HORTUS GRAMINEUS WOBURNENSIS. 25 



Fig. 20. Avena/)u6escews, downy oat-grass. 



The seed is covered with the husks of the blossom ; 

 it is slender, oblong, and tapers to a point at each 

 end, marked with a furrow lengthwise. The seed of 

 the different species of fescue, brome, and oat-grasses, 

 are very much alike at the first glance; nevertheless, 

 they offer sufficient marks of distinction, provided a 

 little minuteness in the examination be employed by 

 the agriculturist. Thus the seed of the fescue ter- 

 minates in an acute point; that of the brome-grass is 

 blunt or obtuse : if a species of the former be awned, 

 the awn is a continuation of the husk ; but the awn of 

 a brome-grass is inserted below the apex of the husk, 

 and surrounded at the base with its membranous 

 edo-es. These are beautiful natural characters of dis- 

 tinction, and never vary. 



Refer. 1. A seed the natural size, with its bent awn. 

 1. The same magnified. 

 Fig. 21. Arundo epigejos, wood reed-grass. 



The inner husks adhere to the seed, without open- 

 ing ; the naked seed is oblong, and pointed at both 

 ends ; it is furnished at the base with downy hairs. 

 The hairs give this seed, at first, the appearance of 

 that of the cotton-grass, Eriophor urn (No. 3.); but on 

 removing the hairs, the body of the seed of the cotton- 

 grasses is three-cornered, while that of the reed-grasses 

 is oblong and pointed. 



Refer. 1. A spiket of ripe seed the natural size. 



1. The same magnified. 



2. A seed the natural size. 

 2. The same magnified. 



Fig. 22. Lolium perenne, perennial rye-grass. 



The inner husks enclose the seed, which is oblong, 

 compressed ; convex on one side, and flat, with a fur- 

 row lengthwise, on the other. There are four species 

 of annual rye-grass, which are carefully to be distin- 

 guished from the varieties of the perennial species. 

 Lolium temuleiitum, bearded annual rye-grass, has the 

 seed furnished with a long awn (see fig. 35.), which 

 readily distinguishes it from the varieties of the peren- 

 nial rye-grass. Lolium teuue, slender annual rye-grass. 



