﻿104? GRASSES OY SCOTLAND. 



Poafluitans is common throughout Scotland, England, and Ire- 

 land ; also a native of Norway, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland* 

 France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa, New Holland, and 

 North America. 



Flowers in the third week of June, and ripens its seed about the 

 end of July or beginning of August. 



69. Bucetum loliaceum. * 

 Slender Fescue- Grass. 



Specific Character, — Infloresence racemed. (Plate XLV.) 

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

 ennial, fibrous. Stem erect, smooth, round and striated, bearing 

 four or five leaves with smooth striated sheaths ; upper sheath much 

 longer than its leaf; crowned with a very short, slightly fdecxtrreBf 

 ligule, embracing the stem more on the one side^than on the other. 

 Joints three or four, smooth ; the first and second rather^ remote. 

 Leaves lanceolate, fiat, acute, upper leaf smaller than those below, 

 scabrous at the point, rough on the inner surface, and smooth at the 

 back. Inflorescence racemed, having a spiked appearance. Raceme 

 about one-third the length of the stem ; the rachis flattish, and more 

 or less scabrous, leaning slightly to one side. Spikelets of an acute 

 oval form, arranged in two opposite rows along the rachis, on short 

 footstalks ; sometimes two spikelets arise from the same base. Calyx 

 of two unequal smooth glumes (Fig. 1), containing from six to ten 

 awnles florets ; the upper glume three-ribbed ; the lower one without 

 lateral ribs. Florets of two palese (Fig. 2), the outer palea of lower- 

 most floret nearly twice the length of the calyx, five-ribbed, the later- 

 al ribs more conspicuous on the upper part, the dorsal rib not extend- 

 ing quite to the summit. Inner palea linear, pointed, membranous, 

 furnished with two green marginal ribs, minutely fringed. 



Obs. — This grass is distinguished from Lolium perenne s (which it 

 somewhat resembles in its general appearance), in having two glumes, 

 and the spikelets more or less pedunculated; — whereas in L.perenne 

 the spikelets are perfectly sessile, and the calyx composed of but one 

 glume. (See Plate LXV.) 



* Bucetum loliacewn. ParnelL Festuca fotiacea r Smith. Hooker, Grenlle, Koch. 



