TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Festuca. 147 



membrane, as often to assume the appearance of a simple keel ; 

 in (3 they are sometimes rough. Nect. cloven. Germ-en oval. 

 Styles very short. Stigmas cylindrical, feathery, small. 

 /S is a smaller plant, with much narrower leaves, and scarcely more 

 than 2 perfect florets, the upper ones falling off early, for want 

 of strength. I am entirely obliged to my friend Prof. Hooker, 

 for suggesting it to be a variety only, differing from the original 

 species as F. triflora does from gigantea. 



10. F. loliacea. Spiked Fescue-grass. 



Spike two-ranked, drooping. Spikelets nearly sessile, linear- 

 oblong. Florets cylindrical, awnless, pointed, with five 

 slight ribs at the top. 



F. loliacea. Fluds. ed. ] . 38. With. 157. Fl. Br. 122. Engl. Bot. 



v. 26. t. 1 821 . Curt. Lond.fasc. 6. t. 9. Knapp t. 74. Hook. 



Scot. 40. fVilld. Sp. PL v. 1. 426. Schrad. Germ. v. 1. 341. 



Sincl. 6 1 . 

 F. elongata. Elirh. Calam. 93. 

 F. fluitans (3. Huds. 47. 

 Poa n. 1452. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 21 9. 

 Gramen loliaceum vulgare, spicis rarius dispositis. Moris, v. 3. 



182. sect. 8. t. 2. J. 2. 



In rich moist pastures and meadows, not uncommon. 



Perennial. June, July. 



Many botanists have taken this grass for a variety of our Glyceria 

 fluitans,^mdi more perhaps have overlooked it for Lolium perenne ; 

 yet it is certainly distinct from both, as Mr. Curtis has well de- 

 monstrated. The root is fibrous. Stems several, erect, 2 feet 

 high, simple,, leafy, round, very smooth, of a pale green like the 

 rest of the plant. Leaves linear, narrow, flat, smooth ; with 

 long smooth sheaths ,• and extremely short stipulas, embracing 

 the stem at each side with a small acute auricle, as in F. gigantea. 

 Spike a span long, or more, generally unbranched, of many al- 

 ternate, nearly or quite sessile, oblique, smooth, pale, upright, 

 compressed spikelets, on a wavy, angular, common stalk, chan- 

 nelled alternately to receive them, and rough at the angles, which 

 droops more or less in the upper part. Valves of the calyx very 

 unequal j the smaller lodged in each channel of the stalk, linear- 

 lanceolate, varying in size, sometimes wanting ; larger opposite, 

 many-ribbed, bluntish. Florets 10 or 12, cylindrical j smooth 

 below 3 compressed and keeled at the summit, with 2 slight ribs 

 at each side, and roughish, ending in an acute membrane, some- 

 times attended by a small point, like the rudiment of an awn ; 

 inner valve nearly as large, downy at the ribs. Germen obovate* 

 Styles very short. Stigmas densely feathery along the upper 

 side. The seeds are rarely perfected. 



L 2 



