112 



THE GENERA AND THEIR SPECIES. 



and June. Root perennial, creeping, fibrous. Stem slender, 

 angled, leafy below, bare above. Leaves tapering at base, 

 lanceolate, erect, narrow, flat, edges rough, hairy above, ridged 

 and smooth below, pale green. Sheaths quadrangular, long, 

 smooth, not split in front, uppermost shorter than leaf ; ligule 

 very short and blunt. Panicle curving, racemose, unilateral, 

 branches erect, rough, slender. Spikelets large, pendulous, 

 perfect florets two, pedicle short, barren florets one or two, 

 pedicel long. Lodicules single, large. Glumes nearly equal, 

 thin, blunt, purplish. Outer palea chartaceous, elliptic, convex, 

 keeled, broad, blunt, with seven ribs, awnless ; inner palea 

 broad, blunt, thick, margined with green. 

 Variety — 

 M. montana . Outer palea longer than glumes. 



This attractive, bright-coloured species is more a plant of 

 the borders of the woods and clearings than of the woods them- 

 selves. It has an unmistakable seed, boat-shaped, twice as long 

 as broad, wrinkled, dark brown and glossy. The lodicule is of 

 importance, the usual pair being represented by one large scale, 

 entire or slightly emarginate. Lodicules are usually considered 

 to be the members of a rudimentary perianth, of which the other 

 member (the posterior lodicule) is present in the Bambusecc, 

 but according to Hackel they represent the halves of a leaf 

 which sometimes, as in this case of Melica, remains undivided and 



can be regarded as a second inner 

 palea as the posterior lodicule would 

 be the third 



97. M. tint flora. Shady woods ; 

 ranging through Central and Southern 

 Europe. May to July. Root peren- 

 nial, creeping, fibrous. Stem erect, 

 slender, smooth, roughish above. 

 Leaves long, flat, thin, tapering at 

 base, ribs and edges rough, ridged 

 below, dark green. Sheaths quad- 



Mclica uni flora. 

 Spikelet. I'or Floret see p. 54. 



