm. 

 long, 1 mm. wide, elliptic, subacute. 



Autumnal form at first decumbent, often with 

 geniculate nodes and arched internodes, the first 

 branches appearing at about the maturity of the 

 Fig. 247.-P. villosissimum. From primary panicle, late in the season prostrate, the 

 type specimen. f ' f, . - r \ . 



leaves of the fascicled branchlets appressed, giving 



a combed-out appearance, a character conspicuous in the field but less so in the herba- 

 rium; blades not greatly- reduced, often with only a few hairs on the upper surface, 

 overtopping the much reduced panicles; winter rosette appearing rather early, 

 blades long, bluish green, densely pilose. 



This is fairly uniform as a whole for a species of so wide a range, but exceptional 

 specimens with spikelets only 2 mm. long occur, such as Andrews, Southington, Conn., 

 in 1902; Chase 2378, 3762; Bodge 60, 83; Herriot 86; Hitchcock 1635; Smith, Framing- 

 ham, Mass., in 1898. In these the habit and other characteristics are those of the 

 typical form. Another rarer variation with blades nearly or quite glabrous on the 

 upper surface is found, as Ashe, Manteo, N. C, Chase 3121, Commons 52. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Dry sandy or sterile soil, open woods and hillsides, Massachusetts to Minnesota, 

 south to Florida and Texas. 



Massachusetts: Framingham, Smith in 1898. 



Connecticut: Franklin, Graves 14; Southington, Andrews in 1902. 



New York: Bronx Park, Nash in 1897; Long Island, Bichnell in 1902 and 1904. 



Ontario: Gait, Herriot 86; Squirrel Island, Dodge 60, 83. 



New Jersey: South Amboy, Mackenzie 1381; Wildwood Junction, Chase 3522. 



Pennsylvania: Westchester, Windle 12f. (Hitchcock Herb.) 



Ohio: Sandusky, M orris 135. 



Indiana: Clark, Bebb 2833, 2834; Miller, Chase 1545, 1563; Umbach 2646 and in 

 1897. 



Illinois: Madison County, Eggert 293; Starved Rock, Chase 1606. 



Michigan: Carleton, Wheeler in 1890 (Mich. Agr. Col. Herb.). 



Wisconsin: Juneau County, Meams 25. 



Minnesota: Minneapolis, Sandberg 316 in part (Hitchcock Herb.). 



Missouri: Monteer, Bush 732, 750, 4788; Chadwick, Bush 14; Eagle Rock, Bush 

 141; Pleasant Grove, Bush 333; Carter County, Eggert 291; Jefferson County, 

 Eggert 292; Noel, Bush 5023. 



Delaware: Rehoboth, Commons 56 in part; Greenbank, Commons 38; Frank- 

 ford, Commons 52; Lewes, Hitchcock 161. 



