﻿118 GRASSES OF SCOTLAND, 



three to four leaves, with striated sheaths ; the upper sheath some- 

 what downy, crowned with a short, obtuse, ragged ligule ; the lower 

 sheaths hairy, with the hairs pointing downwards. Joints four, smooth. 

 Leaves flat, linear, acute, more or less hairy on both surfaces, sca- 

 brous at the points and margins. Inflorescence racemed. Raceme 

 erect, close. Spikelets arising immediately from the rachis on footstalks 

 not as long as the spikelets ; the lower ones mostly in pairs or threes ; 

 the rachis and footstalks nearly smooth ; the spikelets generally of a 

 brownish purple, usually of eight awned florets. Calyx of two, un- 

 equal acute glumes (Fig. 1) ; the upper glume the longest, three- 

 ribbed, the dorsal rib minutely toothed on the upper half ; the lower 

 glume without lateral ribs. Florets of twopalese (Fig. 2); the outer 

 palea of lowermost floret longer than the calyx, bifid and membra- 

 nous at the summit ; the margins occasionally furnished with delicate 

 white hairs ; seven-ribbed, the two marginal ribs on each side placed 

 close together, the rib on each side of the central rib very indistinct (Fig. 

 4), the central rib minutely toothed nearly its whole length, and ter- 

 minating in a long straight rough awn, about the length of the palea, 

 and passing behind the bifid summit. Inner palea linear-lanceolate, 

 membranous, a very little shorter than the outer palea, furnished 

 with two green marginal ribs delicately ciliated. 



Obs. — Bromus diandrus is distinguished from Bromus sterilis, in the 

 panicle being erect and close, with its branches nearly smooth, not as 

 long as the spikelets ; stem smooth ; outer palea with the two mar- 

 ginal ribs on each side close together, the intermediate rib very indis- 

 tinctly seen ; awn about the length of the palea ; — whereas in B. sterilis 

 the panicle is loose and drooping, its branches rough and longer than 

 the spikelets ; stem roughish ; outer palea with seven distinct ribs 

 placed at equal distances ; awn longer than the palea. 



From Bromus erectus, in the outer palea being twice the length of 

 the small glume of the calyx ; awn about equal in length to the pa- 

 lea, and the hairs of the sheaths pointing downwards ; — whereas in 

 B. erectus the outer palea is not more than one-third longer than the 

 small glume of the calyx ; awn not more than half the length of 

 the palea, and the hairs of the sheaths point upwards. 



Bromus diandrus is of as little use to the agriculturist as the pre- 

 ceding species, and of much rarer occurrence, It grows on dry soils, 



