FESTUCA.] GRAMINE^E. 497 



Woods in hilly districts, from l^anff and Inverness to Wilts and Sussex ; 

 absent in E. England and ? Wales ; rare in Ireland ; fl. July. Root fibrous ; 

 stolons short. Stems 2-3 ft., stiff, erect, smooth, terete. Leaves J-J in., 

 broad, glaucous above, edges scabrid ; sheaths almost smooth, lower lax 

 leafless brown. Panicle 3-6 in., ovate, much branched ; rachis and 2-4-nate 

 branches very slender, slightly scabrid. Spikelets in., broadly ovate, 

 small, flat, pale yellow-green; axis scabrid ; empty glumes linear-subulate; 

 fl. glumes spreading, slender, acuminate, shortly awned, scaberulous. 

 DISTRIB. W. Europe to Austria, Germany, and Italy. F. decid'ua, Sm., is 

 a narrower-leaved 2-3-fld. variety. 



SECTION 2. Festu'ca proper. Perennial. Lower (or all) leaves seta- 

 ceous ; ligule auricled. Spikelets panicled. Flowers 3-androus ; awn 

 short. 



5. F. ovi'na, L. ; glaucous, leaves setaceous or upper flat, ligule 2 -lobed, 

 panicle subunilateral, spikelets 3-12-fld. purplish, fl. glumes terete mucro- 

 iiate or shortly awned. 



Dry hilly pastures, woods, &c., N. to Shetland, at all elevations ; Ireland ; 

 Channel Islands ; fl. June-July. One of the most abundant grasses, 3-24 

 in., slender, variable in size, colour, and habit ; the following sub-species 

 express its principal modifications. DISTBIB. Europe, N. Africa, Siberia, 

 Himalaya, N. and S. America, Mts. of Australasia. 



F. OVI'NA proper ; densely tufted, leaves all setaceous, sheaths glabrous, panicle 

 contracted subsecund, spikelets small 3-5-fld., fl. glumes in. mucronate 

 or awned often viviparous. Upland copses, moors and sandy places; 

 ascends to 4,300 ft. (Arctic). Syme has grouped the prevalent forms as 

 follows : F. ovi'na proper ; leaves setaceous flaccid green, radical short, fl. 

 glumes awned. F. tenuifo'lia,S\}>ih. ; leaves setaceous flaccid green radical 

 longer, fl. glume mucronate. YAR. F. glau'ca, Lamk. ; leaves stouter, rigid, 

 glaucous, radical short often recurved, fl. glume awned. YAR. ma'jor ; 

 taller, panicle larger, stem leaves broader than the radical, fl. glume usually 

 awned. 



Sub-sp. F. DURIUS'CULA, L ; less densely tufted, stoloniferous, stem-leaves 

 flat, sheaths downy, panicle more open, spikelets usually many-fld., fl. 

 glumes ^ in. narrow. F. cce'sia, Sm. ? Pastures and meadows ; ascends to 

 2,700 ft. in the Highlands. 



Sub-sp. F. RTJ'BRA, L. ; taller, laxly tufted, stoloniferous, leaves flat or invo- 

 lute, lower sheaths hairy, panicle effuse subsecund, spikelets pale red, fl. 

 glumes ^-^ in. broader awned. Shaded places in low grounds. YAR. 

 F. arena'ria, Osb. (F. sabulic'ola, Duf., F. oraria, Dum., F. rubra, Sm. not 

 L.) ; rigid, creeping, leaves all involute. Sandy shores. 



SECTION 3. Vul'pia, Gmel. (gen.). Annual. Leaves setaceous. Panicle 

 contracted. Spikelets secund, racemose or spiked. Fl. glume awned. 

 Stamens 1-3. 



6. F. Myu'ros, L. ; panicle branched at the base only very long and 

 slender, lower empty glurne small, fl. glumes 5-8 equalling their slender 

 awns, stamens 1-3. 



Walls , sandy and gravelly pastures, N. to Sutherland ; Mid. and S. Ireland ; 

 Channel Islands; fl. June. Root fibrous. Stems 6-18 in., very slender, 



K K 



