KCELEEIA. 



295 



acute, stiff, roughish, downy on both surfaces, and rough at 

 the edges, in dense tufts about the root ; sheaths few, situ- 

 ated near the base of the stem, striated, hairy ; ligule obtuse 

 and jagged ; panicle spicated, cylindrical, one to three inches 

 long, silvery, erect, interrupted in the lower part; the 

 branches short, downy, in pairs on the rachis, very close 

 before and after flowering, somewhat spreading when in 

 flower ; spikelets two- or three-flowered, compressed ; outer 

 glumes longer than the footstalk, and as long as the floret, 

 toothed on the keels, the upper one three-ribbed, unequal ; 

 flowering glume white and glossy, minutely toothed on cen- 

 tral rib ; palea delicately fringed at the margin, and cloven 

 at the summit. Second floret stalked, the stalk long and 

 downy. 



The Crested Koeleria is a compact plant, the chief 

 beauty of which is the sil- 

 very gloss of its variegated 

 green and white panicle. It 

 is very rare, and is capri- 

 cious in its choice of locali- 

 ties, preferring the neigh- 

 bourhood of the sea and dry 

 sandy soils or rocks at con- 

 siderable elevation, or wall- 

 tops in alpine districts. It 

 occurs in most of our hilly 

 counties, and also in Ger- 

 many, France, and Italy. 



It was formerly included 

 in the genus Aira, but is 

 taken from it because it is 

 destitute of awns. 



It flowers the third week in June, and ripens its seed 

 at the end of August. 



