Aug. 1, 1869.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



173 



Marsh Foxtail {Alopecurus geniculates), Eig. 125, is 

 a highly ornamental grass, especially when seen in 

 full flower lifting its richly-adorned head above the 

 surface of the clear transparent waters of some tree- 

 shaded pond. " A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." 

 Well do I remember the pleasure I experienced 

 from such a sight at High Halstow. There is near 

 the village church a small pool of water in which it 

 grows most profusely and shows itself to great ad- 

 vantage. At the time of the visit alluded to, the 

 pond was thickly dotted with its rich white and 

 flesh-coloured heads, and was really pretty. As a 

 glance at Eig. 125, taken from a plant growing on 

 St. Mary's Island will show, the specific name, 

 geniculates, is most appropriate, as the stem is bent 

 or kneed at every purple joint or node. From many 

 of the lower nodes spring adventitious roots. Its 

 leaves are short, broad, and pointed, having much 

 looser sheaths than have those of the Slender Fox- 

 tail. Our figure will assist in identifying the plant. 

 Eig. 126 represents a magnified floret. 



Fia 



126. Floret of Alopecurus 

 geniculatus. 



Fie 



127. Floret of 

 Hulcus. 



The Meadow Foxtail (Alopeamis pratevsis) may 

 be recognized at once from its close resemblance to 

 the Marsh Foxtail, from which it differs in its more 

 erect manner of growth in having larger, thicker, 

 and more obtuse spikes, larger spikelcts, and longer 

 awns. 



Fig. 12S. Floret of Holcus divested of the outer glumes. 



Few persons can have wandered through a field 

 of ripe grass without being struck by the beauty of 

 a soft, silky-looking grass of a white or light red 

 colour, growing in compact masses among various 

 other kinds. It is the soft Meadow-grass Holcits. 

 This very ornamental genus i? limited in Britain to 



two doubtful species, differing from each other 

 chiefly in the length of the awn and in the amount 

 of hair clothing the leaves and stem. The panicle 

 when in full flower is widely spreading; before 

 flowering and at night it is much more erect. The 

 florets (Eig. 127) are two-flowered ; the upper and 

 smaller flower, which bears an awn, barren ; the 

 lower awnless and fertile. Eig. 128 represents a 

 floret of Holcus divested of the outer glumes. 



Brome Grass (Bromtcs). This is a large but 

 natural genus containing many ornamental grasses 

 that are both widely spread and abundant in 

 Britain. As these plants bear a strong family like- 

 ness to each other, a knowledge of one or two of 

 them will with a little study lead to the recognition 

 of the remainder. We will take for our first ex- 

 ample the Barren Brome (Bromits sterilis), Fig. 130, 

 than which there are few or none more elegant and 

 graceful. To judge correctly of its pretensions to 

 beauty, it must not be seen where it frequently 

 grows,— on the banks of the dusty highway. It 

 possesses great capacity for collecting dust, and in 

 such situations is often almost an invisible green. 

 To see it as wc would have it seen, it is necessary 



Fig. 129. Common Rye-grass (Lolium perenne) . 



to wander along some grass-grown, elm-shaded 

 country lane where there is no traffic and but little 

 dust. It grows to the height of two feet or more, 

 with soft, downy leaves. The spikelets (Fig. 130 a) 

 are seated on long slender pedicels, and hang in 

 most graceful curves. Each spikelet contains about 

 seven compressed flowers. Their long slender awns 

 give. to the whole plant a light, feathery appearance, 

 which greatly enhances its beauty. This grass won 

 my admiration years before I was able to give it " a 



