UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY 



WASHINGTON 



November 26, 19 El. 



SYSTE 



Mr. Walter Deane, 



29 Brewster St. , 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



Dear Mr . Deane : 



Since writing you last I have had to look up 



the name for the western Giant Bull Rush that I called 



Scirpus occidentalis. Hero is the memorandum I have just made 



for Mr. Covill e: The California tale is S. acutus (according 

 to Fernald Rhodora 22: 55. 1920). Watson named it S. lacustris 

 occidentalis , Chase raised it to S. oceidentalis , rejecting S. 

 acutus Muhl. because of inadequate description and fragmentary 

 specimen in Muhlenberg's herbarium in Philadelphia. But Fer~ 

 nald calls attention to an earlier fuller description, Muhlen- 

 berg in Bigelow, Fl. Bost. 15. 1814. Fernald says Muhlenberg's 

 description unquestionably indicates occidentalis . I should take 

 S. acutus as the name for California tule." 



Very truly yours, 



Acting Systematic Agrostologist . 



