80 AMMOPHILA. [CLASS in. ORDXK n. 



cut up with other hay of a finer quality, either for horses or other cattle, 

 The tough long underground stems are of considerable utility in forti- 

 fying the banks, and resisting the encroachments, of rapid streams. 



GENUS XVII. AMMOTHILA. HOST. Sea-reed. 



GEN. CHAR. Panicle spiked. Glumes nearly equal, keeled. Glu- 

 melles shorter than the glumes, hairy at the base, the outer valve 

 awned beneath the bifid apex. Name from a/^po?, sand, and 

 ?>yof, a lover ; the plant delighting to grow in loose sand. 



1. A. arundina'cea, Host. (Fig. 99.) common Sea-reed, Sea Mat- 

 weed. Panicle spiked, pointed, glumes acute, outer one shortest, 

 glumelles surrounded with short hairs, inner valve with an abor- 

 tive hairy floret at its base. 



Hooker, British Flora, vol. i. p. 34. Ammo'phila arena'ria, Lindley, 

 Synopsis, p. 302. Arun'do arena'ria, Linn. English Botany, t. 520. 

 English Flora, vol. i. p. 172. Sinclair, Hort. Gram. Woburn. p. 371. 



Root with very long, tough, jointed underground stems. Stem from 

 two to three feet high, erect, often bent near the base, round, smooth, 

 finely striated, very rigid. Leaves long, narrow, the edges rolled in- 

 wards, rigid, with a very sharp point, smooth, glaucous. Sheaths close, 

 smooth, striated. Ligula long, lanceolate, generally torn. Inflores- 

 cence a compact spiked panicle, swelled in the middle, a pale green or 

 straw colour. Glumes with a slight rib on each side, rough on the keel, 

 especially towards the extremity, the keel of the inner valve terminating 

 in a short point between the bifid apex. Glumelles of two valves, 

 shorter than the glumes, roughish, with minute points, and surrounded 

 at the base with a tuft of glossy bristles, outer valve the largest, with 

 two ribs on each side, the keel terminating in a rough point, shorter 

 than the acute membranous lobes on each side of it, inner valve smaller, 

 with two slight lateral ribs, and two dorsalones; between the two latter, 

 which run nearly parallel with each other, is a sinus, the whole length 

 of the valve, having imbedded in the lower part of it a hairy awn-like 

 abortive valve, about one-third the length, which arises from the recep- 

 tacle above the insertion of the valve of the perfect floret. Glumellules 

 long, lanceolate. Anthers linear, orange or purplish. Styles distinct, 

 erect. Stigmas feathery. 



Habitat. Frequent on loose sandy sea-coasts. 



Perennial ; flowering in July. 



The long tough creeping underground stems, which send out roots 

 from the numerous joints, are of vast utility in preventing the sand 

 from being drifted inland from the sea coast, and in binding the em- 

 bankments raised either by natural or artificial means, as a barrier to 

 the encroachments of the sea. 



