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



shorter than the lemma, acute; lemma and palea villous on lower 

 half, the lemma mucronate to short-awned. 21 — Dry hills, Texas, 

 New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona; rare (fig. 742). 



9. Muhlenbergia curtifolia Scribn. (Fig. 743.) Perennial, with 

 creeping rhizomes; culms 10 to 20 cm tall, loosely tufted, few from 



Figure 739. — Muhlenbergia squarrosa. Plant, X Yi\ glumes and lemma, X 10. (Jones 5743, Utah.) 



the branches of the rhizome; sheaths glabrous or pubescent; blades 

 1 to 2.5 cm long, 2 mm wide or less, rigidly spreading, pungently 

 pointed, more or less pubescent; panicle 4 to 8 cm long, slender, the 

 branches appressed; spikelets 3 to 3.5 mm long; glumes acute, a little 

 shorter than the floret ; lemma and palea villous 

 on the lower half, scabrous above, tapering into 

 an awn 1 to 3 mm long. % — Rocky soil, 

 southern Utah, southern Nevada, and northern 

 Arizona. 



10. Muhlenbergia cuspidata (Torr.) Rydb. 

 Plains muhly. (Fig. 744.) Culms slender, 

 wiry, 20 to 40 cm tall, erect, in dense tufts 

 with hard bulblike scaly bases; ligule minute; 

 blades flat or loosely involute, erect or ascending, 1 to 2 mm wide; panicle 

 narrow, somewhat spikelike, 5 to 10 cm long, the short branches ap- 

 pressed; spikelets about 3 mm long; glumes subequal, acuminate-cuspi- 

 date, about two- thirds as long as the spikelet ; lemma acuminate-cuspi- 



Figure 740.— Distribution of 

 Muhlenbergia squarrosa. 



