228 BRITISH GRASSES. 



rarity is not a subject of regret, for it is not only useless 

 for agricultural purposes, like most of its family, but, 

 according to Dr. Parnell, it has some bad qualities ; the 

 florets, when ripe, have the property of insinuating them- 

 selves under the wool of sheep, and thrusting their sharp 

 awns into the flesh to some depth. No cattle care to 

 eat it. 



It flowers in June. 



It is frequently to be found on the shores of France, 

 Spain, Italy, and Africa, affecting all the coasts of the 

 Mediterranean. 



5. Bromus madritensis, Linn. Compact Brome- 



grass. 



(B. diandrus, Eng. Bot.) 

 Root annual, fibrous ; stem about a foot high, erect, stiff, 

 slender, striated, smooth, polished; leaves often entirely 

 smooth, flat, linear, acute, hairy on both sides; sheaths 

 ribbed, a little keeled, generally smooth, but sometimes with 

 hairs pointing downwards, the upper one downy; ligule 

 short, blunt ; panicle or raceme upright, spreading, scarcely 

 subdivided, nearly three inches long; spikelets linear-lan- 

 ceolate, erect, rough, often tinged with brown, their stalks 

 seldom so long as themselves, the lower ones in pairs, con- 

 taining each about eight florets, not exceeding two inches 

 in length ; empty glumes unequal, acute, upper one longest, 

 three-ribbed, the middle rib minutely toothed on the upper 

 part ; flowering glume longer than the empty ones, bifid at 

 summit, and with white hairs on the margin, seven-ribbed, 

 the ribs on either side of the central one very faint, central 

 one minutely toothed its whole length ; palea linear-lanceo- 

 late, shorter than the flowering glume. 



Although a foot is given as the height of this grass, it 

 is much oftener of lower growth. It delights in dry 



