BRIZA.] GRAMINE^E. 447 



terminal, stigmas leathery. Fruit broadly ovoid, compressed, adhering 

 to the hardened glume. DISTRIB. Temp. Europe, Africa, and Asia; 

 species 6. ETYM. An old Greek name. 



1. B. xne'dia, L. ; perennial, ligule short, spikelets ovate, empty 

 glumes shorter than the 1st fl. glume. 



Meadows and heaths, c. from Ross southwards ; ascending to 2,100 ft. in 

 Yorkshire ; fl. June. Stems solitary, creeping below, 6-18 in., very slender, 

 smooth. Leaves flat, smooth or scabrid ; sheaths smooth, upper inflated. 

 Panicle pyramidal ; branches very long, capillary, Spikelets \-% in., green 

 or purplish, shining ; fl. glumes 5-9, sheathing one another. DISTRIB. 

 Europe, Siberia, W. Asia ; introd. in N. America. 



2. B. minor, L. ; annual, ligule long, empty glumes longer than the 

 1st fl. glume. 



Fields, from Hants to Cornwall ; Cork in Ireland ; Channel Is. ; fl. July. - 

 Stems tufted, 4-10 in. Panicle almost as in B. media, but spikelets more 

 numerous,, smaller, in. diam., broader than long. DISTRIB. Europe 

 from France and Spain to Turkey, N. Africa. 



33. FESTU'CA, L. FESCUE GRASS. 



Spikelets subterete, racemose or panicled, 3- or more-fld. Empty glumes 

 2, rarely 1, shorter than the lowest flowering, unequal, membranous, acute ; 

 upper larger, 3-nerved ; lower 1-nerved. Fl. glumes convex, 3-5-nerved, 

 mucronate or awned at or near the tip. Palea 2-fid, nerves hairy. 

 Scales 2, notched. Stamens 1-3. Ovary glabrous ; styles terminal, stig- 

 mas feathery. Fruit adnate to the. fl. glume and palea. DISTRIB. Arctic, 

 cold and temp, regions ; species 125. ETYM. An old Latin name. 



SECTION 1. Schedono'rus, lieauv. Perennial. Leaves broad, flat. 

 Awn (except in F. gigantea). Flowers 3-androus. 

 * Ligule of upper sheath sluvrt. 



1. F. ela'tior, L. ; leaves flat, panicle diffuse nodding, fl. glumes 3-7 

 glabrous acute or almost awned, ovary glabrous. 



.River-banks and wet places ; ascending to 1,300 ft. in the N. of England ; fl. 

 June-July. Rootstnck creeping, stoloniferous. Stem 2-6 ft., nodding, 

 smooth. Leaves - in. broad, smooth ; sheaths smooth, striate. Panicle 

 3-6 in., contracted after flowering ; rachis 3-quetrous, smooth ; branches 

 2-nate, scabrid. Spikelets many, ^-f in., linear-oblong, green and dull 

 purple ; empty glumes broadly hyaline ; fl. glumes scabrid above, rarely 

 awned ; margins hyaline. DISTRIB. Europe (Arctic), N. Africa, W. Siberia, 

 Himalaya, N. America. A form with branches of panicle divaricate after 

 flowering is the F. arundinacea, Schreb. 



2. F. praten'sis, Huds. ; leaves flat, panicle subsecund nodding close, 

 fl. glumes 4-10 glabrous obtuse or mucronate, ovary glabrous. 

 River-banks and wet places ; ascending to 1,600 ft. in the N. of England; fl. 



June-July. Very closely allied to F. elativr, and perhaps only a sub-species, 

 but smaller, less stoloniferous ; panicle much narrower, more simple, some- 

 times 10 in., branches shorter, in pairs, one with 1 spikelet, the other with 

 2 or more ; fl. glumes more numerous, sometimes shortly awned. DISTRIB. 

 Europe (Arctic), Siberia, Dahuria ; introd. in N. America. 



