CLASS III. ORDER II.] AGROSTIS. 91 



Habitat. In Scotland very rare. White Muir Marsh, Forfar 

 Mr. J. D. Hooker; where it was first discovered by Mr. G. Don, "but 

 it does not now exist there. Near Rescobie, Forfar. T. Drummond." 

 Perennial, flowering in June. 



This species, it will be observed, in many respects is nearly allied 

 to Ammo'phila arundina' cea, especially in the shortness of the hairs 

 surrounding the base of the glumelles, and the abortive hairy valve, a 

 structure which we have not found in either of the other species of 

 this genus, but which is constant in this, and remains unaltered after 

 long cultivation. 



GENUS XXV. AGROS'TIS. LINN. Bent-grass. 



GEN.' CHAR. Panicle loose. Glumes two, unequal, longer than the 

 glumelles. Glumelles two, unequal, the shorter valve largest, with 

 or without an awn, the inner one sometimes absent. Name from 

 ay?o?, a field; because the species are frequent in open situations. 



1. A. cani'na, Linn. (Fig. 115.) broivn Bent-grass. Panicle spreading, 

 its branches long, slender, rough; glumes lanceolate, unequal; 

 keel rough; glumella of one valve, with an awn from below the 

 middle ; stem decumbent and rooting. 



English Botany, t. 1856. English Flora, vol. i. p. 90. Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 37. Tricho'dium cani'num, Schrader, Lindley, 

 Synopsis, p. 303. Agros'tis cani'na fascicula'ris, p. 279. A. cani'na 

 capil'laris, p. 300. A. stne'ta, p. 274. A. cani'na var. mu'tica, p. 

 341. Sinclair, Hort. Gram. Woburn. 



Root tough and fibrous, putting up numerous tufts of stems, which 

 are decumbent at the base, and taking root from the joints, erect in the 

 upper part, from one to three feet high; slender, smooth, faintly striated, 

 leafy. Leaves more or less rough on both sides, short, narrow, the 

 edges incurved, the radical ones generally so much so as to be setaceous, 

 fleshy, and swollen at the base. Sheaths close, striated, smooth. Lin- 

 gula lanceolate at length torn. Inflorescence^ an) erect panicle, its 

 branches slender, rough, unequally whorled, erect close, spreading only 

 when in flower. Florets erect. Glumes lanceolate, rough on the keel, 

 spreading shining purplish, sometimes green, or a pale yellowish colour; 

 outer valve somewhat larger than the inner. Glumelles of one lanceolate 

 pale membranous valve, a little shorter than the inner valve of the glumes, 

 entire, with a dorsal jointed awn arising from the middle of the valve, 

 and two, sometimes four lateral ribs. Smith and Leers have occasionally 

 found a second valve, but this we have not seen, nor yet has the accurate 

 Dr. Hooker ; sometimes at the base of the valve we have observed a 

 few short silky hairs ; the aim varies in length, sometimes it extends 

 some length beyond the glumes, at others it is within or scarcely to be 



