﻿%% GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 



loose blowing sand near the sea shore. In Scotland it is not un~ 

 common, especially along the Fifeshire coast. In England, it is- 

 found on the shores of Northumberland, Durham, Cheshire, Den- 

 bigh, Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, Sussex, Somerset, and Devon. Found 

 occasionally in Ireland, but not met with in Lapland, Norway, or 

 Sweden, but confined more to the south of Europe. It is unknown 

 in America. 



Flowers in the second week of July, and ripens its seed in the 

 third week of August, 



1 1 . Phleum Michelil* 

 Michelian Cafs-tail Grass, 



Specific Characters. — Glumes lanceolate. Floret entire at the 

 summit, more than half the length of the calyx. (Plate VII.) 



Description. — It grows from one to two feet high. The root is 

 perennial, fibrous, somewhat creeping. Stem erect, round, smooth and 

 polished ; bearing three or four leaves with smooth, striated sheaths ; 

 the upper sheath much longer than its leaf, somewhat inflated, crown- 

 ed with an obtuse membranous ligule. Joints smooth. Leaves flat, 

 acute, broadish for their length ; radical leaves numerous, roughish 

 on both surfaces, as well as on the edges. Inflorescence panicled. 

 Panicle from one to three inches long, cylindrical, soft, compact, erect. 

 Spikelets numerous, compressed, (Fig 3), arranged on all sides of the 

 rachis ; of one awnless floret shorter than the calyx. Calyx of two* 

 membranous, lanceolate glumes (Fig. 1), of equal lengths, furnished 

 with a number of delicate white hairs, especially on the keels and 

 two lateral ribs. Floret of two palea, (Fig. 2) ; the outer palea of an 

 ovate form, five-ribbed, roughish on the keel, entire at the summit. 

 Inner palea rather shorter than the outer palea, membranous, bifid, 

 at the summit, and delicately fringed at the margins. 



Phleum Michelii is distinguished from Phleum pratense in the 

 glumes of the calyx being acute-lanceolate. Outer palea entire at 

 the summit ; — whereas in P. pratense the glumes are obtuse, each fur- 

 nished at the summit with an acute, stout awn, nearly half the length 



* Phhum Michelii,, Koch, Smith, Hooker, Lindley, Phalaris alpina, Hoenke, 



3 



