178 



BRITISH GRASSES. 



below the centre of [the glume ; palea shorter than flower- 

 ing glume, ribbed along the margin, ribs green, fringed 

 at the edges, concave, naked ; the seed has a soft hairy co- 

 vering. 



A common weed in fields and hedges, particularly ob- 

 jectionable amongst barley, though accounted trouble- 

 some by the farmers among 

 any kind of corn. Village 

 fishermen sometimes use the 

 florets as artificial flies. The 

 awns make very good hygro- 

 meters. No member of the 

 grass family is more desira- 

 ble in the field-flower bou- 

 quet ; the delicate glaucous- 

 green tint, shading to white, 

 of the large glumes; the 

 nodding habit of the showy 

 spikelets, and the pennon- 

 like graceful leaf recommend 

 the Wild Oat to the lover of 

 the beautiful. So destitute 

 of any utility is this plant 

 and so deleterious is its presence, that its name has got 

 to be used for all youthful follies. 



Var. strigosa has longer florets, the flowering glume 

 is six-ribbed, while that of the normal species is eight- 

 ribbed ; the leaves of A.fatua, var. strigosa, are broad, 

 acute, rough on both surfaces, the central rib polished 

 on the under surface, the panicle is turned to one side ; 

 the outer glumes are not quite equal, the lower being 

 smaller and seven-ribbed, the upper nine-ribbed, the 

 ribs of a full green colour ; the flowering glume is as 



