No. 87. 



DUPONTIA FISHERI B. Br. Chlor. Melv. 291 (1823). 



Plant perennial, tufted, from a strong, running rootstock with numerous sterile 

 shoots. 



Culms erect, simple, robust, 6 to 10 inches tall. 



Leaves of radical tufts and sterile shoots numerous, flat or folded, with attenuate 

 points, smooth, two-thirds as long as the culm : leaves of the culm 2 or 3 ; sheaths striate, 

 smooth, loose, half open above, exceeding the internodes ; blades 2 lines wide or less, 

 upper one shorter, all about equaling the radical leaves; ligule truncate erose, less than 

 1 line long. 



Inflorescence an erect, oblong, rather closely flowered panicle 2 to 3 inches long; 

 rays in twos, threes, or fours at the 5 to 7 nodes of the slightly flexuous, thick, smooth, 

 common axis, erect or almost appressed, smooth, 1 inch or less long, spikelet-beaiing 

 nearly to the base. 



Spilcelets spindle-shaped, mostly 2-flowered, 3 lines long; empty glumes exceeding 

 the florets, ovate, with thin, golden, attenuate points, smooth, the first 1-nerved, nearly 

 3 lines long, the second obscurely 3-nerved below and slightly longer; floral glume 

 broadly lance-oblong, obtuse, often somewhat erose above, thin, more or less pubescent 

 on the back below and especially on the rather prominent midnerve, 2 lateral nerves 

 obscure, 2 to 2 J lines long; palet linear-oblong, bidentate at the apex, nearly smooth 

 on the 2 keels ; lodicules 2 or 3, somewhat dentate or lacerate, £ line long. 



Plate LXXXVII; «, spikelet opened to show position of florets; Z>, empty glumes; 

 c, floret; d, floral glume, dorsal view; e, palet. 



Alaska to Greenland, readily distinguished from other species of the genus by the 

 obtuse, pubescent floral glumes and denser panicle. The specific name was spelled in 

 the original publication Fisheri, Subsequent authors have spelled it Fischeri; 

 hence the mistake on the plate. 



