CH. vu] Botanical Description of Species 



113 





both surfaces. Panicle close, erect, oval in outline, and from 1 to 

 2 inches long. Spikelets silvery, flattened, two-flowered. Glumes 

 unequal, acute, completely enclosing the two flowers. 



"Seeds" Outer palea about 4 mm. long, acute, three-nerved, 

 the central nerve minutely toothed 

 above. Inner palea with fringed 

 margins, divided at the top. Ra- 

 chilla relatively long, cylindrical and 

 often covered with short hairs. (Fig. 

 120.) 



Lolium perenne, L. (Perennial 

 Rye-grass.) (Figs. 121 and 122.) See 

 also p. 152. 



A fibrous rooted, tufted peren- 

 nial, abundant on most types of soil 

 throughout the British Isles. The 

 whole plant is glabrous. Young shoots 

 usually rather flattened sometimes 

 almost cylindrical. Sheaths split 

 (not obvious while plants are young), 

 the lower ones pink or red near the 

 ground. Blades usually of a dark- 

 green colour, smooth and glossy 

 below; dull and with distinct ribs 

 above. The sheath is without a 

 keel, and the blade though some- Fig> 119 Tuft 

 what conduplicate is only slightly of Kceleria 

 keeled below. Auricles small ; ligule 

 short and blunt. 



Flowers early in June; culms 

 from 1 to 2 feet high. Inflorescence spikate, compressed, almost 

 erect. Spikelets sessile, borne singly, and alternating in two 

 opposite rows with their edges next the rachis. From six to 

 ten flowers are usually present in each spikelet. Only the outer 

 empty glume is present 1 , and the inner edge of the spikelet is 

 partially pressed into a groove in the rachis. Empty glume 



1 Two empty glumes are present however in the terminal spikelet of Lolium. 

 A. 8 



Fig. 120. "Seed" 

 of same. Side 

 view, x 10. 



cristata, Pers. 

 About J nat. 



size. 



