266 
W. O. Howarth. 
The spikelets agree with those of (3. grandiflora, but it differs 
in form of panicle, fineness of leaves and stoloniferous habit, as well 
as in other details which will be described later. It has therefore, 
been ranked as a new sub-variety of genuina under the name 
tenuifolia. 
For the present, at any rate, it is just as well to keep to 
Hackel’s analysis of the group as the basis for comparison of our 
British forms; otherwise there is much confusion. Boswell Syme’s 
description (2, p. 145) of Festuca rubra subsp. duriuscula , “ Linn.,” 
Sm., includes the three forms A, B and C and Hackel’s a, (3 and 8. 
He is inclined to think that F. duriuscula , Fries, also really 
represents the shortly stoloniferous plant which he supposes to be 
F. duriuscula , Linn.; but Fries, (4, p. 6), Koch (8, p. 705), and 
Babington (1, p. 440) place the forms of this F. duriuscula with 
longer stolons under F. rubra. Watson (13, p. 220) also regards 
F. duriuscula as “ not strictly caespitose ; more shortly stoloniferous 
than F. rubra, with usually plane stem leaves; distinguished from 
F. ovina by larger panicles and more awned pales.” In his records 
of distribution he confesses to great confusion between F. duriuscula 
and F. ovina, and between F. rubra and F. duriuscula. In his 
“ Flora of Hampshire ” Townsend (11, p. 423) regards F. rubra L., 
Bab., Gren. and God. as equivalent to F. duriuscula Sm.,?Syme; 
whilst J. W. White (14, p. 664) in his “ Flora of Bristol” describes 
under “ F. rubra L., F. duriuscula auct. angl., hard Fescue grass, 
the slightly creeping sub-caespitose form which has commonly 
borne the name of F. duriuscula in this country.” Druce’s des¬ 
cription (3, p, 245) of F. duriuscula applies to (3. grandiflora of 
Hackel and does not include the forms tenuifolia and glaucescens. 
Whilst one might perhaps accept all three forms as duriuscula, this 
name does not go far enough, and it becomes necessary to distinguish 
between them. The differences are emphasised in the following 
diagnoses:— 
5. Description of the three forms. 
A. Festuca rubra subsp., eu-rubra, var. genuina, subvar. (3. 
grandiflora Hackel, Monogr. Fest. Europ., 1882, p. 139. 
F. rubra diversifolia (3. Gaud.! (FI. helv. 1,288) and F. rubra 
megastachys Gaud. I (l.c. 287). 
Stock perennial, loosely caespitose. Extravaginal branches 
more numerous than, or equal to intravaginal ones; the former 
creep at length, diam. 0’8—1*0 mm., bear 5—6 (occasionally 9) 
scale-leaves, root at the nodes, older ones branch (Fig. 1). 
