218 BRITISH GRASSES. 



coldness of the extremities. The Doctor says that its 

 presence in flour may be detected by digesting in alcohol, 

 when the L. temulentum flour turns a green tint. In 

 Scotland this grass is familiarly called " Doits," but 

 whether their expression " doited/' meaning " drunken 

 or besotted/' is derived from the Doits-grass, or the 

 grass is called Doits because it causes the drunkenness, 

 we are not able to decide. It certainly bears a very bad 

 character among the Scotch, for the old farm-labourers 

 tell sad stories of the terrible effects resulting from the 

 admixture of the Doits-seed with wheat in the scarce 

 times during the war. 



The countries where L. temulentum is indigenous are 

 Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, North Africa, 

 Japan, South America, and the United States. 



Genus XXIX. BRACHYPODXUM. FALSE 



BEOME. 



Gen. Char. Inflorescence spiked ; spikelets several- 

 flowered, slightly stalked. 



Brachypodium sylvaticum, Beauv. Slender False- 



Brome. 



Boot fibrous, tufted, perennial; stems simple, round, 

 leafy, tapering, very slender, and a little drooping in the 

 upper part; joints four, hairy ; leaves spreading, flat, pointed, 

 a little rigid, rough, more or less hairy, ribbed, bright green, 

 polished ; sheaths hairy and ribbed, especially the lower 

 ones, uppermost sheath shorter than its leaf; ligule short, 

 blunt, hairy; spike simple, loose, drooping, zigzag; spike- 

 lets long and narrow, six or seven in number, cylindrical 

 when young, but flattened in seed, alternate, slightly stalked, 

 downy ; outer glumes acute, unequal, downy or glossy ; 



