﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  679 
  

  

  whole 
  spike. 
  The 
  axillary 
  flower 
  is 
  protected 
  on 
  

   the 
  opposite 
  side 
  by 
  a 
  two-keeled 
  inner 
  palet. 
  

   Each 
  flower 
  exhibits 
  three 
  stamens 
  and 
  an 
  

   ovary. 
  In 
  the 
  six-rowed 
  barley 
  all 
  the 
  three 
  

   flowers 
  of 
  a 
  triple 
  spikelet 
  are 
  fertile, 
  and 
  each 
  

   of 
  them 
  has 
  a 
  long 
  awn 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  

   palet. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  two-rowed 
  species 
  only 
  the 
  

   middle-most 
  flower 
  is 
  normal 
  and 
  has 
  an 
  awn, 
  

   the 
  two 
  remaining 
  being 
  sterile 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   rudimentary 
  and 
  with 
  only 
  very 
  short 
  awns. 
  

   From 
  this 
  description 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  

   species 
  of 
  barley 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  one 
  

   another, 
  even 
  at 
  a 
  casual 
  glance, 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  the 
  awns, 
  and 
  therefore 
  by 
  the 
  

   shape 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  spikes. 
  This 
  striking 
  fea- 
  

   ture, 
  however, 
  does 
  not 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Nepaul- 
  

   barley." 
  The 
  awns 
  are 
  replaced 
  by 
  curiously 
  

   shaped 
  appendices, 
  which 
  are 
  three-lobed. 
  The 
  

   central 
  lobe 
  is 
  oblong 
  and 
  hollow, 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  

   kind 
  of 
  hood, 
  which 
  covers 
  a 
  small 
  supernumer- 
  

   ary 
  floret. 
  The 
  two 
  lateral 
  lobes 
  are 
  narrower, 
  

   often 
  linear 
  and 
  extended 
  into 
  a 
  smaller 
  or 
  

   longer 
  awn. 
  These 
  awns 
  are 
  mostly 
  turned 
  

   away 
  from 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  spike. 
  The 
  central 
  

   lobe 
  may 
  sometimes 
  bear 
  two 
  small 
  florets, 
  but 
  

   ordinarily 
  only 
  one 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  

   often 
  incomplete, 
  having 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   stamens, 
  or 
  is 
  different 
  in 
  some 
  other 
  way. 
  

  

  