BBOMUS STERILIS. 161 



BROMUS STERILIS. 



LINNAEUS. HOOKER AND ARNOTT. SMITH. PARNELL. GREVILLE. 



LlNDLEY. HOST. KOCH. WlLLDENOW. CURTIS. MARTYN. 



KNAPP. GERARDE. SINCLAIR. SCHRADER. LEERS. EHRHART. KUNTH. 



BABINGTON. MACREIGHT. DEAKIN. 



PLATE LIII. 

 Bromus grandiflorus, WEIGEL. 



The Barren Brome- Grass. 

 Bromus Food. Sterilis Barren. 



A COMMON, road-side, useless agricultural Grass, growing iu dry 

 1\ shady situations. 



Found in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, 

 Norway, Sweden, Lapland, and Northern Africa. 



Stem circular, rough, and striated, carrying four or five flat, linear, 

 pubescent, acute leaves, with rough striated sheaths, the upper one 

 of the same length as its leaf, and having a blunt ragged ligule at 

 the apex. Joints five, naked. Inflorescence panicled, pale green in 

 colour, and sometimes tinged with purple. Panicle spreading and 

 drooping, having long, slender, rough branches. Spikelets mostly of 

 eight awned florets, lanceolate and lengthy. Calyx of two unequal 

 acute glumes, the upper one having three rough ribs, the lower one 

 destitute of lateral ribs. Florets of two paleae, the exterior one of 

 basal floret longer than the calyx; margins membranous; summit bifid; 

 seven-ribbed, the dorsal rib ending in a rough awn, which is longer 

 than the palea. Inner palea shorter, and having two green marginal 

 ribs. Length from one to two feet. Root annual and creeping. 



Flowers towards the close of June, and the seeds become ripe in a 

 month. 



