TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Bromus. 151 



long, compressed, imbricated spikclct, of many alternate, 

 two-ranked, awned, perfect Jlorets. Cor. of 2 unequal 

 valves ; the outer elliptical, rarely lanceolate, concave, 

 scarcely compressed, more or less ribbed, longer than the 

 calyx, flat, or a little inflexed, at the edges ; cloven at the 

 summit; awned at the back just below the summit; unson 

 tapering, wavy, direct, generally as long as the glume, 

 or longer, decurrent at the base ; inner glume nearly as 

 long as the outer, but much narrower, two-ribbed, cloven 

 or entire at the summit, its margins membranous, folded 

 in at each rib, which is strongly fringed with rather di- 

 stant bristles, curved upward. Isect. a deeply divided 

 scale, or of 2 distinct entire ones. Filam. capillaiy, shorter 

 than the cor., sometimes but 2. Anth. generally short, pen- 

 dulous, notched at each end. Germ, ovate. Styles distant, 

 lateral. Stigmas densely feathery. Seed elliptic-oblong, 

 depressed, downy at the summit, concave or channelled 

 on the upper side, which is united to the unchanged in- 

 ner valve of the corolla, the other valve being usually 

 loose. 



Root mostly annual or biennial ; perhaps always one or the 

 other in the genuine species. Stems one or more, erect, 

 simple, leafy. Herbage more or less downy, or hairy. 

 Panicle somewhat branched, many-flowered. 



1 . B. secalinus. Smooth Rye Brome-grass. 



Panicle spreading; slightly subdivided below. Spikelets 

 ovate, of about ten, distinct, somewhat cylindrical, smooth 

 florets. Awns wavy, shorter than the glumes. Leaves 

 slightly hairy. 



B. secalinus. Linn. Sp. PL \ 12. mild. v. \ . 428. Fl. Br. 125. 

 Engl. Bot. v.l7.t.ll7}. Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. 4. 281 . K7mpp 

 t. 79. Hook. Scot. 41 . Schrad. Germ. v. 1 . 347. Ho.st Gram. 

 v.].l0.t.]2. Ehrh.Calam.45. Leers 36. t. \ I. f. 2, not ex- 

 cellent. 



B. polymorphus y. Huds. 49. 



B. vitiosus. IVeig. Obs. 4. t. 1./. 2. 



Festuca avenacea, spicis habitioribus, glumis glabris. Eaii Syn.4 14. 



F. graminea, glumis glabris. Schenchz. Agr. 251 . ^ 5./. 10. 



Gramen avenaceum, locustis majoribus squamatis, scgetale majus 

 Moris. V. 2. 2\2. sect. 8. t.7.f. 16. 



In cornfields. 



Annual. July — September. 



