TRIANDRXA— DIGYNIA. Brornus. 159 



cially towards the base, with coarse rigid hairs, variously di- 

 rected. Sheaths ribbed, mostly very rough, with deflexed hairs. 

 Stipula short, obtuse. Panicle a foot long, widely spreading > 

 the branches seldom more than 2 or 3 together, very rough, the 

 larger ones alternately subdivided. Spikelets obliquely pendu- 

 lous, about an inch long, compressed. Calyx-valves very un- 

 equal, pointed, compressed ; the outer smallest, single-ribbed; 

 inner with 3 ribs, hairy towards the margin. Outer valve of the 

 corolla resembling the inner one of the calyx, hairy in like man- 

 ner at the margin, but with 2 slight intermediate smooth ribs j 

 the keel extended into a nearly straight, stout, rough awn, 

 shorter than the glume, scarcely distinguishable at the origin 

 from its very slender cloven point ; inner valve concave, shorter, 

 but not much narrower, obtuse, the ribs finely and rather closely 

 fringed. Nect. deeply cloven. Styles very short. Stigmas densely 

 feathery. Seed linear, channelled above, blunt and downy at the 

 summit, slightly attached to the inner valve, not at all to the 

 outer, sometimes indeed quite loose. 



This gigantic grass has, like the last species, some points of agree- 

 ment with Festuca, especially in the shape of its glumes, the 

 finer fringe of the inner one, and the narrow, almost perfectly 

 loose, seed. The root however is certainly not perennial, nor 

 the awn terminal. In agriculture this species is useless, but 

 hardly in any way troublesome to the farmer. 



The exotic B. biennis is another ambiguous species, agreeing in 

 shape of glumes, very short awns, and loose seed, with Festuca, to 

 which genus it is referred by Schreber, Haller, and Moench. 



9. B. sterilis. Barren Brome-grass. 



Panicle drooping, mostly simple. Spikelets linear-lanceo- 

 late. Florets about seven, lanceolate, compressed, seven- 

 ribbed, furrowed. Awns longer than the glumes. Leaves 

 downy. 



B. sterilis. Linn. Sp. PL 1 13. Willd. v. 1. 433. Fl. Br. 134. Engl 



Bot. v. 15. t. 1030. Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 4. 295. Curt. Lond. 

 fasc. 1. t. 9. Mart. Rust. t. 125. Knapp t. 84. Ger. Em. 76.f. 



Hook. Scot. 43. Sinel. 177. Schrad. Germ.v. 1.364. Host Gram. 



v. 1. 13. t. 16. Leers 37. t. 11./. 4. Ehrh. Calam. 27. 

 B. grandiflorus a. Weig. Obs. 9. t. 1./. 6. 

 B. n. 1505. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 237. 

 Festuca avenacea sterilis elatior, seu Bromos Dioscoridis. Rail 



Sijn. 412. Moris, v. 3. 212. sect. 8. t. 7.f. 11. 

 Gramen avenaceum, panicula sparsa, locustis majoribus et arista- 



tis. Scheuchz. Agr. 258. t. 5.f. 14. 

 In fields, waste ground, hedges, and on walls, common. 

 Annual. June, July. 

 Root fibrous, small. Stems erect, 18 inches or 2 feet high, leafy, 



