154 TRITICUM. [class hi. order II. 



were called Hordearii. Bailey in this country, and indeed in all the 

 temperate parts of Europe, (see page 71,) is chiefly cultivated for the 

 food of cattle, and for forming malt liquors and ardent spirits. During 

 the process of malting, the albumen and mucilaginous substances 

 which the seeds contain are changed into saccharine matter, which is 

 afterwards by fermentation converted into spirit. Pearl, Scotch, or 

 French Barley is formed by depriving the seeds of their coverings in 

 mills ; and various preparations are made from it, especially the decoc- 

 tion, which is used as a drink, and is an article of considerable utility 

 in inflammatory affections of the chest, &c. Amongst the ancients, 

 decoctions of Barley were the principal medicines, as well as aliments, 

 in acute diseases. 



GENUS XLVII. TRIT'TCUM. Linn. Wheat, or Wheat-grass. 



Gen. Char. Inflorescence spiked. Spikelets many-flowered, all fer- 

 tile. Glumes two, nearly equal, placed transversely, the sides 

 (not the back of one of them) directed to the rachis. Glumelles 

 two, lanceolate ; the external one mostly awned at the apex. — 

 Name Triticum, " quod tritnm est e spicis," because it is thrashed 

 or beaten from the spikes, or, according to Varre, from the mecha- 

 nical process of grinding to which the seeds are subjected before 

 being used as food. 



* Spikelets distichous (in two opposite rows). 



1. T. cani'num, Hudson, (Fig. 196.) fihrous-rooted Wheat-grass. 



Glumes acute, or slightly awned, from three to five-ribbed ; florets 



about four ; awn long, slender; leaves flat; root simple, fibrous. 



English Botany, t. 1372.— English Flora, vol. i. p. 184.— Hooker, 



British Flora, vol. i. p. 56. — Sinclair, Hort. Gram. Woburn. p. 202. — 



Agropy'rum cani'num, Beauv. Lindley, Synopsis, p. 298. 



Root fibrous, simple, or downy. Stem erect, from two to three feet 

 high, round, smooth, finely striated, slender, and leafy. Leaves flat, 

 linear-lanceolate, with a tapering point, rough, sometimes hairy. 

 Sheaths close, striated, smooth, tlic lower ones sometimes hairy. Li- 

 gula very short, scarcely observable. Iirflorescence an erect, often rather 

 loose spike ; the angles of the zigzag rachis hairy. Spikelets alternate, 

 except the lower ones, which arc sometimes in pairs, and rather distant. 

 Glumes somewhat unequal, lanceolate, acute or slightly awned, with 

 three or five strong roughish ribs. Florets from three to five. Glu- 

 melles equal, lanceolate, smooth : the ottter concave, scarcely ribbed 

 except towards the point, which terminates in a long, slender, roughish 

 awn ; inner flat, witli two lateral downy ribs. Sliginas small. Fruit 

 oblong, furrowed on one side. 



