PHALARIS. 119 



nent pastures, where it may be considered as the flavour- 

 ing of the hay crop. It is not particular in its choice of 

 soil or situation, but may easily be introduced into any 

 moderate land. This grass is frequent throughout Europe 

 and North America. 



Genus VI. PHALARIS. 



Gen. Char. Spikelets containing one floret ; outer glumes 

 two, nearly equal, boat-like, the keel winged, the two 

 pressed closely together ; flowing glumes smaller, concealed 

 within the closed outer ones, lanceolate, acute ; paleae ob- 

 long, concave, acute ; scales lanceolate, pellucid, pointed, 

 tumid at the base ; stamens three, filaments capillary, an- 

 thers oblong, notched at each end; styles two, slender; 

 stigmas hairy ; ovary ovate. 



Phalaris canariensis, Linn. Canary-grass. 



Root annual, fibrous, the fibres very white ; stems erect, 

 round, leafy, smooth, numerous, eighteen inches to two feet 

 high, bent at the lower joints, the joints naked; leaves 

 spreading, lanceolate, taper-pointed, rather glaucous, rough 

 beneath, five or six on each stem ; sheaths roughish and 

 inflated ; ligule blunt, white, membranous, often torn ; pa- 

 nicle ovate, spike-shaped, thick, very handsome ; spikelets 

 oval, flat, lying one over another like tiles, large, beautifully 

 striped with green and white, each containing one awnless 

 floret ; outer glumes very flat, pointed, striped with green 

 and white ; flowering glume shorter, ovate, acute, hairy ; 

 palea a little shorter and toothed at the apex, rather hairy ; 

 the floret with two acute lanceolate scales at the base, which 

 by some botanists are accounted as supplementary glumes. 



The Canary-grass is a native of the Canary Isles, 

 South Europe, and North Africa, and has become natu- 



