HIEROCHLOE.] GRAMINSJB, 473 



pedicelled, 5-nerved, awned or not. Palea of the 2-sexual fl. keeled, 

 1 -nerved ; of the male fl. 2-nerved. Scales lanceolate. Ovary glabrous ; 

 styles long, stigmas feathery. Fruit terete, free. DISTRIB. Arctic and 

 cold regions ; species 10. ETYM. t'e/xfe and x^6a, sacred grass, from its 

 being formerly strewed on church floors. 



H.borea'lis, R. and S. ; fl. glumes shortly awned near the tip. 

 Wet banks, Caithness, (Forfar, extinct) ; fl. May- June. Rootstock creeping. 

 Stems 10-18 in., tufted, smooth, glabrous. Leaves flat, acute, edges scabrid ; 

 sheaths smooth ; ligule long. Panicle pyramidal, subunilateral, sparingly 

 branched, pedicels smooth. Spikelets ^ in. broad, ovate, fulvous or brown, 

 shining; empty glumes membranous, translucent, acute, toothed, mucro- 

 nate ; fl. glumes similar, of the male fl. hispid, ciliate ; of the 2-sexual fl. 

 hairy above. DISTRIB. Arctic, Alpine, and N. Europe, N. and W. Asia, 

 N. America. 



8. AiiOPECU'RUS, L. FOX-TAIL GRASS. 



Spikelets much laterally compressed, crowded in spike-like cylindric pani- 

 cles, jointed on the pedicel, 1-fld. Empty glumes subequal, often connate be- 

 low, a little exceeding the flowering. Fl. glume hyaline, convolute, edges 

 often connate at the base, 3-nerved ; awn bent, dorsal. Palea (in British 

 species). Scales 0. Stamens 3. Ovary glabrous ; styles distinct or con- 

 nate, stigmatic hairs short simple. Fruit laterally compressed, enclosed 

 in the palea. DISTRIB. N. and S. temp, and eold regions ; species 20. 

 ETYM. aAo7r^| and ovpd, fox-tail. 



* Empty glumes connate to or nearly to the middle. 



1. A. agres'tis, L. ; panicle acute, keel of subglabrous glumes narrowly 

 winged shortly ciliate, awn twice as long as the fl. glume. 



Fields and roadsides, from Cumberland southd. ; a casual N. of it ; Channel 

 Islands ; fl. May-Oct. Annual, scaberulous. Stems 1-2 ft., lowest inter- 

 node prostrate. Leaves flat, edges rough; sheath smooth; ligule large, 

 truncate. Panicle 2-3 in., slender, often purplish, flexuous; branches very 

 short, hairy, with 2 spikelets. Empty glumes % in., lanceolate, pale, con- 

 nate to the middle, acute, incurved ; fl. glume a little exserted, glabrous. 

 DISTRIB. Europe, N. Africa, Siberia; introd. in N. America. A troublesome 

 weed. 



2. A. alpi'nus, Stn. panicle short ovoid obtuse, keel of acute silky 

 empty glumes silkily ciliate, awn very short. 



Springs and edges of alpine streams, alt. 2,100 to 3,600 ft., Ross, Aberdeen, 

 Perth, Forfar, Inverness ; fl, July-Aug. Perennial. Stems creeping below, 

 then erect, 6-18 in., rather stout, smooth, contracted at the top. Lea vex 

 short, broad, flat ; sheaths inflated, upper much longer than its leaf; ligule 

 short, obtuse. Panicle ^- in., ^-5 in. broad, dense ; branches with 4-6 

 spikelets, short, silky. Empty glumes in., ovate, very silky, shining ; 

 fl. glume glabrous, obtuse; awn variable, dorsal, rarely (); anthers 

 linear, yellow. DISTRIB. Arctic regions, Fuegia. VAR, Watso'ni, Syme, 



