72 



MISC. PUBLICATION 200, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



somewhat keeled, rather strongly 

 nerved, scaberulous, about 6 mm. 

 long; awn about 2 mm. long, from 

 between 2 minute teeth. % — 

 Rocky slopes, rare, Utah. 



Festuca rigescens (Presl) Kunth. 

 Densely tufted, about 30 cm. tall; blades 

 firm, involute, sharp-pointed; panicle nar- 

 row, few-flowered, 5 to 10 cm. long; spike- 

 lets about 3-flowered, 6 to 7 mm. long; lem- 

 mas ovate, thick, convex, awnless or mucro- 

 nate, 4 to 4.5 mm. long. % — There is a 

 single specimen of this species in the United 

 States National Herbarium, labeled "Ari- 

 zona, Tracy?" On the sheet is a note made 

 by Professor Piper (Feb. 12, 1904) quoting 

 Tracy, "In open pine woods 4 miles south- 

 east of Flagstaff, about June 20, 1887." This 

 agrees exactly with specimens of this species 

 from Peru, whence originally described. Since 

 the species is not known north of Peru, ex- 

 cept from this specimen, it seems probable 

 that the label has been misplaced. 



Figure 68. — Festuca dasyclada. Panicle, X M '» glumes 

 and floret, X 5. (Dupl. type.) 



27. Festuca viridula Vasey. Green- 

 leaf fescue. (Fig. 69.) Culms rather 

 loosely tufted, erect, 50 to 100 cm. 

 tall; blades soft, erect, those of the 

 culm flat or loosely involute, those 

 of the innovations slender, involute; 

 panicle open, 10 to 15 cm. long, the 

 branches mostly in pairs, ascending 

 or spreading, slender, somewhat re- 

 mote, naked below; spikelets 3- to 

 6-flowered; glumes lanceolate, some- 

 what unequal, 5 to 7 mm. long; 

 lemmas membranaceous, acute or 

 cuspidate, glabrous, 6 to 8 mm. long. 

 % — Mountain meadows and open 



slopes, 1,000 to 2,000 m., British 

 Columbia to Alberta, south to central 

 California and Idaho; Colorado (Wil- 

 low Pass). An important forage grass 

 in the mountains of the Northwestern 

 States. Festuca hoiuellii Hack, ex 

 Beal, differing from F. viridula in 

 having more scabrous lemmas and 

 awns 2 mm. long, does not seem 

 sufficiently distinct to be recognized 

 as a species. % — Known from a 

 single collection (Josephine County, 

 Oreg.). 



Figure 69. — Festuca viridula. Panicle, X X A\ floret, 

 X 5. (Cusick 2431, Oreg.) 



28. Festuca rubra L. Red fescue. 

 (Fig. 70.) Culms usually loosely 

 tufted, bent or decumbent at the 

 reddish or purplish base, occasionally 

 closely tufted, erect to ascending, 40 

 to 100 cm. tall ; lower sheaths brown, 

 thin, and fibrillose; blades smooth, 

 soft, usually folded or involute; 

 panicle 3 to 20 cm. long, usually 

 contracted and narrow, the branches 

 mostly erect or ascending; spikelets 

 4- to 6-flowered, pale green or glau- 

 cous, often purple-tinged; lemmas 5 

 to 7 mm. long, smooth, or scabrous 

 toward apex, bearing an awn about 

 half as long. Ql — Meadows, hills, 

 bogs, and marshes, in the cooler parts 

 of the northern hemisphere, extend- 

 ing south in the Coast Ranges to 

 Monterey, in the Sierra Nevada to 

 the San Bernardino Mountains, in 

 the Rocky Mountains to Colorado 



