TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Bromus. 153 



3. B. 7nollis. Soft Broine-grass. 



Panicle erect, rather close, compound. Spikelets ovate, 

 downy. Florets imbricated, depressed, ribbed. Awns 

 as long as the glumes. Leaves and sheaths very soft and 

 downy. 



B. mollis, Linn.Sp.Pl.\\2. fVilld. v. \. 429. FI. Br. 126. Engl. 



Bot. V. 15. t. 1078. Tr. of L.Soc.v. 4. 284. Curt. Lond.fasc. \. 



t.8. Mart. Rust. t. 99. Knappt.77. Hook. Scot. 4]. Sincl. 59. 



Schrad. Germ. v. 1.351. Host Gram. v. \. \C). t. \9. Schreb. 



Grain, v. 1. 60. t. 6./. I, 2. Leers 37. ^. 1 1./. 1. fVeig. Obs. 7, 



t.l.f.4. Ehrh.Calam. 55. 

 B. polymorphus a. Huds. 48. 

 B. hordeaceiis. Linn. Sp. PL ed. 1. 77. 

 B. n. 1504. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 236. 



Festuca avenacea hirsuta, paniculis minus sparsis. Raii Si/n. 413. 

 Gramen avenaceum pratense, panicula squamata et villosa. Moris. 



v.3.2\3.sect.8. t.7.f. 18. 

 G. avenaceum, locustis villosls angustis candicantibus et aristatis. 



Scheuchz.Jgr. 254. f.5./. 12. 



In fields and pastures every where, as well as on waste ground, 

 walls, and banks. 



Biennial. June. 



Root fibrous, whitish. Stem 2 feet high, or more, in good ground, 

 much more dwarf, scarcely 2 or 3 inches, in dry barren places, 

 when it becomes B. nanus of Weigel, Obs. 8. t. \.f. 9, as we have 

 it from himself. The leaves are very soft to the touch, hoaiy 

 with fine, short, dense hairs, as are also the sheaths, but the 

 stem more frequently smooth, with downy joints, or knots. Sti- 

 pula short, vfith an obtuse point. Panicle 2 or 3 inches long, 

 hoary and downy all over, a little spreading when in full flower, 

 but otherwise erect and close ; its branches half-whorled ; the 

 ui)permost simple ; some of the rest more or less subdivided j 

 ail angular and downy. Spikelets numerous, nearly erect in 

 every stage of growth, ovate, acute, rather tumid. Glumes 

 downy in every part, except occasionally at the base ; those of 

 the calyx elliptical, acute ; the larger with 5 or 7 strong ribs, 

 sometimes more ; the smaller with 3. Florets 7 — 10, rarely 

 fewer, closely imbricated in every state, elliptical, concave and 

 depressed, not at all cylindrical : the outer valve with 7 strong 

 ribs, membranous at the margin, blunt and deeply cloven at the 

 extremity, with a strong straight awn continued from the midrib, 

 and about the length of the glume. Styles distant. Seed large, 

 elliptical, depressed, nearly flat, united with both valves of the 

 corolla, the inner one being obovate, entire, strongly fringed. 



This grass makes a part of the general crops of hard-land hay, but 



