﻿GRASSES OF SCOTLAND. 139 



This grass is very seldom eaten by any description of cattle. It 

 is, however, of great use along the coast where it naturally grows, as 

 it assists in binding the loose sand on the sea shore. It is frequent 

 on the sandy shores throughout Scotland, England, and Ireland ; 

 also a native of Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Portu- 

 gal, Italy, Russia, North Africa, and West Asia. It has not been 

 discovered in America. 



Flowers in the first week of July, and ripens its seed about the 

 middle of August. 



92. Elymus arenarius. * 

 Upright Sea Lime- Grass, 



Specific Characters. — Florets hairy. Lowermost floret not longer 

 than the calyx. (Plate LXIV.) 



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

 ennial, extensively creeping. Stem erect, round, smooth, and fine- 

 ly striated, bearing four or five leaves with smooth striated sheaths, 

 the upper sheath longer than its leaf, crowned with a short ob- 

 tuse ligule. Joints smooth, the first and second remote. Leaves 

 long, narrow, hard, and rigid, very glaucous, spinous, pointed, folded 

 or rolled in, strongly grooved, quite smooth behind, rough on the inner 

 surface. Inflorescence spiked, dense. Spike from four to nine or more 

 inches long, and about half an inch wide, erect, glaucous ; rachis 

 smooth, toothed alternately on each side, and flattened just above. 

 Spikelets of three or four awnless florets (Fig. 3) ; arranged in pairs 

 on each tooth of the rachis. Calyx of two parallel narrow, acute, near- 

 ly equal glumes, about three-ribbed, more or less hairy or woolly (Fig. 

 1.) Florets of two paleae (Fig. 2) ; the outer palea of lowermost floret 

 equal in length to the calyx, acute, five-ribbed, hairy. Inner palea 

 with two green marginal ribs, delicately fringed ; the summit mostly 

 cloven. Pedicle of second floret hairy on one side. Nectary of two 

 acute hairy scales (Fig 4.) Ovarium hairy (Fig. 5.) Stigmas fea- 

 thery. Styles short, distinct. Filaments capillary. Anthers forked 

 at each end. 



Obs. — This grass at first sight very much resembles Ammophila 

 arundinacea, (Plate VIII.) but is readily distinguished by the ligule 



* Ehjmus arcmrw, Linn,, Koch, Hooker, Lindley, Smith, Withering, Knapp. 



