TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Avena. 163 



in the hardened outer valve of the corolla, retaining its 

 awn. 

 Boot annual or perennial. Habit, as well as the size of the 

 flowers, extremely various. Panicle compound, or simple. 

 Glumes shining. 



1. K.fatua. Wild Oat, or Haver. 



Panicle erect, compound. Spikelets pendulous. Florets 

 about three, shorter than the calyx, bristly at the base, 

 with an oblique scar, all awned. 



A. fatua. Linn. Sp. PI. 1 18. Willd.vA. 447 '. Fl. Br. 139. Engl. 



Bot. v. 31. t. 2221. Mart. Rust. t. 81. Knapp t. 93. Hook. 



Scot. 43. Don H. Br.80. Schrad. Germ. v. I. 373. Host Gram. 



v.2. 42. t.58. Schreb.Gram.v. 1.109. t. 15. Leers 42. t.9.f. 4. 



Ehrh.Calam.28. 

 A. n. 1495. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 233. 

 A. sylvestris pilosa, aristis recurvis. Moris, v. 3. 209. sect. 8. t. 7> 



/• 5. 

 Aegilops quibusdam, aristis recurvis, seu Avena pilosa. Raii 



Syn. 389. 



Ae. bromoides. Ger. Em. 77. f. 



Gramen avenaceum, utriculis lanugine flavescentibus. Scheuchz. 

 Agr. 239. t.5.f.\. 



In cornfields ; where it is often too abundant, especially among 

 barley. 



Annual. June, July. . 



Root of several thick, whorled, woolly fibres. Stem a yard high, 

 erect, simple, round, very smooth, most leafy below. Leaves 

 spreading, flat, linear, finely ribbed, rough, sometimes hairy, as 

 well as their thin smooth sheaths. Stipula short, abrupt, notched. 

 Panicle large and spreading, with half-whorled, slender, rough, 

 simple or compound, branches, which are tumid at the top. 

 Spikelets drooping or pendulous. Calyx an inch long, green, 

 many-ribbed, chaffy, smooth. Florets 2 or 3, tawny, obscurely 

 ribbed ; finally brown, with copious tawny bristles. Awn 2 

 inches long j spiral, stout and brown in its lower part, which is 

 an excellent hygrometer, well known to natural philosophers. 

 The oblique scar at the base of each floret distinguishes this 

 species from A. sativa, whose scar is transverse, and the glumes 

 smooth. 



The flowers serve rustic fishermen, instead of artificial flies, to catch 

 trout. 



2. A. strigosa. Bristle-pointed Oat. 



Panicle oblong, turned to one side. Florets two. Outer 

 valve of the corolla tipped with a double straight bnstle. 



m 2 



