﻿44 GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 



berland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, York, Nottinghamshire^ 

 Derby, Cheshire, Denbigh, Worcester, Suffolk, and Herts. Has not 

 been found in Ireland or America. It occurs in Lapland, Norway, 

 Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, and Italy. 



Flowers in the last week of May, and ripens its seed in July. 



From the early growth of this grass, and its thriving well in open 

 situations when cultivated, it proves worthy of agricultural notice. 



29. AlROCHLOA CRIST AT A.* 



Crested Hair- Grass. 



Specific Characters. — Outer palea three-ribbed, stem downy. 

 (Plate XIX.) 



Description. — It grows from three to six inches high. The root 

 is perennial, with long, downy fibres, forming dense tufts. Stem 

 erect, occasionally curved, round, downy, especially towards the up- 

 per part ; bearing two or three leaves, with hairy, striated sheaths ; 

 the upper sheaths longer than its leaf, crowned with a short obtuse 

 jagged ligule. Joints smooth, situated near the base. Leaves nar- 

 row, acute, rather stiff, roughish, downy on both surfaces, the edges 

 rough and more or less hairy ; the ribs more prominent on the inner 

 surface, except the central rib, which is more conspicuous behind. In- 

 florescence simple panicled, dense, of a silvery hue. Panicle erect, from 

 one to two inches long, of an oval form, interrupted at the lower part; 

 the branches short, downy, arranged on the rachis in pairs, spreading 

 when in flower, close and compact both before and after flowering. 

 Spikelets compressed, of two awnless florets, not projecting beyond the 

 glumes of the calyx. Calyx of two rather unequal acute glumes (Fig. 

 1), minutely toothed on the keels, the upper glume three-ribbed. 

 Florets of two palese, (Fig. 2), the outer palea of lowermost floret 

 acute, three-ribbed, minutely toothed on the central rib. Inner palea 

 about equal in length to the outer palea, cloven at the summit, and 

 delicately fringed at the margins. Second floret elevated on a long 

 downy footstalk ; rather smaller than the floret below, but similar to 

 it in every other respect. 



* Airochloa cristata, Link, Lindley. Aim cristata, Smith, Hooker, Greville. Koe- 

 leria cristata, Koch. 



