134 GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 



88. Triticum cristatum.* 

 Crested Wheat- Grass. 



Specific Characters. — Stem rough. Spike short. Leaves hairy on 

 the inner surface. (Plate LXI.) 



Description. — It grows from nine to eighteen inches high. Stem 

 ascending, round, and hairy, bearing three or four leaves with smooth 

 striated sheaths ; the upper sheath longer than its leaf, crowned with a 

 very short obtuse ligule. Joints four, smooth. Leaves linear, acute, 

 smooth behind, hairy in front. Infiorescence spiked. Spike usually 

 about an inch in length, with the margins of the rachis rough. Spike 

 lets sessile, of an oval form, arranged alternately on each side of the 

 rachis, of four or five florets. Calj/x of two awned glumes of equal 

 lengths (Fig. 1), lanceolate, six-ribbed (Fig. 4), the largest rib run- 

 ning very much to a side. Florets of two paleee (Fig. 2), the lower- 

 most palea of first floret longer than the glumes ; five-ribbed, with a 

 long rough awn, nearly as long as the palea, arising from the extreme 

 summit. Inner palea as long as the outer, delicately fringed at the 

 margins. Nectar?/ of two oval somewhat hairy scales. Anthers 

 linear forked at each side. Filament capillary. Ovarium obtuse, 

 slightly hairy. Styles short, distinct. Stigmas feathery. 



Obs. — The short spike and rough stem will readily distinguish this 

 species. 



It somewhat resembles Hordeum maritimum, but difiers in the 

 spikelets being arranged on the rachis solitary; calyx containing three 

 or more florets ; — whereas in H. maritimum the spikelets are in threes, 

 and the calyx contains but one floret ; independent of many other 

 characters. (Plate X.) 



This grass, which is now supposed to be extinct in Britain, was 

 discovered many years ago by the late Mr Don, who gathered it on 

 the east coast of Scotland between Arbroath and Montrose. It is a 

 native of Germany, France, and Switzerland. 



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

 middle of August. 



The accompanying figure and description were taken from a speci- 



* Triticum cristatum, Smith, Hooker, Lindley. Bromus cri^tatiis, Linn. 



