286 GRASSES OF BRITAIN. 



HORDEUM SYLVATICUM. 



Wood-Barley. 

 Plate CXXX. 



Specific Characters. — Glumes of" the middle spikelet not fringed. 

 Awn of the floret of lateral spikelet extending considerably beyond 

 the glumes. 



Description. — Root perennial, fibrous, somewhat tufted, producing 

 stems about two feet in length. Stems erect, round, hollow, nearly 

 smooth, bearing four or five leaves, with roughish, striated sheaths ; 

 upper sheath longer than its leaf. Ligule of upper sheath short, 

 and blunt, the length about equal to one-fourth the breadth. Joints 

 usually four, the upper one situated about the centre of the stem, fur- 

 nished with a few minute hairs, pointing downwards, which are more 

 numerous a little below the joint. Leaves lanceolate, flat, sharp- 

 pointed, rough on the edges and both surfaces, especially when felt 

 from point to base. Infiorescence spiked. Spihe two or three inches 

 in length, linear, close and uniform ; rachis rough, angular, toothed 

 alternately on both sides, seven teeth within the space of an inch. 

 Spihelets arranged in threes on each tooth of the rachis ; each spike- 

 let composed of one or two florets and two glumes. Glumes of equal 

 lengths, parallel, dilated, three-ribbed, roughish, not fringed, terminat- 

 ing in a long rough awn. Floret of two palese, the outer palea awned, 

 five-ribbed, rough, furnished at the base with a few short stout hairs. 

 Inner palea about equal in length to the outer, with two ribs de- 

 licately fringed, and furnished at the base with a long bristle, about 

 half the length of the palea. Awn of the outer palea rough, arising 

 from the very summit, and rather longer than the palea. Ovarium 

 hairy. Styles two, short. Stigmas somewhat feathery. Filaments 

 three, slender. Anthers rather long, cloven at each end. Seed lan- 

 ceolate, with a furrow along the upper side, firmly coated with both 

 paleae. Scales prominent, acute, hairy. 



Hordeum sylvaticum is distinguished from Hordeum murinum., in 

 the glumes of the middle spikelet not being fringed, (see Fig. 1), 

 with awns not longer than the glumes ; — whereas in Hordeum muri- 



Hordeum si/lvatictim, Iluds., Knapi^, Bab. Ehjmxis Eurojxcus, Linn., Smith, Hooker, 

 Lind., Koch. 



