FIELDS AND MEADOWS 



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places, &c. Tlic liabit is prostrate below, tlicii 

 ascciulinjr, and the stem is rooting at the base, 

 the root tibrous. The stems are flattened, the 

 plant limp, bright-cfreen, smooth, often bluish- 

 jjreen. The leaves are broad, blunt, wavy, linear, 

 with the margin inrolled. The liijiile is lonjf 

 and acute, the upper sheath lonj;er than the 

 leaf. The panicle is nearly pyramidal, with 

 spikelets partly ranged all one way, green or 

 purple, the branches spreading, twice divided, at 

 an obtuse angle or horizontal, afterwards turned 

 down. The spikelets .ire nearly st.ilkless, egg- 

 shaped, with 5 florets. The lower palea is 5-nerved. 

 The flowering ghmies .ire smooth, the upper glumes 

 broadest in the middle. There are 3 stamens. 

 The 2 styles are short .md terminal, the stigmas 

 feathery. The fruit is 3-.inglcd, grooved, enclosed 

 in the glume. The plant is 3-12 in. in height. 

 It is in flower from .April to September. The 

 plant is a herbaceous annual, but perennial on 

 the Pyrenees and in India. 



Smooth Meadow Grass (Poa pratensis, L.). — 

 The habitat of this grass is meadows, pastures, 

 banks, &c. The habit is prostrate, then erect. 

 The rootstock is creeping, with stolons. The 

 round stem is smooth. The linear leaves are flat, 

 acute, with a hollow tip. The sheath exceeds the 

 upper leaves. The ligule is blunt and prominent. 

 The panicle is spreading, with branches 3-5 times 

 divided and rough, after flowering closed or open. 

 The spikelets are egg-shaped, with 3-4 webbed 

 florets. The lower palea has 5 prominent veins, 

 3 hairy. The plant is 1-2 ft. high. It flowers in 

 June and Jiih', and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Rough Meadow Grass (/"onr Irivialis, L.). — The 

 habitat ol tliis plant is meadows, moist and shady 

 places, and damp woods. The habit is similar to 

 that of the last, but there are no stolons. The stem 

 is tufted, like the root, rough. The leaves are 

 rough, and so are the sheaths, the upper longer 

 than the leaf. The long ligule is acute. The 

 panicle is erect, spreading, rough, and five times 

 divided. The flowering glumes 3-5, webbed, the 

 5 nerves distinct, the spikelets egg-shaped. The 

 plant is 1-2 ft. high. It flowers in June and July, 

 and is a herbaceous perennial, in other essentials 

 resembling the last. 



Upright Brome Grass (Bromiis erectus, Huds.). 

 — The habitat of this plant is fields, waste places 

 on dry soil, sandy and chalky soils. The habit is 

 prostrate below, then erect, the rootstock stout, 

 creeping, without stolons. The stem is rigid, 

 smooth, bent below. Vhe leaves are hairy, with 

 inrolled margins, adapted todry conditions, narrow, 

 the radical leaves convolute, the upper broadest. 

 The sheaths are hairy, with erect, scattered hairs. 

 The ligule is short. The panicle is narrow, nearly 

 erect, and simple, rigid, with 2-3 divided branches. 

 The rachis is rough. The green or purple spike- 

 lets are linear lance-shaped, with numerous florets, 

 flattened, distant. The flowering glumes are 

 hairy, twice as long as the awn. The lowest 

 glumes exceed the upper by one-third, the lower 

 palea being faintly 7-veined. The style is lateral 

 on the ovar)', the anthers yellow. The plant is 



1-3 ft. in height. It flowers from June to August, 

 and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Lop Grass (Bromus racemosus, L.). — The 

 habitat of this plant is fields and waste places. 

 The habit is erect. The stem is erect and rigid. 

 The leaves are rigid, fringed with hairs, and 

 otherwise, as the sheaths, smooth, or but slightly 

 hairy. The panicle is long, simple, erect, narrow, 

 with branches with 3-5 divisions. The egg- 

 shaped spikelets are flattened, the flowering 

 glumes overlapping in fruit, rough, broadest 

 above the middle, the lower empty glume is half- 

 way to the top of the fourth floret. The awn is 

 slender, as long as the flowering glume. The 

 plant is 2-3 ft. in height, flowering in June and 

 July, being a herbaceous biennial. 



Brome Grass (Bromus commutatus, Schrad.). 

 — The habitat of this plant is fields and waste 

 places. The habit is erect. The leaves and 

 sheaths are hairy. The plant is stouter than the 

 last. The panicle is compound, drooping, the 

 spikelets shorter, the margins of the falling flower- 

 ing glumes rounded at the broadest part. The 

 flower-stalks .ire as long as or longer than the 

 spikelets. The latter are lance-shaped, oblong. 

 The sides of the lower palea are uniformly rounded 

 at the side. The top of the upper glume is half- 

 way to the top of the fourth flower. The plant 

 is 1-3 ft. in height. It flowers in June and July, 

 and is a herb.aceous biennial. 



Couch Grass, Tare {Agropyron repens, Beauv.). 

 — The habitat of this gr.ass is fields, waste places, 

 cultivated fields, hedgerows, and ditches, &c. 

 The rootstock is long and creeping. The stem 

 is prostrate and then ascending, hollow, smooth. 

 The leaves have inrolled margins at first, then 

 flat, rough above, or hairy, ribbed. The sheaths 

 .ire round, the ligules very short. The spike is 

 long, close, the rachis not brittle, smooth or 

 downy, rigid, erect or bent. The spikelets are 

 rigid, with 5-7 florets, rough on the keel, the 

 glumes blunt, 5-7 ribbed, the flowering glumes 

 with long points or aw ned. There are 3 stamens. 

 The ovary is hairy above. The feathery stigmas 

 are nearly stalkless and feathery. The fruit is 

 grooved and adheres to the palea as a rule. The 

 plant is 1-3 ft. in height, or more. It is in flower 

 from June to August. It is a herbaceous perennial. 



Meadow Barley (Hordeum prntensc, Huds.). — 

 The habitat of this grass is damp or wet meadows, 

 and it is frequent in some districts near the sea. 

 The habit is erect and grass-like. The rootstock 

 is creeping. The stem is slender, round, rough 

 above. The leaves are narrow, flat, rolled in- 

 wards at length, rough above, hairy below (the 

 narrow sheaths are the same), and the ligule is 

 very short. The spike is flattened, linear, yellow- 

 green, erect. The lateral spikelets are flowcrless 

 or male, the central bisexual. All the glumes 

 are bristle-like and rough, not fringed with hairs 

 (as in the Common Wall Barley). The glumes in 

 the lateral flowers are shorter. The awns are 

 spreading. The two nearly stalkless stigmas are 

 feathery. The plant is 1-2 ft. in height. It flowers 

 in June and July, and is a herbaceous perenniAl. 



