SMALL BENT GRASS 



125 



the spikelet. The lower palea is jagged above, the upper absent or 

 very small. 



This "raceful yrass is 18 in. hioh. The tlovver is in bloom in 

 July and August. The plant is perennial, and may be propagated 

 by division. 



The rtowers are bisexual, and pollinated by the wind. The flowers 

 open at 1 1 a.m. There are 3 stamens, the styles are short, and the 

 stigma is featherv. 



The seed is a caryopsis or achene, united to the pericarp, and the 



Small Rent Grass {Agmstis cnniiui, L. ) 



I'lioto. II. Iruiig 



fruit is enclosed in a glume, which assists it in being blown to a dis- 

 tance by the wind. 



Small Bent Grass is a sand-lover, and addicted to a sand soil. 



Agrostis, Theophrastus, is from the Greek agros, field, and caiiiua, 

 Latin, refers to the silvery-whitish appearance. 



It is attacked by a fungus, Tillctia decipiens, which dwarfs the 

 host-plant, and such plants were once known as A. piiiiiila. 



ESSENTI.AL Sl'KCIKIC CHARACTERS: — 



330. Agrostis canina, L. — Stem tall, leaves narrow, in\'olute below, 

 sheaths glabrous, panicle erect, diffuse in flower, glumes 2, unequal, no 

 inner palea. 



