916 GRAMINEAS, [Atropis. 
Sout Isuanp: Brackish-water marshes on the south coast of Otago, Kirk ! 
Petrie! Stewart Istanp: East Coast, local, Kirk ! 
Easily distinguished from the preceding by the stouter habit, denser 
panicle with shorter branches, smaller pale whitish-green spikelets with fewer 
florets, much larger empty glumes, and narrower and more pointed flowering 
glumes. 
30. FESTUCA, Linn. 
Perennial or rarely annual grasses. Leaves flat or complicate or 
convolute, often setaceous ; ligules scarious. Spikelets 2- to many- 
flowered, arranged in open or contracted often unilateral panicles ; 
rhachilla disarticulating above the two outer glumes and between 
the flowering glumes. Two outer glumes unequal or subequal, 
empty, persistent, more or less keeled, 1-3-nerved. Flowering 
glumes lanceolate, acute or acuminate or awned, rounded on the 
back or slightly keeled towards the tip, herbaceous, 5—7-nerved ; 
awn from the tip or close to it, straight; callus glabrous or nearly 
so. Palea 2-keeled, more or less 2-toothed, scabrid or ciliolate 
along the keels. lLodicules 2. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous or 
minutely hairy at the tip; styles distinct, very short; stigmas 
plumose. Grain enclosed within the slightly hardened flowering 
glume and palea and often adherent to the latter, oblong, concave 
or grooved in front ; hilum long, linear. 
A genus of about 90 species, mainly found in the temperate regions of the 
Northern Hemisphere, not so abundant in the south temperate zone, absent in 
the tropics except on high mountains. It differs from Atropis in the long linear 
hilum, and from Poa in the same character and in the flowering glumes being 
more or less rounded on the back and often awned. 
* Flowering glumes not awned. 
Culms 13-3 ft., forming dense hard tussocks. Panicle 
2-9in. Spikelets turgid, 4-?in. long 5: .. L. F. littorals. 
** Flowering glumes awned ; awn much shorter than the glume. 
Culms 6-18in., without creeping stolons, innovation- 
shoots intravaginal with the sheaths open or closed. 
Leaves usually setaceous ; ligules biauricled. Spikelets 
4—7-flowered 20 Se 2. EF. ovina. 
Culms 9-18in., usually stoloniferous ; "innovation-shoots 
both intravaginal and extravaginal ; sheaths always 
closed. Stem-leaves often broader; ligules not matt anes 
biauricled. Spikelets 4—8- flowered .. Se . 3&8. Bl rubra: 
Culms 6-9 in., densely tufted. Leaves strict, erect, com- ‘ 
plicate or terete. Panicle spike-like. Spikelets 2-3- 
flowered ; empty glumes # the length of the spikelet .. 4. F. contracta. 
*** Flowering glumes awned; awn as long or longer than the glume. 
Culms 6-18 in., densely tufted, stoloniferous. Leaves soft, 
pliant, terete. Panicle narrow, spiciform. Spikelets 
3-5-flowered At a Se Bis ia, (0s ln Coens 
