BRIZA MEDIA. 135 



BRIZA MEDIA. 



LINNJEUS. HOOKER AND ARNOTT. J. E. SMITH. PARNELL. KOCH. 



KUNTH. MACREIGHT. HUDSON. WITHERING. RELHAN. SIBTHORP. 



DlCKSON. LlNDLEY. GREVILLE. BABINGTON. REICHENBACH. DfiAKIN. 



SINCLAIR. WILLDENOW. MARTYN. KNAPP. SCHRADER. HOST. 



LEERS. OEDER. RALFS. 



PLATE XLII. 



The Common Quaking Grass. 

 Briza To droop. Media Ordinary. 



BRIZA. Linnceus. The Quaking Grass. There are two British species, 

 one of which is abundant and the other rare. Name derived from the 

 Greek. 



AN exceedingly pretty Grass, very useful for decorative purposes, 

 yet not a valuable agricultural Grass, owing to its not nourishing 

 except in impoverished poor soil. 



Common in poor land throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland. 

 Found in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Prussia, 

 Russia, Turkey, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. 



It is found growing at an elevation of one thousand five hundred 

 feet. 



Stem upright, circular, smooth, and slender, bearing four flat acute 

 leaves, with smooth striated sheaths, upper one extending considerably 

 beyond its leaf, and having a short obtuse ligule at its summit. Joints 

 smooth. Inflorescence simple or compound-panicled. Panicle broad, up- 

 right, and triangular. Branches exceedingly slender, spreading, and 

 smooth, arranged in alternate pairs. Spikelets compressed, broadly ovate, 

 purple, brown, and white, pendulous on long thin footstalks, and consisting 

 of about seven awnless florets, extending beyond the calyx. Calyx of 

 two broad obtuse glumes; three-ribbed. Florets of two paleae, exterior 



