116 BULLETIN 772, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
species, A. praecox and A. caryophyllea, which are found in southern Europe 
and are not described by Linnseus in his Flora Lapponica nor in his Flora 
Suecica. Linnseus's generic idea of Aira is evidently represented by the four 
species first included in the genus. From these Aira caespitosa is arbitrarily 
selected as the type. 
Deschanipsia Beauv., Ess. Agrost. 91, pi. 18, f. 3. 1812. The figured species, 
the type, is D. caespitosa. 
Lerchenfeldia Schur., Eniun. PI. Transs. 753. 1866. Three species are in- 
cluded. Aira flexuosa L., on which L. flexuosa is based, is taken as the type. 
Aira dantJionioides Trin. of the Pacific coast is an annual. Aira 
caespitosa L. (Deschampsia caespitosa Beauv.) (fig. 60) is common 
in moist or wet soil from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to New 
Jersey. Illinois, and. in the western mountains, to Xew Mexico and 
southern California. It is a tufted perennial 1 to 4 feet high, with 
smooth, narrow, folded blades and open drooping panicles, 1 to 12 
inches long, of shining pale-bronze or purplish spikelets. This spe- 
cies, sometimes called tufted hair-grass, is often the dominant grass 
in mountain meadows, where it furnishes excellent forage. 
50. Aspeis Adans. 
(Aira of authors.) 
Spikelets 2-flowered, the rachilla disarticulating above the glumes, 
not prolonged; glumes about equal, acute, membranaceous or sub- 
scarious : lemmas firm, rounded on the back, tapering into two slender 
teeth, the callus with a very short tuft of hairs, bearing on the back 
below the middle a slender, geniculate, twisted, usually exserted awn, 
this reduced or wanting in the lower floret in one species. 
Low, delicate annuals with small open or contracted panicles. Spe- 
cies about nine, in southern Europe, three being introduced in the 
United States. 
Type species: Aira praecox L. 
Aspris Adans.. Fain. Pi. 2: 496, 522. 1763. The references cited are also 
cited by Linna?us under Aira praecox. 
Caryophyllea Opiz, Seznara 27. 1852. Based on Aira caryophyllea. 
Fussia Schur.. Enuin. PI. Transs. 754. 1S66. Three species, F. praecox, F. 
caryophyllea, and F. capiUaris, are included. Aira praecox, upon which the 
first species is based, is taken as the type. 
Our three species are Aspris caryophyllea (L.) Nash (fig. 61). A. 
praecox (L.) Nash, and A. capiUaris (Host) Hitchc. (Aira capillar is 
Host) . They are found frequently on the Pacific coast and occasion- 
ally in the Eastern States. The species are of no economic importance. 
~Weingaertneria canescens Bernh. has been found upon ballast at 
Philadelphia and on Marthas Vineyard. This is a low, tufted annual 
with pale, contracted panicles, differing from the species of Aspris in 
having club-shaped awns. 
51. XoTHOLcrs Xash. 
(Eolcus of authors.) 
Spikelets 2-flowered. the pedicel disarticulating below the glumes, 
the rachilla curved and somewhat elongate below the first floret, not 
prolonged above the second floret : glumes about equal, longer than 
