S30 Mr. J. E. BxcHENo's Observations 



C3'lindncal, simple, leafy. Leaves linear-lanceolate, plane, 

 nerved, acute ; the margin, especially towards the base, clothed 

 with very long, wliite, soft hairs: radical leaves very numerous 

 and large. Panicle terminal, cymose, somewhat branched, di- 

 varicate : ultimate branches reflected. Flowers solitary, termi- 

 nal and lateral ; lateral ones sessile. Bractes two to each flower, 

 membranous, acute. Calyx-leajlets lanceolate, acuminate, dark- 

 brown, with a scariose margin. Filaments very short. Capsule 

 one-celled, three-sided, inversely heart-shaped, obtuse, sud- 

 denly narrower towards the middle. Seeds three, shining, cho- 

 colate-coloured ; coruncula lengthened at the top, hooked, 

 twisted, all three meeting at the insertion of the pistil. Vicl, 

 Tab. IX. /. 1. 



The peculiar shape of the coruncula will at once enable the bo- 

 tanist to distinguish this plant from all its congeners; but when 

 that cannot be seen, the divaricate and dark panicle will generally 

 sufiice to separate it from L. Forstrri; and the solitary flowers 

 prevent it from being confounded with the rest of the British 

 species. The marginal hairs of this genus are singularly con- 

 structed, being composed of a number of smaller fibres, which 

 are jointed and twisted; so that upon the aiiplication of moisture, 

 in a dry day, as in the case of the awns of Avenc£, they untwist 

 themselves. 



This plant has no known medicinal or agricultural use. Its 

 dry tough herbage renders it unfit for cattle in general; though 

 horses, goats, and sheep will eat it ; more, however, from its being 

 one of the earliest spring plants than from any other cause. 



2. LUZULA FORSTERI. 



LuzuLA panicula cymos^ erects, floribus solitariis, capsulis acu- 



tis, seminis corunculd subrectS. obtusa. 

 L. foliis pilosis, corymbo subsimplici, pedunculis unifloris erectis, 



perigonii 



