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



puberulent, the blades mostly less 

 than 15 mm. wide; spikes 10 to 25 cm. 

 long (mostly 12 to 20 cm.), thick and 

 dense but typically not branched, or 

 with 1 of the 3 to 5 spikelets at a node 

 pedicellate; glumes and lemmas like 

 those of E. condensatus, but the lem- 

 mas more or less pubescent. % (E. 

 condensatus var. pnbens Piper.) — 

 River banks, ravines, moist or dry 

 slopes and plains, mostly at higher 

 altitudes than the preceding, Minne- 

 sota to British Columbia, south to 

 Colorado, and California. On the 

 whole this appears to be distinct from 

 E. condensatus, but a rather large 

 number of specimens from Wyoming 

 to California have branched spikes, 



Figure 344. — Elymus condensatus, X 1. (Pringle in 

 1882, Calif.) 



14. Elymus cinereus Scribn. and 

 Merr. (Fig. 345.) Culms robust, but 

 less so than in E. condensatus, typi- 

 cally without rhizomes, harsh-puberu- 

 lent, at least about the nodes; sheaths 

 and blades glabrous to densely harsh- 



Figure 345. — Elymus 

 cinereus, X 1. (Butler 

 839, Calif.) 



Figure 346. — Elymus glaucus, X 1. 

 (Chase 5150, Idaho.) 



some with blades to 15 mm. wide, a 

 few with rhizomes. These intermedi- 

 ate specimens are more or less harshly 

 puberulent, at least about the nodes. 

 The seeds are sometimes used for food 

 by the Indians. 



15. Elymus glaucus Buckl. Blue 

 wild-rye. (Fig. 346.) Culms in loose 

 to dense tufts, often bent at base, 

 erect, 60 to 120 cm. tall, without rhi- 

 zomes, leafy; sheaths smooth or sca- 

 brous; blades flat, usually lax, mostly 

 8 to 15 mm. wide, usually scabrous on 

 both surfaces, sometimes narrow and 

 subinvolute ; spike long-exserted, from 

 erect to somewhat nodding, usually 

 dense, commonly 5 to 20 cm. long, 

 occasionally longer; glumes lanceolate 

 at base, 8 to 15 mm. long, with 2 to 5 

 strong scabrous nerves, acuminate or 



