138 SELECT PLANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CULTURE 



Festuca heterophylla, Lamarck. 



Mountains of Europe. This perennial grass attains a height of 5 

 feet ; it produces a proportionately great bulk of fodder, and serves 

 as an admixture to grasses of hay or pasture lands, particularly the 

 former (Lawson). It is best fitted for Alpine forest tracts. 



Festuca Hookeriana, F. v. Mueller.* 



Alps of Australia and Tasmania. A tall perennial grass, evidently 

 nutritious, required to be tried for culture as pasture, and perhaps 

 destined to become a meadow-grass of colder countries. It does 

 not readily produce seeds. Stands mowing and depasturing well ; 

 much liked by cattle, horses and sheep. (Th. Walton). 



Pestuca litoralis, Labillardiere 



Extra-tropical Australia and New Zealand. An important grass for 

 binding drift-sand on sea-shores. 



Festuca ovina, Linn6. 



Sheep Fescue. Europe, North and Middle Asia, North America ; 

 found also in South America and the Alps of Australia and New 

 Zealand. This species, like F. elatior, is obtainable with facility. 

 F. duriuscula, L., and F. rubra, L., are varieties. A perennial 

 grass, thriving on widely different soil, even moory and sandy 

 ground. It yields a good produce, maintains its virtue, resists 

 drought, and is also well adapted for lawns and the swards of 

 parks. F. vaginata, Willdenow, is a form particularly recom- 

 mended by Wessely for sand-soil. The chemical analysis made 

 very late in spring gave the following results : Albumen 1 -86, 

 gluten 8 '16, starch 1'45, gum 2*14, sugar 5 '05 per cent. (F. v. 

 Mueller and L. Hummel). 



Festuca purpurea, F. v. Mueller. (Uralepis purpurea, Nuttall; 



Tricuspis purpurea^ A. Gray.) 

 South-east coast of North America. A tufty sand-grass, but annual. 



Festuca silvatica, Yillars. 



Middle and South Europe. A notable forest-grass. F. drymeia 

 (Mert. and Koch), a grass with long creeping roots, is closely 

 allied. Both deserve test culture. 



Festuca spadicea, Linne. 



Alps of Europe. This grass would thrive on the heights of snowy 

 mountains. Perennial. The space does not admit of entering 

 here into further details of the respective values of many species of 

 Festuca which might advantageously be introduced from various 

 parts of the globe for rural purposes. 



