BROMUS ARVEN8I8. 167 



BROMUS ARVENSIS. 

 KOCH. SMITH. LINDLEY. PARNELL. 



PLATE LVI. 

 Serrafalcus arvensis, GODRON. BABINGTON. 



The Taper Field Brome-Grass. 

 Bromus Food. Arvensis Field. 



A RARE, and by some authorities considered a doubtful British 



\ J 



J-\- species. 



Found on the coast of Durham, at Hebden-Bridge, Yorkshire, South- 

 ampton Bay, Box Hill, and about Edinburgh. 



Native of England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Norway, Germany, 

 Sweden, Lapland, and Western Asia. 



An early Grass, and useful for sheep. 



Stem upright, circular, hard, bearing four or five narrow, flat, hairy 

 leaves, with striated sheaths, which are shorter than their leaves. Joints 

 four. Inflorescence simple-panicled; branches rough. Spikelets linear- 

 lanceolate, mostly of seven awned florets, reddish brown in colour. 

 Apex of large glume midway between the base of the glume and the 

 apex of the second floret. Glumes unequal, margins membranous, keels 

 rough. Inner glume largest, and five-ribbed; outer glume three-ribbed. 

 Florets of two palese, exterior one of basal floret longer than the glumes, 

 summit bifid or entire; margins membranous. Inner palea thin, acute, 

 white, membranous, and having two green ribs fringed with colourless 

 hairs. Awns upright and rough. Styles two, and short. Stigmas 

 plumose. Filaments three. Anthers lengthy and notched at either 

 extremity. Length from ten to eighteen inches. Root annual and 

 fibrous. 



