192 GUASSES OF BRITAIN, 



Calamagrostis LANCEOLATA. 



Purple-Jloioered Small-Reed. 



Plate LXXXIV. 



Specific Characters. — Hairs longer than their floret. Awn verj 

 short, arising from a little below the summit of the palea. 



Description. — Root perennial, creeping. Stem round, hollow, 

 smooth, and striated, usually about three feet high, bearing four or 

 five leaves with smooth, striated sheaths; the upper sheath longer 

 than its leaf. Ligule of upper sheath prominent, obtuse, longer than 

 broad. Joints wide apart, the upper situated above the centre of the 

 stem, and not covered by the second sheath. Leaves long, narrow, 

 flat, acute, rough on both surfaces and edges. Injiorescence com- 

 pound panicled, usually from seven to eight inches in length, spread- 

 ing, while in flower otherwise close, the branches slender and rough, 

 arising in alternate clusters, from the round, rough rachis. Spikelets 

 numerous, composed of two glumes and one floret. Glumes narrow, 

 acute, about equal lengths, without lateral ribs, often tinged with 

 purple, toothed the whole length of their keels. Floret one-third 

 shorter than the glumes, of two palea?, the outer palea five-ribbed, 

 bifid at the summit, awned from a little beneath the summit, and 

 furnished at the base with a number of long, white, silky hairs ex- 

 tending a little beyond the floret. Aton very short, rough and slen- 

 der, not more than one-sixth the length of the floret, arising from a 

 little beneath the summit of the outer palea, and extending just be- 

 yond it. Inner palea about one-third shorter than the outer, very 

 thin and pellucid, cloven at the summit and smooth on the lateral 

 folds. Styles two, short. Stigmas long and feathery. Filaments 

 three, slender. Anthers long and cloven at each end. Scales acute. 

 Obs. — Calamagrostis lanceolata is distinguished from Calamagrostis 

 Lapponica in the floret being one-third shorter than the glumes ; 

 hairs longer than their floret ; aion very short, arising from a little 

 beneath the summit of the outer palea ; — whereas in Calamagrostis 

 Lapponica the floret is about equal in length to the glumes ; hairs 



Calamagrostis lanceolata, Koch, Kimth, Hooker, Lind., Bab. Arundo calamagrostis, 

 ^mith, Knapp, Schrad, 



