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



of northern Arizona and F. idahoensis, bluebunch fescue, of the 

 region from Colorado to central California and northward, are im- 

 portant, though they become rather tough with age. F. viridula, 

 greenleaf fescue, locally called mountain bunchgrass, is an outstanding 

 grass in subalpine regions of the Northwestern States, and F. thurberi, 

 Thurber fescue, is important in similar regions from Colorado to 

 Montana. F. ovina, sheep fescue, is a good grazing grass though not 

 abundant, but its variety brachyphylla, alpine fescue, furnishes much 

 of the forage above timber line from the Rocky Mountains westward. 

 F. occidentalis , western fescue, in open woods up to 10,000 feet in the 

 Northwest, and F. rubra, red fescue, widely distributed at various 

 altitudes in the West, are valuable in proportion to their abundance. 

 The most important cultivated species is F. elatior, meadow fescue, 

 a native of Europe, used for hay and pasture in the humid region, 

 especially in Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas. F. ovina, and its 

 allies, and F. rubra, are cultivated to a limited extent in the Eastern 

 States as lawn or pasture grasses, usually in mixtures. 



Plants annual Section 1. Vulpia. 



Plants perennial- Section 2. Eufesttjca. 



Section 1. Vulpia 



la. Spikelets mostly more than 5-flowered. Lowest lemma 4 to 5 mm long, the 



margin inrolled, not scarious 1. F. octoflora. 



lb. Spikelets mostly less than 5-flowered (sometimes 6-flowered in F. dertonensis 

 and F. sciurea). Lemmas usually scarious-margined. 

 2a. Panicle narrow, the branches appressed. 



Lemmas appressed-pubescent over the back, about 3 mm long. 



2. F. SCIUREA. 

 Lemmas glabrous, scabrous or ciliate, not pubescent over the back. 



Lemmas ciliate toward the apex 3. F. megalura. 



Lemmas not ciliate. 



First glume two-thirds to three-fourths as long as the second. 



4. F. DERTONENSIS. 



First glume much shorter than the second, 1 to 2 mm long. 



5. F. MYUROS. 

 2b. Panicle rather short, the branches and often the spikelets spreading 

 (scarcely spreading in F. arida). 

 3a. Spikelets glabrous. 



Pedicels appressed; lower branches of the panicle usually finally reflexed; 



spikelets usually 3- to 5-flowered 6. F. pacifica. 



Pedicels or nearly all of them finally reflexed, notably those of the upper 

 part of the main axis; branches of the panicle reflexed; spikelets 



mostly 1- or 2-flowered 10. F. reflexa. 



3b. Spikelets pubescent, the pubescence on glumes or lemmas or on both. 

 4a. Pedicels appressed or slightly spreading; lower branches of panicle 

 usually spreading or reflexed. 



Lemmas glabrous; glumes pubescent 7. F. confusa. 



Lemmas pubescent. 



Lemmas hirsute; glumes glabrous or pubescent; lower branches of 



panicle spreading or reflexed 8. F. grayi. 



Lemmas woolly-pubescent; glumes glabrous; panicle nearly simple, 



the branches scarcely spreading 9. F. arida. 



4b. Pedicels and panicle branches all finally spreading or reflexed. 



Glumes glabrous; lemmas pubescent 11. F. microstachys. 



Glumes pubescent; lemmas pubescent 12. F. eastwoodae. 



Glumes pubescent; lemmas glabrous 13. F. tracyi. 



