TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Aira. 103 



abrupt, hairy at the base ; one of them on a hairy stalk. 

 Awn short, 'from the bottom of the outer valve. Leaves 

 flat. 



A. csspitosa. Linn.Sp.PL96. Willd.v. 1.378. Fl. Br. 84. Engl. 

 Bot. v.2\. £.1453. Knapp t. 33. Hook. Scot. 29. Schrad. 

 Germ. v. 1.257. Leers 23. t. 4./. 8. Host Gram. v. 2. 31. t. 42. 

 £/*r/*. Cotowi. 52. F/. Dan. t. 240. 



Avena n. 1487. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 230. 



Gramen segetum, panicula arundinacea. Scheuehz. Agr. 244. t. 5. 

 /. 2, 3. 



G. miliaceum segetale majus. Rail Syn. 403. 



G. segetale. Ger. Em. 5./. 



In moist shady groves, and borders of corn-fields. 



Very abundant in Scotland. Knapp, Hooker. 



Perennial. June, July. 



The fibrous roots make very large and dense tufts. Stems a yard 

 high, with 2 joints, erect, smooth, leafy. Leaves narrow, rigid ; 

 furrowed and roughish above ; their margins involute by drying 3 

 radical ones copious. Sheaths smooth. Stipula oblong, acute, 

 often cloven. Panicle large, spreading horizontally, with innu- 

 merable capillary, elastic, angular, wavy, rough branches. Fl. 

 solitary, very small, purplish, shining, erect. Cat. pale and mem- 

 branous at the edges 5 purple at the back, with a rough keel. 

 Oneforet sessile ; the other on a short hairy stalk, which is more 

 or less extended upwards, above the floret ; both beset with hairs 

 at the base, which are about half as long as the keeled, very ab- 

 rupt, notched valves of the corolla. Awn bent, springing from 

 near the base of the outer valve of each floret, and seldom rising 

 above it. Anth. purple, short and thick, concealing the still 

 shorter styles and stigmas. This and the next approach Arundo 

 in habit, and even in the essential character of the hairs surround- 

 ing each floret. But in Arundo those hairs are always more 

 copious, and as long as the glumes. All the following species 

 moreover have a tuft of hair at the base of each floret, but in 

 general so minute, that it could by no means authorize their 

 union with Arundo. They rather agree with Avena in this cha- 

 racter, the nature of their awns, and structure of their glumes. 



4. A. alpina. Smooth Alpine Hair-grass. 



Panicle rather close and upright. Florets the length of the 

 calyx, acute; one of them on a smooth stalk. Awn short, 

 from near the top of the outer valve. Leaves involute- 

 awl-shaped, with smooth sheaths. 



A. alpina. Linn. Sp. PI. 96. Fl. Suec.ed. 2. 25. mild.v.1.379, 

 Wahlenb. Lapp. 34. t. 3. Hook. Scot. 29. 



A. laevigata. Engl. Bot. v. 30. t. 2102. Comp. 14. 



