1914 CLIII. GRAMINE^. [Dactylic 



1. H. glomerata (crowded), Linn.; Kunth, Enum. i. 386 ; Benth. tl. Austr. 

 vii. 640. Cock's-foot Grass. A coarse stiff grass of 1 to 2ft., the perennial stock 

 forming at length dense tufts. Clusters of spikelets dense and ovoid, sometimes, 

 collected into a close spike of about lin., sometimes in a broken spike of several 

 inches or on the branches of a short, more or less spreading panicle. Each 

 spikelet much flattened, 3 to 5-flowered. Flowering glumes lanceolate, 2 to ^ 

 lines long, ciliate on the back, outer glumes rather shorter, narrow, with a. 

 prominent ciliate keel.— Reichb. le. Fl. Germ. t. 59 ; F. v. M. Fragm. viii. 126. 



Hab.: Europe, naturalised in a few southern localities. 



85. *BRIZA, Linn. 



(From its nodding spikelets.) 



Spikelets several-flowered, broad, flattened but thin, on filiform pedicels, in 

 a simple or compound panicle, the rhachis of the spikelet glabrous. Flowering 

 glumes imbricate but spreading, very broad, membranous or soarious, very 

 concave or inflated, unawned. Palea mucE smaller but very broad and flat. 

 Grain obovate, concave in front, enclosed in the palea and almost vesicular 

 glume, free from them. 



A small genus widely spread in its typical form over the temperate regions oi the northern 

 and southern hemispheres. 



Panicle branched, rather loose and spreading. Spikelets scarcely 2 lines long 



and broad . . . 1. B. minor. 



Panicle nearly simple with few spikelets Jin. long and at least 4 lines broad 2. B. maxima. 



1. B. minor (small), lAvn.; KuntJi, Kmiin. i. 372 ; Benth. FL Austr: vii. 

 660. Small Quaking Grass. An erect annual, from a few inches to about 1ft. 

 high. Leaves rather short, flat, the ligula scarious and often above 3 lines long,. , 

 Panicle usually 2 to 3ia. long, much branched and at length spreading, with 

 numerous thick spikelets about 2 lines long and as broad or at length broader. 

 — Reichb. Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 92 ; F. v. M. Fragm. viii. 125 ; B. virens, Linn.; Nees 

 in PL Preiss. ii. 107. 



-Hab.: Probably of Mediterranean origin. Naturalised in Southern localities. . 



2. B. maxima (largest), Linn.: Kunth, Knum. i. 371 ; Benth. Fl. Austr. 

 vii. 660. Large Quaking Grass. An erect annual of 1 to 2ft. Leaves flat, with 

 a rather long ligula. Panicle almost simple, with few large hanging spikelets 

 usually of a rich brown rarely pale green, mostly about Jin. long, very obtuse, 4 

 to 5 lines broad.— Reichb. Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 92 ; F. v. M. Fragm. viii. 125. 



Hab.: A European species, not so widely spread as B. minor, but long since cultivated in gardens 

 for ornament and now established in a few southern localities , 



86. POA, Linn. 

 (Greek word for grass.) 

 Spikelets several, usually few-flowered in a panicle usually loose and spreading, 

 rarely narrow and spikelike, the- rhaohis of the spikelet articulate between the 

 1 or 3-nerved, sometimes acute, the flowering ones usually obtuse, 5-nerved, often 

 flowenn|; glumes. Glumes keeled, unawned, the outer empty ones rather short, 

 surrounded, by a few loose woolly hairs, rarely with 7 or more nerves Palea 

 nearly as long, prommently 2-iierved or 2-keeled. Grain enclosed in the glume 

 and palea.and falling off with them, but free or rarely adnate to the palea. 



The genus is the most widely diffused over the globe in the whole Order, ohieay in' tJmnerata 

 and cool regions, reachmg the Arctic circle and Alpine summits. "uieuy in temperate 



