TRITICUM. 209 



T. repens, var. junceum. This form of Couch-grass is 

 found in the neighbourhood of the sea. Its height is 

 from fifteen to twenty-four inches ; it is of stiffer growth ; 

 its leaves much more glaucous, smooth, and polished; 

 the upper ones broader, the radical ones hairy beneath, 

 rigid, narrow, and involute; spike very long, rachis 

 smooth, zigzag. 



This variety appears on the seacoast, just as the normal 

 form does inland ; it is of some use in binding together 

 the loose sand, after the manner of the Sea-reed and 

 Lyme-grass, but has no other useful qualification. The 

 stems are often tinged with violet on the lower part ; 

 the spikelets are quite smooth and without awns, and 

 the outer glumes many-ribbed ; the spine-pointed leaves 

 are strongly furrowed on their upper side. Sir J. E. 

 Smith calls this Triticum junceum, Sea Rushy Wheat- 

 grass, and Dr. Parnell also treats it as a distinct species. 



T. repens, var. aristatum, is distinguished by having 

 awns on the florets half the length of the palese. 



Both the normal form and its varieties flower in July. 



T. repens differs from T. caninum in the length of its 

 creeping roots, the ribs of its outer glumes, and the 

 absence of awn on the flowering glume. 



2. Triticum caninum, Huds. Fibrous Triticum. 



(Bearded Wheat-grass, Parnell.) 



Root fibrous ; steins tufted, erect, straight, finely ribbed, 

 leafy, two to three feet high, slender; joints numerous, 

 small, of a dark tint ; leaves rather broad, upper ones rough 

 on both sides, sometimes hairy, radical ones often polished, 

 dark green ; sheaths shorter than their leaves ; ligule mi- 

 nute ; spikes solitary, pale, two to four inches long, a little 



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