ALOPECURUS AGRESTIS. 11 



ALOPECURUS AGRESTIS. 



LINNAEUS. WILLDENOW. SMITH. MARTYN. HOOKER AND ARNOTT. 

 LEERS. KNAPP. SCHRADER. SCHREBER. EHRHART. SINCLAIR. 



PLATE IV. 

 Alopecurus myosuriodes, HUDSON. CURTIS. 



The Slender Fox-tail Grass. 

 Alopecurus Fox-tail. Agrestis A field. 



A USELESS agricultural Grass, indeed cattle refuse to feed upon 

 -LJL. it; when once it takes possession of a field it is difficult to 

 eradicate, and causes much trouble to farmers when growing amongst 

 wheat. It is perhaps better known under the name of "Black- 

 bent." Where it flourishes it proclaims that the land is in a poor 

 condition, for it grows most luxuriantly when the land is in that 

 state. 



It appears almost confined to England, as it is rare and local in 

 Scotland. Unknown in Ireland. It is common in the south of Europe, 

 but does not extend north of latitude 56. It has not been found in 

 America. 



In England it is found in Devonshire, Somersetshire, Sussex, 

 Surrey, Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge, Bedford, Ox- 

 ford, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, 

 Cheshire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. 



Fields and way-sides. 



Panicle upright, slender, attenuated, compact, two or three inches 

 long, deposited in short branches all round the rachis. Spikelets oval, 

 consisting of one awned floret of an equal length with the calyx; 

 compressed and numerous. Calyx consisting of two acute membranous 

 glumes of the same length, joined near the base; keels hirsute, and 

 having two green smooth ribs on each side. Floret of one palea, 



