25 WAYSIDE AND WOODLAND BLOSSOMS. 



describe. The name is Greek, and signifies fodder. All the 

 species are perennial, with the exception of P. annua, which 

 is an annual, as the name indicates. It flowers from April 

 to September, and abounds in meadows, pastures and by road- 

 sides. 



The Cock's-foot-grass (Dactylis glomerata) is an ingredient 

 of most pastures, and one of our most familiar grasses. Its 

 long stout stem creeps for a distance, then rises very erectly 

 and gives off horizontal flowering branches. The violet-tinted 

 spikelets are gathered into dense one-sided clusters. Each 

 spikelet contains three or four flowers, which are supposed to 

 be arranged after the fashion of fingers on a hand, whence the 

 Greek name Daktulos, fingers. Each flowering glume ends 

 in a short awn-like point. This is the only British species. It 

 is generally distributed, and will be found in waste places as 

 well as pastures, flowering in June and July. The whole 

 plant is rough to the touch. The leaves are long, flat and 

 keeled. 



Cat's-tail, or Timothy-grass (Phleum pratense\ and 

 Yernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum}. 



Timothy is one of the most valuable of our grasses, and 

 forms an important portion of the hay crop, from the fact that 

 it is one of the earliest and most abundant species. The 

 inflorescence is a crowded spike, reminding one somewhat of a 

 miniature reproduction of the Reed-mace (Typha). The 

 spikelets are one-flowered. The outer glumes are boat-shaped, 

 with a stout green keel, fringed with stiff hairs. The flowering 

 glume is glassy, and entirely included within the outer ones, 

 from which, however, the long stamens and feathery stigmas 

 protrude. The anthers are yellow and purple. The plant is per- 

 ennial, and flowers from June to September. The name Phleum 

 is the classic Greek one for the plant. The figure represents 



