LOLIUM.J GEAMINE^. 503 



4-3. liO'LIUM, L. RYE-GRASS. 



Characters of Agropy'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. Ii. 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. Leaves 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. Spikelets $- in. (much longer in 

 var. ital'icuwi), 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. multiflo'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. fextuca'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. perertne, 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, J. Gcertn. 



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

 spiked, inserted broadside to the rachis, 3-rnany-fld. ; rachjlla 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. DISTEIB. 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 ^-f 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. 



