CLASS III. OKSER II.J BROMOS. 131 



Root fibrous. Stem erect, simple, from one to two feet high, smooth, 

 and leafy. Leaves short, linear, acute. Sheaths rather long, close, 

 smooth. Ligula very short. Inflorescence a simple, slightly drooping, 

 two-ranked raceme, from three to eight inches long. Rachis waved, 

 angular, alternately channelled, in which the spikes have been placed 

 in an early stage of their growth, the angles roughish. Spikelets 

 nearly sessile, linear-oblong, rather distant, about six-flowered. Glumes 

 unequal, lanceolate, acute, seven-ribbed ; the inner valve smallest, 

 sometimes wanting. Glumelles nearly equal, ovate-lanceolate, com- 

 pressed, membranous towards the point, and slightly five-ribbed, 

 smooth, except a slight roughness on the ribs. Stigmas densely fea- 

 thery. Fruit ovate, but seldom perfected. 



Habitat. — In meadows and pastures, especially such as are occa- 

 sionally overflowed; common. 



Perennial ; flowering in June and July. 



This grass at first sight might be mistaken for Lo'lium peren'^ie, 

 (Rye-grass,) from which, however, it if readily distinguished by having 

 two glumes, while that just named has only one. This grass, which 

 grows in similar situations to the Rye-grass, is much more valuable 

 for agricultural purposes, aff'ording a greater proportion of nutritive 

 matter, and producing its herbage in greater abundance ; it comes also 

 earlier in the spring, and improves by age — qualities which strongly 

 recommend it for cultivation in place of the Rye-grass; but unfortu- 

 nately the seed is seldom perfected, and its propagation by the division 

 of its roots would be too expensive a process. 



GENUS XL. BRO'MUS. Linn. Brome-grass. 



Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Spikelets many-flowered. Glumes two 

 unequal. Glumelles two, the outer awned below the bifid apex. 

 — Name from " /5?w/xo?, given by the Greeks to a kind of oat, and 

 that again from I3§ui^ex,, food." — Hook. 



* Spikelets lanceolate ; glumes very unequal, lanceolate-acute. 



1. E. gigan'teus, Vill. (Fig. 168.) tall Brome-grass. Panicle large, 

 branched, spreading, drooping towards one side ; spikelets com- 

 pressed, from three to six-flowered, ribbed ; awn longer than the 

 floret ; leaves linear-lanceolate. 

 Hooker, British Flora, vol. i. p. 50. — Festu'ca gigan'tea, English 

 Botany, t. 1820. — English Flora, vol. i. p. 144. — Lindley, Synopsis, 

 p. 314.— Sinclair, Hort. Gram. Woburn. p. 376. 



/3. trijlo'rus, Hook.; a smaller and more erect plant; spikelets 

 three-flowered,— feittt'ca trijlo'ra, E. Bot. t. 1918. 



