126 FLOWERS OF THE HEATHS AND MOORS 



Heath Hair Grass (Deschampsia flexuosa, Trin.) 



This Arctic plant is found in the North Temperate and Arctic- 

 regions in Arctic Europe, N. and \V. Asia, N. America, Fuegia. It is 

 unknown in early plant beds. In Great Britain it is found in every 

 county except in Hunts, Mid Lanes, Haddington, as far north as the 



Shetlands, and up to 3700 ft. 

 in the Highlands, as well as 

 in Ireland and the Channel 

 Islands. 



Heath Hair Grass is 

 commonly distributed in the 

 upland regions of the country, 

 especially in dry stations, the 

 borders, for instance, of rocky 

 woods, where on sandy knolls 

 it is a common plant. It is 

 characteristic again of heath 

 and common-land, as well as 

 moors, up to very high elev- 

 ations. 



This plant is similar in 

 general habit to the Sil- 

 very Hair Grass. The stem 

 is erect, slender, glossy, and 

 leafless above. The leaves 

 are bristle-like, short, curved, 

 blunt, grooved, and glossy. 

 The upper leaves have long- 

 sheaths, and are rough. 

 The ligule is short and blunt, or truncate. 



The (lowers are apetalous (without a corolla), in panicles which are 

 spreading, wavy, or flexuose (hence the second Latin name), divided 

 <n'.o three branches. The spikelets are purple, glossy, with long- 

 pointed empty glumes, and long-twisted awn, half as long as the 

 rounded spikelet, and coming from the base of the palea. 



The plant is 6-8 in. or even 2 ft. high. The flowers may be found 

 between June and August. Heath Hair Grass is a perennial, propa- 

 gated by division. 



There are 2 flowers in a spikelet, and sometimes a male flower is 



HKATH HAIR GRASS (Deschnmpsia Jlexitosa, Trin.) 



