AIRA CANESCENS. 7S> 



AIRA CANESCENS. 



HOOKER AND ARNOTT. J. E. SMITH. PARNELL. SCHRADER. 

 KNAPP. WILLDENOW. DICKSON. WITHERING. EHRHART. OEDER. 



PLATE XXIII. A. 



Corynephorus canescens, BEAUVOIS. BABINGTON. 



" " REICHENBACH. KOCH. KUNTH. 



Gramen junceum, DALECHAMPS. 



The Grey Hair-Grass. 

 Aira To destroy. Canescens To become grey. 



ONE of the rarest of the British Grasses, and consequently a useless 

 agricultural species. 



Found on the sandy coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk, Dorset, and Jersey.. 



Native of the Islands of the Mediterranean, Greece, Turkey, Spain, 

 Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, 

 Norway, and Sweden. 



Easily distinguished from all other British species in having club- 

 shaped awns, which are fringed in the centre. 



Stem upright, circular, and smooth, bearing four or five setaceous, 

 very short, rough, and glaucous leaves, with rough striated sheaths, 

 the uppermost leaf shorter than its sheath. Ligule of upper leaf acute 

 and bold. Joints three, the uppermost one naked. Inflorescence 

 compound panicled, close and compact until in flower, then spreading; 

 having a purple tinge. Branches rough, but rachis smooth. Spikelets 

 consisting of two acute, membranous, equal-sized glumes, destitute of 

 lateral ribs; keels minutely dentate, and two florets shorter than the 

 glumes. The florets composed of two equal-sized paleae, the exterior 

 one acute, base hairy, and without lateral ribs, and having a lengthy 

 dorsal awn. Inner palea ^membranaceous and narrow; apex notched. 

 Awn rising from a little above the base of the exterior paleas, and 



