172 TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Lolium. 



Spartum anglicanum. Ger. Em. 42./. 



Frequent on the sandy sea coast. 



Perennial. July. 



Root jointed, creeping very extensively. Whole plant glaucous. 

 Stems ascending, 2 or 3 feet high, round, finely striated, very 

 smooth, almost solid. Leaves narrow, rigid, sharp-pointed, in- 

 volute ; furrowed above ; very smooth beneath. Sheaths close, 

 striated, nearly or quite smooth. Stipula lanceolate, pointed, 

 near an inch long, mostly divided, or torn. Panicle erect, quite 

 close, cylindrical, tapering at each end, perfectly resembling a 

 spike, straw-coloured, many-flowered ; the branches short, erect, 

 not much divided, close-pressed, angular and rough. Calyx- 

 valves nearly equal, lanceolate, keeled, compressed, rough at the 

 keel ; the inner one rather the largest, with a rib at each side ; 

 outer with a minute point below the summit. Corolla very like 

 the calyx, but rather smaller, and more ribbed, its outer valve 

 bearing a small short dorsal awn, below the top. Hairs chiefly 

 attached to the inner valve, and scarcely half its length. Nectary 

 longer than the germen. Styles distinct, erect, with long cylin- 

 drical feathery stigmas. 



One of the most valuable grasses for binding the sand of the sea 

 shore, and raising those banks, which in Norfolk, and especially 

 in Holland, are the chief defence of the country, against the en- 

 croachments of the ocean. Elymus arenarius, Carex arenaria, 

 and even Festuca rubra, contribute to the same end. 



57. LOLIUM. Darnel. 



Linn. Gen. 38. Juss.31. Fl. Br. 148. Lam. t. 48. 



Common receptacle, or main stalk, many-flowered, con- 

 tinuous, elongated, channelled alternately, at each side, to 

 receive the separate spikelets. Cal, of one valve, opposite 

 to each channel, lanceolate, slightly concave, permanent, 

 containing a compressed spikelet of numerous two-ranked 

 Jlorets ; there is sometimes a small inner valve, in the 

 channel. Cor. of 2 unequal valves, opposite to the calyx ; 

 the outer lanceolate, or elliptical, concave, somewhat 

 keeled, acute, cloven at the point, more or less awned; 

 the aison terminating the keel, at the cleft of the valve, 

 nearly straight, various in length, sometimes scarcely dis- 

 cernible; inner valve eUiptic-oblong, rather smaller, in- 

 flexed at the edges. Nectary of two, sometimes cloven, 

 scales. Filam. capillary, shorter than the corolla. Anth. 

 cloven at each end. Germen obtuse. Styles very short. 

 Stigmas oblong, feathery along the upper side. Seed el- 

 liptic-oblong, channelled in front, where it is united to 



