TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Elymus. 177 



rallel. Cat. to each flower of 2 unequal, erect, linear-lan- 

 ceolate, or awl-shaped, pointed or awned, more or less 

 keeled, valves, containing a spikelet of several florets. 

 Cor. of 2 unequal, ovate-lanceolate valves ; the outermost 

 largest, keeled, ribbed, pointed or awned; the awn straight 

 and terminal ; inner flat, cloven, inflexed at the edges, 

 with a rib at each side. 'Nectary of two lanceolate scales. 

 Filam. capillary, shorter than the corolla. Anth. linear, 

 notched at each end. Germen turbinate. Styles distant, 

 very short. Stig?nas feathery, spreading. Seed linear, or 

 lanceolate, channelled along the upper side, very hairy at 

 the summit, more or less attached to the unchanged 

 glumes of the corolla. 

 Large, rigid, or coarse, mostly perennial, grasses ; various 

 in aspect ; some foreign species are conspicuous for their 

 long aw?is. 



1. E. arenarius. Upright Sea Lyme-grass. 



Spike upright, close ; main stalk not winged. Calyx lan- 

 ceolate, the length of the spikelets. Leaves spinous- 

 pointed. 



E. arenarius. Linn. Sp. PL 122. Witld. v. 1. 467. Fl. Br. 152. 

 Engl. Bot. v. 24. t. 1672. Knapp t. 108. Mart. Rust. t.3\. 

 Hook. Scot. 46. Schrad. Germ. v. 1.401. Schreb. Gram. v.2. 

 85. £.40. FL Dan. t.847. 



Triticum n. 56. Gmel. Sib. v. \. 119. t. 25. 



Spartum herba 4 Batavicum. Clus. Hist. v. 2. 221./. 



On the sandy sea shore. 



In the isle of Bute, and in Devonshire. Huds. In various parts of 

 Scotland. Hooker. Abundant on the north coast of Norfolk. 



Perennial. Juhj, but rarely. 



Root widely creeping. Stems 3 or 4 feet high, erect, firm, reed- 

 like, hollow, round, striated, leafy chiefly at the base. Leaves 

 hard and rigid, very glaucous, spinous-pointed, one or two feet 

 long, involute ; their upper surface marked with strong rough 

 furrows j the under side quite smooth. Sheaths long, close, 

 furrowed, smooth. Stipula very short. Spike erect, close, glau- 

 cous, 6 — 14 inches long. Glumes finely downy. Florets about 

 3 in each spikelet, rarely 4 ; the uppermost, in either case, 

 usually wanting the germen. 



As this plant rarely flowers on our coasts, it is often overlooked 

 for Arundo arenaria, p. 1/1 ; but the short stipula essentially 

 distinguishes this Elymus, which is perhaps the very best of all 

 plants to resist the force of the sea. 



VOL. I. N 



