No. 11. 

 STIPA OCCIDENTALS S Thurb. in Watson, Bot. King Exped. 380. 



Plant perennial with cespitose, almost bulbous base, smooth and glaucous or with 

 short, retrose pubescence, especially below. 



Culms erect, simple, slender, terete, 12 to 20 inches high. 



Leaves from the base, with scarious, usually reddish sheaths, and narrow, filiform- 

 convolute, sharp-pointed, hispid blades 2 to 6 inches long. Leaves of culm 2 or 3 ; 

 sheaths close, striate, hispid, closely pubescent or nearly smooth, shorter than the 

 internodes; blades closely convolute, almost setaceous, 1 to 2 inches long; ligule 

 prominent, exserted, lacerate, 2 to 2£ lines long. 



Inflorescence a slender, erect panicle 3 to 4 inches long, often included at base; 

 branches mostly in twos, usually erect, 1 to 2 inches long, bearing 2 or 3 pedicellate 

 spikelets. 



Spikelets lanceolate, turgid, 1-flowered, 4 J to 6 lines long; empty glumes appressed, 

 lanceolate, acute, thin, purplish below, membranaceous above, smooth; first glume 

 obscurely 5- to 7-nerved at base, 5 to 6 lines long; second glume about a line shorter 

 and 3-nerved; stipe obconical, scarcely curved, acute, pubescent, J line long; floret 

 spindle- shaped, tapering to apex, 3 lines long, £ line thick; floral glume thin, charta- 

 ceous, pubescent, plainly 5-nerved; awn articulated, persistent, flattened, twisted, 

 plumose on lower half, bent at middle, H to 2 inches long; palet oblong, boat-shaped, 

 pubescent on back and at obtuse apex, 2-nerved, 2 to 2* lines long; anthers naked; 

 lodicules minute; grain spindle-shaped, reddish with a longitudinal white line on ven- 

 tral side, slightly opaque, 2| lines long and £ line thick. 



Plate XI; a, spikelet partly dissected, enlarged about three times. 



Common in the Sierras and Cascade ranges from central California to Washington 

 and extending into western Nevada. Mr. Bolander states that this species is much 

 esteemed by sheep-growers. 



