38 



BRITISH FLORA 



The bracts arc leafy, sheathed. The fertile spike- 

 lets are distant (lieiice dislans), erect, cylindric to 

 obloiij,', the upper stalk included ; the lower bract 

 is not so long- as the stem, the lower stalked. The 

 male spikelets are lonjf- stalked, slender, club- 

 shaped to cylindrical. The n'"'"*-''' '^re egfg-shaped, 

 blunt, short-pointed, broad, rather acute, brown 

 with a ijreen midrib, the marifins and tip white. 

 The fruit is nearly erect, stalkless, opaque, jfreen, 

 eg-jj-shaped, ascending, 3-ang-led, equally faintly 

 ribbed, dotted, smooth, longer than the glumes, 

 the beak broad, rough, slender, flat, short, and 

 straight, blunt and pointed, the mouth mem- 

 branous. The nut is broad, inversely egg-shaped, 

 3-sided, brown. The plant is 10-18 in. high, 

 flowering in Jvuie, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Spotted Sedge (Can-.x punctata. Gaud.). — The 

 habitat of this plant is marshy places near the 

 sea, wet places in the south of England and Ire- 

 land. The plant has the sedge habit. The plant 

 is slender. The stems are smooth and .slender. 

 The leaves are short, flat, somewhat bent back. 

 The bracts are leafy, with sheaths. The fertile 

 spikelets are erect, cylindrical, with somewhat 

 projecting rough stalks, especially the lowest. 

 The lowest are often distant, the upper close. 

 The glumes are blunt or shortly crowned or 

 pointed, the point rough, pale-red, with a broad 

 green dorsal band, egg-shaped. The fruit is 

 swollen, pale, shining, membranous, scarcely 

 3-angled, spreading, egg-shaped, transparently 

 dotted (hence punctata), not ribbed, longer than 

 the glumes, the beak short, linear, with 2 points. 

 The nut is egg-shaped to rhomboidal, narrowed 

 both ends, triangular, rough. The plant is i-i^ ft. 

 high, flowering in May, June, July, and is a her- 

 baceous perennial. 



Long-bracted Sedge (Carex extensa, Good.). — 

 The habitat of this plant is marshes, chiefly near 

 the sea, brackish or salt. The habit is sedge-like. 

 The rootstock is tufted. The plant is slender. 

 The stems are 3-angled, smooth, slender, curved, 

 longer than the leaves as a rule. The leaves are 

 bristle-like, rolled up lengthwise, usually below 

 the middle, rigid, wavy, the margin inrolled, an 

 adaptation to drought (in this case physiological). 

 The bracts are leafy, narrow, very long, at length 

 horizontal. The sheaths are short. The spikelets 

 are 3-4, shortly stalked, the male are solitary, 

 brown, slender. The fertile spikelets are short, 

 distant, oblong, or 2 upper or all close, or the 

 lower rather distant. The glumes are blunt- 

 pointed, small, brown, with a green midrib, the 

 edges of the same colour. The fruit is egg-shaped, 

 3-sided, inflated, ribbed, leathery, opaque, spread- 

 ing, dotted, narrowed above to a straight, short, 

 smooth beak, divided into two nearly to the base. 

 The nut is oblong to elliptic, olive-brown. The 

 plant is 4-18 in. high, flowering in June and July, 

 and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Order Graminace.e 



Spaytina stricfa, Roth. — The habitat of this 

 plant is muddy salt marshes, creeks, mudflats, in 



south and cast of England. The plant has the 

 grass habit. It forms small tufts i to lA ft. high. 

 The rootstock is long, branched, creeping, the 

 rhizomes and stolons wiry. The stems are erect, 

 rigid, and strict (hence strtcta), stout, polished, 

 culms with a succession of tight, firm, short 

 sheaths, which (with the exception of the upper) 

 soon throw otTthe blades. The leaves are jointed 

 to the sheaths, broad, strict, erect, not so long as 

 the spike, rolled lengthwise, smooth, bluish-green 

 above, narrowed to the base, breaking from the 

 sheath. The ligule is short, silky. The panicle 

 is strict, of 2-3 spikelets, the point of the rachis of 

 the spike awl-like, and scarcely projecting, angled, 

 smooth, the point as long as or longer than the 

 upper spikelet. The spikes are usually close, rigid, 

 overtopping the leaves. The spikelets are yel- 

 lowish-green, erect, sJ-7 in. long when flowering. 

 The empty glumes are acute, the upper with 2 

 teeth and a stiff awn, silky, with a rough keel. 

 The second glume is 3-nerved, the lateral nerves 

 with membr.'inous tips. The outer glume is hairy. 

 The plant is 1-2 ft. high, flowering between July 

 iind September, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Spartina alternijtora, Lois. — This species occurs 

 on mud flats at Southampton Water, South Hants. 

 The habit is the grass habit. The leaves are 

 broadest at the base and continuous with the 

 sheaths, and are equal to or longer than the 

 spikes (6-8), the tip of the rachis wavy, exceeding 

 the spikelets. The spikelets are numerous and 

 loosely pressed together. The outer glume is hair- 

 less. The plant is 2-3 ft. high, flowering between 

 July and September, and is a herbaceous perennial. 

 Dr. O. Stapf has recently described it as follows : 

 " Forming large clumps or beds, 2-3 ft. high, 

 rhizomes and stolons soft, culms with a succes- 

 sion of up to 8 or 9 soft and xcry smooth sheaths, 

 not throwing off the blades, which gradually decay, 

 spikes usually 5-7, suberect, slender, and often 

 slightly flexuous, overtopped by the long-drawn- 

 out blades, spikelets glabrous to the naked eye, 

 6-7J in. long, second glume delicately 5-6-nerved 

 keeled to the very tip". 



Rice Grass or Sea Rice (Spartina To-<vnshendt, 

 Groves = S. alterniflora x stricta). — The habitat of 

 this plant is mud flats, and it is rapidly spreading 

 on the south coast, where it covers an area of 

 6000-8000 ac. It was first discovered by Messrs. 

 H. and J. Groves in 1879 at Hythe, Southampton 

 Water, but was there in 1870. The plant forms 

 large clumps or beds 2-4 ft. high, with soft rhiz- 

 omes and stolons. The culms have a succession 

 of up to 10 or 12 somewhat soft sheaths, increasing 

 in length upwards, the lowest throwing off the 

 blades. The leaves are broadest at the base, 

 shorter than in the other species, jointed to the 

 sheaths, not so long as the spike. The spikes, 

 3-5 as a rule, are more or less erect, rigid, extend- 

 ing above the leaves. The spikelets are 4-9, about 

 8J lines long, rather spreading, softly downy, the 

 rachis produced beyond the spikelets, wavy. The 

 second glume is 3-6-nerved, with one or two stouter 

 lateral nerves, the keel ending abruptly below the 

 short, membranous tip. The outer glume is slightly 



