194 GRASSES OF BRITAIN. 



Calamagrostis Lapponica. 



Lapland Small-Reed. 



Plate LXXXV. 



Specific Characters. — Ligule acute. Hairs shorter than their florets 

 Awn arising from below the centre 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 ; upper sheath longer than 

 its leaf. Ligule of upper sheath prominent, acute, about twice as long 

 as broad. Joints wide apart, the upper situated below the centre of 

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

 row, and acute, rough on the inner surface and edges, very smooth 

 behind, mostly involute especially when dry. Liflorescence compound 

 panicled, of a brownish-purple, erect, close, from three to four inches 

 in length, with rough branches arising in alternate clusters from the 

 round, rough rachis. Spikelets numerous, composed of two glumes 

 and one floret. Glumes narrow, acute, about equal size, without 

 lateral ribs, tinged with purple, toothed nearly the whole length of 

 their keels. Floret about equal in length to the glumes, of two paleee, 

 the outer palea five-ribbed, rough, bifid at the summit, awned from 

 below the centre, and furnished at the base with a number of long, 

 erect, straight, silky hairs, about one-fourth shorter than the floret ; 

 no rudiment of a second floret. Inner palea about one-third shorter 

 than the outer, smooth on the lateral folds. Aw7i rough and slender, 

 arising from a little beneath the centre of the outer palea, and extend- 

 ing a very little beyond the summit. Styles two, short. Stigmas 

 feathery. Stamens three, notched at each end. Scales acute. 



Ohs. — Calamagrostis Lapponica, although a very distinct plant 

 from Calamagrostis sfricta, is with difficulty distinguished by any 

 prominent character. The spikelets of Calamagrostis Lapponica, how- 

 ever, are larger ; the glumes narrower ; the hairs of the floret some- 

 what shorter; awn a trifle longer and the ligule acute; — while in 

 Calamagrostis stricta the ligule is very short and obtuse. 



Calamagrostis Lapponica, Harton, Hooker, BalD. Deijcuxia Lapponica, Kunth. 

 A runclo Lapponica, Wahlenb. 



