THE GENERA AND THEIR SPECIES. 75 



floret. Glumes equal, blunt, joined at base, ovate, keel fringed. 

 Outer palea shorter than glumes, with two green ribs, notched, 

 half as long as the awn which projects from near the base ; 

 inner palea absent. Anthers large, thick, orange. 



Varieties — 



A . fulvus Awn short. 



A . bulbosus Stems bulbous at base. 



21. A.alpinns. Scottish mountains; a plant of the Arctic 

 regions, unknown in Scandinavia, but found in Southern Chile, 

 Root perennial, somewhat creeping, with many long fibres, root- 

 stock oblique. Stem bending at the lowest node, then erect, 

 leafy, smooth. Radical leaves linear, stem leaves two in 

 number, broad and short, smooth, ridged, edges rough. Sheaths 

 long, smooth, loose, pale red; ligule short and obtuse. Spike 

 ovoid, about half as long as broad, and less than an inch in 

 length. Spikelets erect, numerous, imbricated, having one floret. 

 Glumes equal, joined at base, three ribs, clothed with soft white 

 hairs, awn slightly protruding. Outer palea ovate, acute, folded, 

 keeled, with a green rib on each side and frequently awned ; inner 

 palea absent. 



Anthoxanthum. Plate iv. PHALARIDEM. 



10. odoratum 18 in. Vernal Grass. Four glumes and only 

 two stamens. 



Pastures ; ranging throughout Europe and Asia, north of 

 the Himalaya. April to July. Root perennial, shallow, fibrous, 

 tufted, not creeping. Stems numerous, bending at the widely 

 separated nodes, smooth and slender. Leaves few, flat, rolled in 

 bud, short, tapering from near the point, ribs bearded. Sheaths 

 hairy, smooth, ribbed ; ligule thick, broad and hairy. Spike 

 oblong, compact, slightly expanding as the seed ripens. Spikelets 

 clustered, lanceolate, with one perfect middle floret and two outer 

 and larger barren florets. Glumes four, unequal, brown tipped 

 with white, hairy, outer of upper pair half as long as inner, with a 

 single dorsal rib and awned, awn twisted and bent ; inner of upper 



