596 THE GEASS FAMILY. 



or erect stems, 1 to 2 or even 3 feet liigh ; the whole plant varying from a 

 bright green to a pale glaucous colour. Spikelets 8 to 10 or more, at regular 

 distances on alternate sides of a spike varying from 2 or 3 inches to twice 

 that length, each one containing 5 or 6 flowers. Glumes all alike in shape, 

 narrow and stiff, marked with 5 or more nerves, and usually pointed or ter- 

 minating in an awn, sometimes exceedingly short, sometimes as long as the 

 glume itself; the outer empty glumes about 4 lines long ; the flowering ones 

 gradually shorter, with less prominent nerves ; the terminal one usually small 

 and empty or quite rudimentary. 



In fields and waste places, throughout Europe and Russian Asia, from 

 the Mediterranean to the Arctic regions, and in North and South America. 

 Abundant in Britain. PI. summer. The Rush T. (T. junceum,'Eng. Bot. t. 

 814, and T. laxum, Brit. Fl.) appears to be merely a maritime variety of the 

 same species, much stiffer and more glaucous, with the leaves almost pun- 

 gent, and the glumes often obtuse. It is frequent on seacoasts throughout 

 the range of the common couch T., and has been often observed to pass 

 gradually Lato it. 



2. Fibrous Triticum. Triticum caninum, Euds. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1372.) 



In the structiu-e of the spikelets and their arrangement, this species closely 

 resembles the couch T., but the stems are tufted, without any creeping root- 

 stock, more leafy, and not so glaucous. Glumes rather thiimer, with 5 very 

 prominent ribs, and terminating in a rather long awn ; the outer empty 

 ones usually smaller than the flowering ones, with shorter awns, and often 

 only 3 ribs. 



In woods and shady places, in Europe and Russian Asia from the Medi- 

 terranean to the Arctic regions, and in North America. Generally distri- 

 buted over Britain, but not very common. Fl. summer. 



XXVIII. IiOIiIVni. LOLIUM. 



Spikelets several-flowered, closely sessile, and single in each notch of the 

 simple spike, the edge of the spikelet (or the backs of the glumes of one row) 

 next the axis of the spike. One or rarely 2 outer glumes empty, differing 

 but little from the flowering ones. 



A genus of very few species, natives of the temperate regions of the 

 northern hemisphere; some of them found also, either indigenous or perhaps 

 introduced, in the southern hemisphere, and even within the tropics. 



Outer glume as long as or longer than the spikelet. Some of the glumes 



with awns as long as themselves 2. Darnel L. 



Outer glume shorter than the spikelet. Awns short or none .... 1. Ryegrass L, 



1. Rye^ass Xjolium. Ijolium perenne, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 315, L. Unicola, Suppl. t. 2955, and L. multiflorum, Brit. Fl.) 

 An erect or slightly decumbent Grass, either aimual or often lasting for 

 several years, 1 to 2 feet high, leafy only in the lower part. Spike 6 inches 

 to a foot long, the spikelets at a considerable distance from each other. 

 Outer glume of the lateral spikelets empty, stiff, and strongly nerved, usually 

 much larger than the others, yet seldom attaining 6 lines and never so long 

 as the whole spikelet. Flowering glumes 8 to 16 or even more, obtuse or 

 pointed, or sometimes ending in a short awn. In the terminal spikelet the 

 second glume is usually empty, and sometimes also in the lateral spikelets. 



