No. 92. 

 FESTUCA SUBULATA Bong. Veg. Sitch. 173 (1831). 



Plant perennial, tufted, with numerous radical leaves and sterile slioots. 



Culms erect, simple, nearly smooth, 2 to 3 feet tall. 



Leaves of radical tufts and of .sterile slioots with rather thin, chartaceous, smooth 

 sheaths and involute, scabrous blades 6 to 12 inches long, usually deciduous to the 

 sheath : leaves of the culm usually but 1 above the base ; sheath striate, nearly smooth, 

 close, open at the throat; blade flat or involute, 3 to 5 inches long; ligule nearly obso- 

 lete. 



Inflorescence a loose, open, flexuous panicle 4 to 7 inches long; rays mostly in 

 twos at the 5 to 7 nodes of the rachis, scabrous, flexuous, usually contracted above, 

 somewhat spreading or reflexed in age below, spikelet-bearing mostly beyond the 

 middle. 



Spikelets rather turgid, 3- to 5-flowered, 6 to 7 lines long; first empty glume nar- 

 rowly ovate, barely acute, hispid on the keel, 3 lines long; second empty glume broadly 

 lanceolate, acute, convex, hispid on the keel, 3-nerved, 4 lines long; floral glume lance- 

 ovate, acute, the points involute-subulate, convex, scabrous, 5-nerved, 5 to 6 lines 

 long; palet lance-linear, bifid at the apex, minutely pubescent on the keels, £ line 

 shorter than the glume. 



Plate XCII; a, spikelet spread somewhat; b, first empty glume; c, second 

 empty glume; d y floral glume; e, palet not opened, young stamens showing below. 



It may be distinguished from Festuca scabrella Torr. by its larger and looser pan- 

 icle, and larger spikelets with subulate pointed glumes. This description is based on 

 specimens from Alaska, which, however, do not wholly agree with the description of 

 Bongard. 



