ii.()\vi:rs oi' Tin-: sea-coast 



J.yme Grass is a familiar seashore L^rass which forms quite a feature 

 alonu" the coast. It throws on sandy shores associated with lledi^ehoj; 

 Grass, Seaside Manna Grass, Squirrel 1 ail (";rass, Sand Sedj;"e, 

 Common Sea Rush, and other maritime iaxouriies ol the botanist. 



llic stems are robust, smooth, round, and ^i\e rise to .soboles or 

 undert^round trailing" shoots. The leaves are broad, rigid, straij^ht, 

 and erect, with smooth sheaths, which are furrowed, with a .short lic^aile. 



i he flowers are in an uprit^ht, dense 

 spike, with 3-flowered spikelets, and downy. 

 The lower and upper ones are in pairs, 

 th(! intermediate ones in 3's with a flat 

 rachis. The (flumes are downy, lanceo- 

 late, not Ioniser than the spikelets. The 

 plant is V ^^ '••• hi height. It flowers in 

 ;u]\'. The plant is [oereimial, propagated 

 b\' soljoles. 



Lyme Grass is anemophilous, with 

 spikelets in two rows, 2-6 flowers in eacli. 

 There are 3 stamens, and the 2 stigmas 

 are feathery and subsessile. The fruit is 

 attached to the palea, and the glume awn- 

 less, but readiU' dispersc^d b\' the wind. 



The plant is a halophyte, addicted to a 

 .saline soil, being likewise arenophilous and 

 tbuntl in sand soil. 



A fungus, L 's//7ao'0 hypodytcs, infests it. 

 Three moths, the Lyme Grass {Tapino- 

 stola clyiiri). Shore Wainscot {^Leticania littoralis), and the Rustic 

 Shoulder-knot {Apauwa basilinea), are found upon it. 



Elyiuus, Dio.scorides, is the Greek word f<ir a kind of millet. The 

 second Latin name refers to the sandy haliitat. 



The plant is called Narrow ISent, Mother of Iient, Lyme (irass. 

 As a littoral plant it is valuable in binding together the .shifting 

 sands on the sea-coast. It contains a large percentage (30%) of sugar. 

 EssENTi.vL Specific Ch.\racters: — 



347. Elynnis arenaruis, L. — Soboliferous, stem tall, erect, lea\es 

 broad, long, ligule short, spike den.se, erect, glumes not as long as the 

 spikelets, downy. 



I'lioto. Messrs. Flatters & Ganit-tt 



LvMii Q^K.\^s{Elymus arenariiis^ L. } 



