Avena.] CLXXIII. GRAMINE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) 275 



Having regard to the Indian species of Avena and Trisetum, I find it impossible 

 to separate them by characters of the fl. gls., there being all transitions in A. aspera 

 from the entire gl. of Avena to the 2-aristate lateral lobes of Trisetum. There are 

 two distinct types of ovary in both genera, the perfectly glabrous, and that with a 

 broad hirsute or villous crown, characters which .may suggest a better means of 

 breaking up Avena. The following arrangement is provisional only. It is difficult 

 to diagnose Avena from Bromus & Koeleria (</.*.). 



Sect. I. EUAVENA. Annual. Spikelets pendulous ;.gl. I and II 5-7- 

 nerved, lobes of fl. gls. awned or not ; awn cylindric, column 2-grooved, 

 conoidally twisted. Ovary with a villous top. The determinations of the 

 species of this section are by Dr. Stapf. 



* Flowering glumes glabrous or hairy at the base only, rachilla tenacious 

 or tardily disarticulating at the base. 



A. SATIVA, Linn. Sp. PI. 79. 



Cult, in NORTHERN INDIA, from Bengal to the Indus ; and in the HIMALAYA up 

 to 12,000 ft. 



There are few specimens of the common oat in Indian collections. These repre- 

 sent two varieties. 



Var. sericea ; branches of panicle spreading equally all round, spikelets 2-fld., 

 both fl. perfect, gls. Ill and IV silkily hairy at the base, rachilla silkily villous. 

 Bhotan, Griffith. Sikkim Himalaya, cult, at Yeumtong, alt. 12,000 ft., J. D. H. 

 Beluchistan and Affghanistan ; wild in cult, fields in the Kurrum Valley, AUchison 

 (n. 24). 



Var. orientalis ; branches of panicle more or less secund, spikelets 2-3-fld. the 

 lower only perfect, gl. Ill with stiff hairs at the base, IV and rachilla glabrous. 

 A. orientalis, Schreb. Spirit. FL Lips. 52 ; Host Gram. Austr. iii. 31, t. 44 ; KuntTi 

 Enum. PL i. 302, Suppl. 255 ; Boiss. FL Orient, v. 541. A. sterilis, Royle Illustr. 

 Himal. Bot. 417. N.W. India, Royle. Soane Valley, J. D. H. Murshidabad, 

 Clarke. 



** Flowering glumes hairy to and beyond the middle ; rachilla freely 

 disarticulating at the base, more tardily above it ; gl. Ill and IV firm, 

 shortly 2-fid., scaberulous. 



1. A. fatua, Linn. Sp. PI. 80 ; panicle branches equally spreading all 

 round, gls. I and II subequa!9-nerved, III and IV firm scaberulous shortly 

 2-fid. clothed below with long fulvous hairs. Host Gram. Austr. ii. 42, 

 t. 58; Fl. Dan. t. 1629; Engl. Sot. t. 2221; Knapp Gram. Britt. t. 93; 

 JZunth Enum. PI. i. 302, Suppl. 256 ; Reichb. Ic. FL Germ t. 103 ; Steud. 

 Syn. Gram. 230; Ledeb. FL Ross. iv. 412; Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 543; 

 Royle III. Himal. Bot. 416; Duthie Grass. N.W. Ind. 31, Fodd. Grass. N. 

 Ind. 51. A. byzantina, C. Koch in Linnsea, xxi. (1848) 392. A. sterilis, 

 Del. ex Boiss. I. c. ; Duthie L c. 32 (non Linn.) ? A. pilosa, M.B. Griseb. in 

 Goett. Nachr. (1868) 78. 



The PANJAB, N.W. HIMALAYA, and WESTEBN TIBET, in cult, fields, ascending 

 to 9030 ft. SIKKIM HIMALAYA, alt. 9000 ft., Gammie. DISTRIB. Temp. Europe, 

 N. Africa, and N. Asia. 



Stem 1-3 ft., stout, nodes hairy. Leaves flat, scaberulous ; sheaths smooth ; 

 ligule short, torn. Panicle 6-10 in. ; branches and pedicels scabrid. Spikelets 

 about 1 in. ; rachilla hairy. Callus of gl. Ill short, obtuse, setulose ; awn stout, 

 longer than the gls. 



2. A. barbata, Brot. Fl. Lusitan. i. 108 ; softly toraentose, panicle 



T 2 



