26 Mr. Woods on the Genera of European Grasses. 



outer palca of the perfect floret being always within the outer glumes. The 

 glumes are large, nearly equal, completely inclosing the florets. I have ad- 

 mitted amongst them Zeu and Li/geutn without being able to give a good 

 reason for doing so. The latter especially seems to me to have little relation- 

 ship to the rest of the tribe ; but I follow Kunth, since I know not where to 

 place them better. 



1. Pluilaris. Glumes navicular, carinate, herbaceo-membranous, including. 



External florets, scale-like, neuter. Paleae coriaceous, closely investing 

 the seed. 



2. Antlioxanthum. Glumes membranous, including. External florets neuter, 



each of one large palca, botli of them awned. Perfect floret diandrous. 

 Paleœ scariose. 



■3. Hicrovhloa. Glumes membranous, thin. External florets triandrous. Per- 

 fect floret diandrous. Pakve firmer than the glumes. 



4. Zeu. Barren florets 2 in a spicula, disposed in a terminal panicle. Fertile 

 floret 1 in each spicula, with external abortive rudiments disposed in a 

 dense lateral spike. 



h. Lygeum. Glumes 0. Spiculae all fertile, in pairs or threes, uniting at last 

 to form a 2- or 3-seeded nut. 



Phalaris has in most species two small fleshy scales at the base of the per- 

 fect floret, often tipt with hairs, and I think I can sometimes discern traces 

 of a filmy interior palea. In P. canariensis the additional floret is larger and 

 more like the paleœ of the perfect floret both in size and substance than it is 

 in any other European species. 



1 have no hesitation in considering the j)arts whicii used to be described as 

 the corolla of Anthoxanthum as abortive florets, be(;ause I think the presence 

 of a midrib and central awn a very strong proof that the upper of these cannot 

 be an interior palea. This genus and Hierochloa I am quite disposed to 

 place with the Phalarldeœ ; but I find it more difficult to say why Arrhena- 

 THKRUM should uot also be placed amongst them. It has, however, only one 

 barren floret, without any rudiment or indication of a second, and the fertile 

 floret is consecpiently placed within tlie superior glume as in the Panicea\ 

 Kunth attributes to it the filiform rudiment of a superior floret, which is not 



