SILKY WIND GRASS 



175 



in the moist corners of churches 

 and stone buildings ", according to 

 Gerarde. The phint was used in 

 mediaeval times for broken limbs 

 and tightness of the chest. It was 

 considered diuretic and used for 

 dropsy. It was laid in corn in 

 granaries to drive away weevils. 

 Essential Spkcific Chak- 



ACTKRS: — 



280. Parietaria 7-aiiii/Iora, 

 Mcench. — Stem erect, pinkish, 

 hairy, tufted, leaves lanceolate, ellip- 

 tic, flowers green or red, in clusters 

 in the axils, filaments elastic. 



Silky Wind Grass (Apera 

 Spica-venti, Beauv.) 



but rare grass is 



This gracefu 

 found in the N. Temperate Zone 

 in I'Airo])e, N. Africa, Siberia, but 

 not in any early beds. In Great 

 Britain it is found in W. Cornwall, 

 N. Hants, \V. Sussex, throughout 

 the Thames province, Anglia, ex- 

 cept in Hants and Northants in 

 Salop, N. Lincoln, Derby, S.E. 

 \'ork, or from York to Kent, and 

 Hants in S.E. England. 



The Silky Wind Grass grows 

 in the lowlands, in fields liable to 

 inundation at no considerable dis- 

 tance from the sea. It is areno- 

 philous, preferring a sandy habi- 

 tat, and is a submaritime ericetal 

 species. It is also common to rocky 

 mural habitats in the same way as 

 some other sand-loving grasses. 



This is a tall, graceful, elegant 

 plant, with a slender stem which is 



Ptioto. n. Irving 



Sll.KV Wi.NU (JuAss {.t/ii-ni Spicn-veti/i, 

 IJcaiiv.) 



