80 TlilANDHIA DIGYNIA. [CL. III. 



drooping; flowers pendulous ; spikelet with two perfect flowers. Root 



creeping : straw about a foot high : leaves nearly smooth : panicle gene- 

 rally with undivided branches. Perennial : flowers in June and July : 

 grows in woods, chiefly in Scotland and the North of England: frequent. 

 Eng. Bot. vol. xv. pi. 1059. Eng. Fl. vol. i. p. 113. 146. 



3. M. caerulea. Purple Melic-grass. Panicle close, erect ; spikelets 



cylindrical, erect Root large, of numerous long, thick fibres : straw 



about two feet high, enlarged at the base : leaves covered with scattered 

 hairs above : panicle oblong, with numerous waved branches, and pur- 

 plish brown flowers. This grass is made into ropes in the Hebrides. 

 The butter of cows which feed upon it is very rich, and highly coloured. 

 Perennial : flowers in June and July : grows abundantly on heaths, 

 especially such as are moist. Eng. Bot. vol. xi. pi. 750. Eng. Fl. 

 vol. i. p. 113. 147. 



27. SESLE'RIA. MOOR-GRASS. 



Calyx of two nearly equal, pointed, keeled, slightly awned 

 chaff-scales, containing two or three perfect flowers. Corolla of 

 two lance-shaped, acute husks, the outer toothed, the inner cleft. 

 Filaments hair-like, a little longer than the husks ; anthers pro- 

 truded, linear, notched at both ends. Germen small, egg-shaped. 

 Styles united; stigma long, downy. Seed loose, covered with 

 the membranous husks. Named after Leonard Sesler, an Italian 

 botanist. 43. 



1. S. cacrulca. Blue Moor-grau. Spike egg-shaped, imbricated ; 



bracteas alternate ; outer husk with three teeth. Root of long fibres : 



straw about eight inches high, smooth : leaves rough on the edges and 

 keel, with short sheaths: spike erect, bluish-grey, shining : chaff-scales 

 and outer husk fringed, the latter with three teeth at the end. Peren- 

 nial : flowers in April and May : grows on mountains in Scotland and 

 the North of England. Eng. Bot. vol. xxiii. pi. 1613. Eng. Fl. vol. i. 

 p. 114. 148. 



28. HIERO'CHLOE. HOLY-GRASS. 



Calyx of two nearly equal, egg-shaped, acute, awnless, mem- 

 branous chaff-scales, containing three flowers, of which the upper 

 is perfect, the others stamen iferous. Corolla of two unequal mem- 

 branous husks; the outer larger, egg-shaped; the inner much 

 narrower, extremely thin, notched, inflected at the edges. Nectary 

 a membranous scale. Filaments hair-like, two in the perfect 

 flower, three in the barren ones; anthers linear, protruded, pen- 

 dulous. Germen egg-shaped. Styles short, distinct ; stigmas 

 linear, feathery. Seed egg-shaped, small, loose, invested by the 

 unaltered husks. Named from hieros, sacred, and chloe, grass. 



44. 



1. H. boredlis. Northern Holy-grass. Panicle somewhat unilateral, 

 with smooth flower-stalks ; perfect flower awnless, the others slightly 



awned; leaves flat. Root creeping : straws from twelve to eighteen 



inches high, erect, smooth : panicle erect, with waved branches : outer 

 husks fringed. Perennial: flowers in May and June: found by Mr. 

 G. Don in the valley of Kella, in Angus-shire ; Moftat Hills, Dumfries- 

 shire. Eng. Bot. Suppl. pi. 2641. Eng. Ft. vol. i. p. 111. 149. 



