206 



BRITISH GRASSES. 



the upper one inflated and longer than its leaf; ligule 

 blunt ; spikes rather short, dense, cylindrical, uniform a 

 rachis jointed, toothed ; spikelets in clusters of three ; outer 

 glumes of central spikelet bristle-shaped, rough, awned ; 

 flowering glume terminating in a long rough awn, that of 

 the central floret longest ; palea also bristle-shaped ; lateral 

 spikelets on footstalks ; outermost glumes bristle-shaped, 

 inner ones spreading at the base ; flowering glumes also 

 dilated, all awned, the tops of the awns of equal height ; 

 florets barren except central one. 



This is a maritime grass, smoother and more glaucous 



than the Hordeum murinum, 

 and only attaining a height 

 of from three to six inches. 

 It grows in sandy pastures 

 near the sea, but is not wel- 

 comed by farmers, because 

 when the spikes become dry 

 the awns pierce and irritate 

 the mouths of the horses 

 who graze upon the herbage. 

 On this account it is an un- 

 desirable ingredient in mea- 

 dow grass. It is abundant 

 enough on the coasts of 

 England, but is doubtfully indigenous in Scotland or 

 Ireland. Curtis calls it Squirrel-tail grass, which is a 

 good descriptive title for it. He speaks of it as growing 

 in the Isle of Thanet, where it had become noticeable 

 from its pernicious effect on the mouths of the horses. 

 He does not make the difference between this and the 

 last species very clear ; and indeed this might easily be 

 taken for a stunted form of H. murinum, but for Dr. 



