32 GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 



age, and contains a considerable quantity of nutritive matter, especi- 

 ally during the time of flowering, it is not recommended for hay. It 

 is found in moist, rich ground, and irrigated meadows, never on dry 

 sandy heaths, although it is said to be partial to dry chalky soils. It 

 forms the principal herbage in some pastures in Norfolk that are con- 

 sidered excellent for sheep. 



In Scotland this grass is but rarely met with ; found occasionally 

 in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. In England it occiu-s in the 

 counties of Northumberland, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, 

 Cheshire, Flint, Denbigh, Worcester, Warwick, Leicester, Oxford, 

 Bedford, Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, and 

 Somerset. It has not been found either in Devon or Cornwall. In 

 Ireland occasionally. It is confined principally to the middle parts 

 of Europe, and does not seem to have been found in America ; its 

 limit of altitude being about 500 feet above the sea. 



Flowers in the first week of July, and ripens its seed in the early 

 part of August. 



19. POLYPOGON MONSPELIENSIS.* 



Annual Beard-Grass. 



Spedfic Characters. — Glumes with awns more than twice their 

 length. (Plate XL) 



Description. — It grows from nine to fifteen inches high. The root 

 is fibrous, somewhat creeping. Stem erect, round, slightly roughish 

 to the touch ; bearing five or six leaves, with smooth, striated sheaths ; 

 the upper sheath longer than its leaf, crowned with a long, acute, 

 roughish ligule. Joints smooth. Leaves flat, rather broad, acute, 

 roughish on both surfaces, but generally smooth behind. Inflores- 

 cence compound panicled. Panicle erect, dense, lobed and silky, from 

 one and a-half to two inches long ; branches rough, rachis nearly 

 smooth. Spikelet of one awned floret shorter than the calyx, (Fig. 3.) 

 Calyx of two, linear, hairy, obtuse, membranous glumes, (Fig. 1), 

 strongly toothed on the lower half of the keels ; without lateral ribs ; 



* Polypogon monspeliensis, Koch, Smith, Hooker, Lindley. Alopccuriis monspdiensis, 

 Linn. Agrostis triaristata, Knapp. 



