110 GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 



land, and Russia. Not found in America. Its limit of altitude is 

 about 500 feet above the sea. 



Flowers in the third week of July, and ripens its seed about the 

 end of August. 



73. Bromus mollis. * 

 Soft Brome- Grass. 



Specific Characters. — Large glume seven-ribbed. Glumes and 

 florets hairy, not toothed on the central rib. (Plate XL VIII.) 



Description. — It grows from twelve to eighteen inches high. The 

 root is annual, fibrous. Stem erect, round, and more or less pubescent, 

 with the hairs pointing mostly downwards ; bearing three or four leaves 

 with striated sheaths; upper sheath crowned with a small obtuse 

 jagged ligule ; the lower sheaths soft and hairy, with the hairs point- 

 ing downwards. Joints four or five, slightly pubescent. Leaves flat, 

 linear lanceolate, striated, pubescent on both surfaces, rough at the 

 edges and points. Inflorescence racemed or simple panicled. Raceme 

 erect, its branches rough and hairy, the lower ones arising from 

 the rachis mostly in threes. Spikelets erect, ovate, of a darkish green, 

 soft to the touch, usually often awned florets; the summit of the large 

 glume being midway between its base and the apex of the third floret 

 (Fig. 3). Calyx of two broad hairy nearly equal glumes (Fig. 1), 

 membranous at the margins ; upper glume seven-ribbed ; dorsal rib 

 not toothed; lower glumes mostly five- ribbed. Florets of two paleae 

 (Fig. 2), the outer palea of lowermost floret rather longer than the 

 glumes, hairy, soft to the touch, seven-ribbed; the dorsal rib not 

 toothed, terminating in a rough awn, which is not quite the length of 

 the palea ; membranous at the margins, and mostly bifid at the sum- 

 mit Inner palea linear-oblong, rather shorter than the outer palea, 

 furnished with two green marginal ribs, fringed with white hairs. 

 Awn slightly wavy, arising from a little below the bifid membran- 

 ous summit of the outer palea. Scales of the nectary entire. Ova- 



* Bromtts mollis, Linn., Koch, Smith, Hooker, Lindley, Greville. (See Babington's 

 Primitise Florse Sarnicse, p. 133 ; a valuable work, containing many useful and instruc- 

 tive remarks.) 



