104 



BRITISH GRASSES. 



joints near the base of the stem and hidden by the sheaths 

 panicle digitate, spikes long, situated very near together, 

 simple, from three to seven in number, spreading to the 

 right and left like the open fingers of a hand ; raehis some- 

 what angular, the blunt angles minutely toothed ; spikelets 

 in pairs, dull violet in colour, leaning one way, one spikelet 

 on a footstalk, the other sessile, that with the stalk fertile, 

 the other barren (according to Dr. Parnell), both oblong 

 lanceolate and without awns ; the outermost glume is very 

 minute, sometimes abortive, the second is larger, concave, 

 acute, downy, and three-ribbed, the third is double the size 

 of the second, flat, oblong, lanceolate, and five-ribbed, it is 

 downy at the edges ; the flowering glume is the same length 

 as the third empty one, it is very smooth, generally tinged 

 with purple, and has folded margins, like the empty glumes 

 it is awnless ; the stamens are three, long and slender ; the 

 anthers short, and cloven at both ends, violet in colour; 

 stigmas also violet, and feathery ; seed glossy. 



This is an attractive grass because of its peculiar di- 

 gitate form of inflorescence. 

 Its habit is somewhat creep- 

 ing; the stems somewhat 

 procumbent at first, then 

 ascending ; owing to this 

 habit it spreads rapidly, even 

 where it is not indigenous, 

 especially when it finds it- 

 self in a rich sandy soil. It 

 is only found in England 

 where the seeds have been 

 sown accidentally. Its true 

 home is in the warmer cli- 

 mates of Europe, in North 

 Africa, America, and the 



