Lolium.J GR AMINES, 503 



4-3. LO'LIUM, L. Rye-grass. 



Characters of Agropt/rum, but upper empty glume absent except in the 

 terminal spikelet ; lower persistent, facing the rachis. — Distrib. N. 

 temp, regions ; species 2 or 3. — Etym. An old Latin name. 



1. I*, peren'ne, L. ; perennial, empty glume shorter than the 

 spikelet. 



"Waste places, N. to Shetland ; ascends to 1,600 ft. in N. England ; Ireland ; 

 Channel Islands ; fl. May-June. — Root fibrous, stolons leafy. Stems 18 in., 

 bent below, ascending, smooth, slightly compressed. Lea-ves flat, edges and 

 upper surface scabrid ; sheaths smooth, compressed ; ligule short. Spike 

 4-10 in , strict, stout and 6-10-fld. or slender and 3-4-fld. (L. ten'ue, L.) ; 

 rachis smooth, channelled on one side. S2)ikelets ^-J in. (much longer in 

 var. ital'icum), quite smooth, shining ; empty glumes strongly ribbed, linear- 

 lanceolate ; fl. glume linear-oblong, terete, obtuse or cuspidate or awned, 

 ribbed. — Distrib. Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia ; introd. in N. America. — 

 L. ital'icum, A. Br., L. remo'tum, Schrk., L. multijlo'ra, Lamk., and L. 

 peren'ne, var. arista'ta, are cultivated annual or biennial forms, with many 

 flowers, not known in a wild state. — L. festuca! ceum, Link (Festuca lolia'cea, 

 Curt., not Huds.), is a hybrid with F. ela'tior (Nyman). 



2. L, temulen'tum, L. ; annual, empty glume equalling or exceeding 

 the spikelets. Darnel. 



Cornfields, N. to Shetland; Ireland; Channel Islands; (a colonist, Wats.); 

 fl. June-Aug. — Similar to L. peren'ne, but always annual, without stolons, 

 empty glume longer, and fl. glumes more turgid, awn short or long or 

 (L. arven'se, With.). — Distrib. Europe, N. Africa, W. Siberia, India ; 

 introd. in N. America. — Fruit very poisonous. 



44. AGROPY'RUM, /. Gcertn. 



Perennial grasses. Spikelets solitary, sessile, distichous, compressed, 

 spiked, inserted broadside to the rachis, 3-many-fld. ; rachilla usually 

 jointed between the fl. glumes. Empty glumes 2, shorter than the flower- 

 ing, unequal. Fl. glumes rigid, awned or not ; nerves, 5-7, meeting in 

 the tip. Palea with ciliate keels. Scales ovate, entire, ciliate . Stamens 

 3. Ovary hairy at the top ; stigmas distant, subsessile, feathery. Fruit 

 grooved, usually adherent to the palea. — Distrib. All temp, climates ; 

 species 20. — Etym. The classical name. 



1. A. cani'num, Bcauv. ; root fibrous, stolons 0, empty glumes 3-5- 



ribbed, fl. glumes 2-5-nerved. Triticum, Huds. 



Woods, banks, and waste places, from Sutherland southd ; ascends to 1,300 ft. 

 in Yorkshire ; Ireland ; fl. July. — Bright green. Stems 1-3 ft., slender. 

 Spike 2-10 in., very slender, often flexuous and nodding ; rachis with 

 scabrid edges. Spikelets ^-'^ in., green, rather slender; pedicel very short, 

 pubescent or glabrous ; empty glumes scabrid, cuspidate or shortly awned, 

 nerves usually 3, very firm ; fl. glumes linear-lanceolate, smooth except at 

 the 5-nerved tip ; awn scabrid, longer or shorter than the palea, — Distrib. 

 Europe, Siberia, Himalaya, N. America. 



