542 



CVII. GRAMINE^. 



[MoUili 



la. 



-■ • 



lets obtuse at the base, florets scarcely villous at the base 

 shorter than the glumes, awn inserted below the middle jointed 

 longer than the glumes, leaves setaceous. JE. B. t. 812 : Parn. 

 Gr. t. 24. 



J 



Gravelly hills and pastures, frequent. 21. 6, 7 Culms 2 — 6 or 



8 inches high. Leaves short, few. Panicle trichotomous. Florets 

 silvery-grey. Glumes nearly equal, ovate, gibbous at the base, 1- 

 nerved, the upper part pellucid and white, Glumellas scabrous at the 

 back, at length brown, firm, and inclosing the caryopsiSy apex bifid, 



6. A. prce'cox L. {early H,) ; panicle contracted oblong, 

 spikelets somewhat acute at the base, florets scarcely villous at 

 the base about as long as the glumes, awn twisted inserted 

 below the middle and usually near the base longer than the 

 glumes, leaves setaceous. E. B. t. 1296 : Parn. Gr. t. 25. 



Sandy hills and pastures. ©. 5, 6, — . Culms 1 — 3 inches high. 

 Panicle few-flowered, pale silvery-green. Glumes ovate-lanceolate, 

 scabrous ; when seen under a good glass both are 1 -nerved ; glumellas 

 narrow, acuminate, scabrous, the point bifid. — These two last species 

 have the habit of Aira, but are scarcely distinct from the 2-flowered 

 species o( Avena, on account of the glumellas hardening and inclosing 

 the caryopsis, except by the glumes having only a central nerve. 



17. MoLiNiA Mcench. Molinia. 



Panicle somewhat contracted or spreading. Spikelets awnless, 

 oblong-cylindrical, with 1 — 5 (or more) perfect Jlorets and 



Glumes 2, 



Glumellas 



usually a subulate rudimentary upper neuter one. 



acute, shorter than the florets, unequal, 1 -nerved. 



2 ; outer one rounded on the back, glabrous, entire at the end, 



at length cartilaorinous and covering the free caryopsis, — Named 



in honour of Don Giovanni Ignatio Molina^ who wrote an 



account of the Natural History of Chili, published in 1782. 



1. M. ccerulea Mcench (purple M.) ; panicle erect somewhat 

 contracted, spikelets erect, outer glumella usually 3-nerved, 

 culm with one knot near the base. 



spikelets 2 

 tt. 20, 230. 



3 flowered, outer glumella 3-nerved. 

 Melica L. : E. B. t. 75C 



a. panicle bluish-purple, 



Parn. Gr» 



spikelets 1 -flowered, outer glumella 3 



jS. panicle pale green 

 5-nerved. M. 



perata Lindl : Parn. Gr. t. 19. Melica alpina Don. 



depau- 



Wet heathy places and moors, frequent, 

 an elevation of 3,000 feet. 



)3. Clova mountains at 



2 feet high or 



more. 



%. 7, 8.— Culms I- 

 AU the leaves^ which are long, linear, and acuminate, spring 

 from the base, or from a single joint immediately above it. Panicle 

 2 — 8 inches in length, bluish-purple, rarely green. Glumes lan- 

 ceolate, nearly equal. Florets generally 2 perfect and 1 sterile; but, 

 if M. altissima of Link be only a variety, as supposed by Kunth, 

 the spikelets are sometimes many-flowered. Anthers large, purple. 

 Brooms are made of the culms in England, according to Withering : 



