424 



THE GEA8S FAMILY. 



PAETICULAR ANALYSIS. 



A. 

 Spikelets collected into erect, solid, solitary, oval, or cylindrical heads. 



* 

 Head short and thick, shaped like a filbert, but longer. 

 Flowers pale, prettily variegated with green 

 stripes. Stems two to three feet high 4. Canary Gkass. 



Head long and slender, in size and shape resembling 

 the barrel of a goose-qnill. 

 Spikelete without awns ; heads two to four inches long, 

 obtuse ; plant glaucous ; stems one to three feet 



high 6. Meadow Cat's-tail. 



Spikelets with awns. 

 Stems wholly upright. 

 Head obtuse, hoary ; loaded, when in perfection, 



with purple or buff-coloured anthers 7. Meadow Fox-tail. 



Head pointed, slender, purplish 8. Cornfield Fox-tail. 



Lower portion of the stem long and trailing, and re- 

 markably bent at the joints. 

 Anthers purple, linear 9. Common Marsh-fox- 

 tail. 

 Anthers yellow, short and thick 10. Tawny Marsh-fox- 

 tail, 



B, 



Spikelets disposed in more or less open, unbranched racemes. 

 * Spikelets with long awns. 

 Racemes half-pendulous ; spikelets an inch long, cylin- 

 drical, pointed at each end, distant ; stems two to 



four feet high, very hairy 31. Common False Bbome. 



Racemes erect. 

 Raceme cylindrical, the spikelets pointing in all 

 directions. 

 Stem two feet high ; raceme three inches long. . . . 26. Wood Barley-grass. 

 Stem six to twelve inches high ; raceme an inch to 



an inch and a half long 2. GreenBhistle-gkass. 



Raceme flat-sided or square ; stems two to three feet 

 high. 

 Spikelets placed broadside against the stalk. 

 Rootstock creeping. Plant generally glaucous.. 27. Couch-grass. 

 No creeping rootstock ; stems tufted ; plant not 



glaucous 2P. Dogs' Wheat-orass. 



Spikelets placed edgeways against the stalk. 

 Outer glume as long or longer than tlic spikelet. 30. Common Darnel. 

 Outer glume shorter than the spikelet. Awns 



very long and slender 29. Italian Ray-grass. 



