THE GENERA AND THEIR SPECIES. 



105 



erect, slender, smooth. Leaves auricled, few, linear, flat, acute, 

 toothed at edge, bright green. Sheaths long, close, striated, 

 hairs deflexed ; ligule small, short, truncate. Spike parallel 

 sided, long, compressed ; rachis notched alternately. Spikelets 

 clustered in threes in each notch, middle one with one floret 

 fertile and sessile, outer ones each with one floret imperfect and 

 stalked. Glumes equal, bristle-shaped, rough, awned. Outer 

 palea of fertile floret lanceolate with awn of similar length ; inner 

 palea of fertile floret small and acute, with a bristle at its base. 



Unlike Wood Barley, which is of neither use nor ornament, 

 Meadow Barley has good nutritive powers, though it is too rough 

 to be appreciated except by sheep. For hay it is useless, owing 

 to the awns. There are few pastures in which it is not present. 

 It grows well on chalky soil, and is very hardy. It thrives under 

 irrigation, is best when in flower, and loses in value as the seed 

 ripens. 



54. H. murinum. Building plots, waysides, old gravel 

 pits, and such dry places throughout Europe and Western 

 Asia. June and July. Root annual, 

 fibres branched. Stems numerous, 

 tufted, decumbent at first, then 

 ascending, frequently bent at 

 nodes. Leaves few, narrow, thin, 

 pointed, rough, toothed, lax, wavy, 

 auricled at base, uppermost the 

 smallest. Sheaths loose, tumid, 

 striated, bristly or downy, half 

 embracing base of spike ; ligule 

 short, truncate, torn. Spike cylin- 

 drical, dense, rather long ; rachis 

 notched and, winged. Spikelets in 

 threes, clustered in each notch, 

 middle spikelet with one floret 



fertile, outer spikelet with one floret male only. Glumes of 

 middle spikelet equal, linear-lanceolate, ciliated, ribbed, awned, 

 glumes of lateral spikelets unequal, rough and setaceous. Outer 

 palea lanceolate, rather broad, concave, five-ribbed, awn longer 



Hordeum murinum. 

 Spikelet. For Floret see p. Co. 



