TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Agrostis. 89 



than the calyx, rarely if ever wanting ; inner smaller, cloven, 

 hairy at the base. Nect. deeply cloven, acute. Anth. short. 

 Seed coated with the hardened corolla, and enveloped in the 

 shining calyx. 



35. AGROSTIS. Bent-grass. 



Linn. Gen. 33. Juss.29. Fl.Br.77. Lam.t.AX. 



Col. of 2 rather unequal, acute, keeled, folded, clasping, 

 awnless, permanent valves, containing a single floret, 

 Cor. of 2 unequal valves, generally larger than the calyx, 

 membranous, ribbed, unchanged after flowering, with a 

 tuft or two of hairs at the base ; the larger valve bearing, 

 constantly in some species, a rough, dorsal axwi, which in 

 others is most generally wanting ; the smaller valve con- 

 stantly awnless, more membranous, various in size, and 

 occasionally abortive. Nect. of 2 minute scales, some- 

 times combined. Filam. capillary, rather longer than the 

 glumes. Anth. deeply divided at each end. Germ, ovate. 

 Styles short. Stigm. densely feathery. Seed ovate, po- 

 lished, loose, wrapped in the unaltered corolla. 



Habit various, generally slender, with fibrous, mostly per- 

 ennial, roots, and jointed, leafy, erect, ascending, or pro- 

 strate stems. Leaves narrow, acute. Panicle much branch- 

 ed, generally spreading, of innumerable, solitary, erect, 

 sm^W Jloxscers. Cat. roughish, often coloured. Cor. most 

 frequently pale, or whitish. Seed very minute. 



Agrostis, as generally understood by authors, is justly said 

 by Mr. Brown to be an artificial genus, and therefore I 

 should scarcely hesitate to admit Trichodium of Michaux 

 and Schrader, as an artificial separation from it, differing 

 only in having a single valve to the corolla. Such Schrader 

 found to be the case with A. canina, but I do not, and 

 therefore we have nothing to do with Trichodium in a 

 British Flora. 



* Awned. 



1. A. Spica venti. Silky Bent-grass. 



Awn straight, rigid, many times longer than the corolla. 

 Panicle loosely spreading. 



A. Spica venti. Linn. Sp. PL 91. mild. v. 1. 361. Fl. Br. 77. 



Engl. Bot.v. 14. t.95\. Kiiappt. 20. Leers 19. t.A.f. 1. Schrad. 



Germ. v. 1. 203. FL Dan. t. 853. 

 Avena n. 1480. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 228. 

 Gramen miliaceum majus, glumis aristatis, spadiceis et pallidis. 



Rail Syn. 405. 



