238 CYPERACE.E. [CLASS 



A common plant in the fens, Scirpus lacustris, is cut 

 for chair-bottoms, baskets, mats, horse-collars, bottle- 

 covers, &c. 



The cottony bristles of Cotton Sedge are collected for 

 stuffing pillows. They are not of sufficient staple to be 

 woven like cotton. 



The Sand Carex (Carex arenaria), and a grass, the 

 Sea Maram (Psamma arenaria), form long creeping 

 rhizomes, which are highly important in binding the 

 moving sands of dunes and embankments on the sea- 

 coast. 



73. Natural Order Gramineae. The Grass Family. 



DISTRIBUTION. A very large and cosmopolitan Order. 

 Some tropical genera (of Bambuseas) are arborescent. 

 British genera 42, species 100. 



Herbs. Sheaths of leaves split in front (except Common Melick). 



Flowers sheathed by two-rowed scaly bracts (glumes) ; 



innermost glume (pale) 2 -nerved. 



Type Common Wheat (Triticum vulgare). 



An annual, with an erect unbranched jointed stem 

 (culm\ and distichous spicate flowers. 



The structure of the flower of wheat is described at 

 pages 4445- 



The table on the next page will serve to show in what 

 particulars several grasses, British and exotic, deviate 

 from the above Type. 



The first column gives the name of the species. The 

 second shows the kind of inflorescence, which is generally 

 a panicle, though often compressed, or the branches so 

 short as to resemble a raceme or spike, when it is termed 

 racemose or spicate. The third column gives the number 

 of outer glumes to each spikelet ; the fourth indicates the 

 presence or absence of the flowering glume ; the fifth the 

 presence or absence of the pale ; sixth, the number of 

 lodicules ; seventh, of stamens ; eighth, of styles. 



The species printed in small capitals are Corn- 

 producing or Cereal Grasses, called Cereals, from Ceres, 

 the Roman goddess of Corn. 



The sign ! denotes a striking deviation from the normal 

 structure of Grasses. 



