626 POACE.E. 



floral glume oval-obovate, 5-7-nerved, bifid, 7-8 mm. long, the 

 awn from the sinus about the length of its glume; palea pectinate- 

 ciliate, extending nearly to the sinus. 



Hooker in his British Flora says: "Very similar to B. mollis, 

 but subglabrous, often 2-3 ft., rigid; leaves rigid, more ciliate; 

 branches of panicle 3-5-nate, long and slender; spikelets narrower, 

 more acute, scabrid; empty glumes narrower, especially the 

 lower; floral glume broadest above the middle, margin obtusely 

 angled." 



Dr. Thurber in Bot. Calif, says: "■ Some European botanists 

 regard tliis species, B. mollis and B. secalinus, all as varieties of 

 B. arvensis." 



Vermont, Pringle; Massachusetts, Benl 152, 153; Pennsyl- 

 vania, Scribner for U. S. Dept. Agricul. 747; Michigan, Farwell; 

 Washington, Luke. 



Introduced from Europe. 



28. B. AEVENSis L. Sp. PI. 77 (1753). B. altissimus Gilib. 

 Exercit. 2:537. 



An erect annual or biennial, often softly downy, 30-60-90 cm. 

 high. Sheatlis mostly shorter than the internodes; ligule 2 mm. 

 long; blades flat, 6-12 cm. long, 2-3 mm. wide. Panicle erect or 

 at length nodding, oval, 8-15 mm. long, rays in threes to fives, the 

 longest 4-5 cm. long, usually bearing a single spikelet. Spikelets 

 slightly compressed, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 6-10-flowered, 

 15-25 mm. long, joint of rachilla over 1 mm. long, first empty 

 glume lanceolate, 3-5-nerved, 5-6 mm. long, second oval, acute, 

 7-nerved, 6-7 mm. long; floral glume oval, acute, or sometimes 

 almost rhombic-obovate, 7-9 mm. long, the awn 3-7 mm. long; 

 palea linear, pectinate-ciliate. Grain involute. 



New Jersey, Scrihi. for U. S. Dept. Agricul. 730; Michigan, 

 Beal 154. 



Bentham in his British Flora says : " Many of the forms assumed 

 by this ubiquitous species, difficult as they are to distinguish, and 

 passing gradually into one another, have been universally recog- 

 nized as species, altliough with characters very differently marked 

 out by different authors.'' lie includes as varieties or forms of the 



