TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Elymus. 177 



Large, rigid, or coarse, mostly perennial, grasses; various 

 in aspect ; some foreign species ai'e conspicuous for their 

 long aisons. 



1 . E. areriarms. Upright Sea Lyme-grass. 



Spike upright, close ; main stalk not winged. Calyx lan- 

 ceolate, the length of the spikelets. Leaves spinous- 

 pointed. 



E. arenarius. Linn. Sp. PI. 122. fVilld. v. 1.467. Fl. Br. 152. 



Engl. Bot. V. 24. t. 1672. Knapp t. 108. Mart. Rust. t. 31. 



Hook. Scot. 46. Schrad. Germ. zj. 1. 401. Schreb. Gram. v. 2. 



85. <.40. Fl. Dan. t. 847 . 

 Triticum n. 56. Gmel. Sib. v.l.lW.t. 25. 

 Spartum herba 4 Batavicum. Clus. Hist. v. 2. 221. f. 



On the sandy sea shore. 



In the isle of Bute, and in Devonshire. Huds. In various parts of 

 Scotland. Hooker. Abundant on the north coast of Norfolk. 



Perennial. July, but rarely. 



Root widely creeping. Stems 3 or 4 feet high, erect, firm, reed- 

 like, hollow, round, striated, leafy chiefly at the base. Leaves 

 hard and rigid, very glaucous, spinous-pointed, one or two feet 

 long, involute ; their upper surface marked with strong rough 

 furrows ; the under side quite smooth. Sheaths long, close, 

 furrowed, smooth. Stipula very short. Spike erect, close, glau- 

 cous, C — 14 inches long. Glumes finely downy. Florets about 

 3 in each spikelet, rarely 4 ; the uppermost, in either case, usu- 

 ally wanting the germen. 



As this plant rarely flowers on our coasts, it is often overlooked for 

 Arundo arenaria,p. 171 ; but the short stipula essentially di- 

 stinguishes this Elymus, which is perhaps the very best of all 

 plants to resist the force of the sea. 



2. E. genkulatus. Pendulous Sea Lyme-grass. 



Spike bent perpendicularly downward, lax; main stalk 

 winded. Calyx awl-sliaped, longer than the spikelets. 

 Leaves spinous-pointed. 



E. geniculatus. Curt. Brit. Gr. 46. Fl. Br. 133. Engl. Bot. v.23. 

 t. 1586. Knapp t. 109. Sincl. 269. 



Elymus. Linn. Am. Acad. v.7.\^2. t.2.f.o. With.v.\.\34.t.2. 



/.26. 

 In marshes near the coast, rare. 

 Near Gravesend, Mr. Dickson. 

 Perennial. July. . 



Root of several downy fibres, scarcely creepmg. Whole plant 

 glaucous, larger than the foregoing, but more slender in habit. 



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