578 GRAMiNEiE. [Aiitlioxanthum. 



E. B. t. 64.7. Curt. Fl. Land. fasc. i. t. 4. Host. Gram. Aust. i. 

 p. 5, t. 5. 



Abundant everywhere in meadows and pastures. Fl. May, June. Fr. June. 



U- 



Boot forming a dense tuft of pale brown, capillary, branched and downy fibres, 

 emitting an odour which has been compared to that of the Tonquin Bean. Culms 

 numerous, often forming thict clumps, from a span or under to a foot or two in 

 length, geniculate below, then erect, straight, slender, terele, pale green, polished 

 and glabrous, naked for a considerable way from the summit downwards. Leaves 

 chiefly at the base of the culm and soon withering, those higher up few, distant, 

 on long, close, furrowed and glabrous sheaths, rather short, flat, narrow-lanceolate, 

 very acute, pale green or a little glaucous, beset on both sides with white spread- 

 ing hairs, which at the rounded, clasping and often purple bases are long and 

 fringing; sometimes glabrous. Ligule of medium length, clasping, sometimes 

 tinged purplish below, very abrupt and truncate, more or less jagged and subci- 

 liate. Panicle erect, close, spicate, oblongo-lanceolate, pointed and subcom- 

 pressed, from about IJ inch to 2 inches or more in length. Spikelets erect, or in 

 flower erecto-patent, on simple or branched pedicels forming imperfect half- 

 whorls, on the smooth, compressed, straight rachis, narrow-lanceolate, very acute, 

 3 or 4 lines in length, shining, with mixed shades of green, white and purplish. 

 Glumes persistent, chafi'-like and straw-yellow when ripe, very unequal, com- 

 pressed, slightly scabrous, the outer and lower one about half the length of the 

 other, ovato-lanceolate, with very deep, membranaceous, somewhat tawny mar- 

 gins and a single dorsal rib, bordered with green or purple, fringed with a few 

 long erect hairs, and terminating in a short awn ; inner and upper glume about 

 twice as long as its fellow, 3-ribbed, the ribs scabrous and ending in a similar 

 short awn to that of the outer glume, but the margins are strongly convolute, 

 forming a complete fold or overlap, the edge of which is seen down one side of 

 the valve, thus completely enwrapping the included floret as in a cloak or mantle, 

 and concealing it from view at all stages of growth. Florets minute, deciduous 

 when the seed is ripe, very far shorter than the glumes, the two lateral reduced to 

 a single awned valve, the central of two awnless valves and perfect. Palea: of the 

 two lateral abortive florets single, abrupt and erose at apex, oblong, shining and 

 diaphanous, scarcely ribbed, either Colourless, tawny or greenish, becoming very 

 dark tawny in seed, shaggy with long, erect, white or fulvous hairs, awned, one 

 with the awn springing from near the base of the valve and upwards of twice its 

 length, the awn of the other inserted not much below the apex of the valve and 

 scarcely its own length. Aivns scabrous, the longer one geniculate, brown and 

 spirally twisted below the middle of it.s length, from thence to the end slender, 

 pale and straight, the awn of the other floret pale, slender and straight through- 

 out. Palea of the central and perfect floret much shorter than those of the late- 

 ral ones, oblong, equal in length, delicately membranaceous and diaphanous, ob- 

 tuse, highly shining and glabrous, the lower and outer one much the larger and 

 deeper, greenish. Stamens 2, much protruded from the apex of the inner glume ; 

 anthers pale yellow or purplish, of two long, narrow, apiculate lobes, on very slen- 

 der white filaments ; pollen large, white, globose. Styles long, slender, simple, 

 feathery. Nectary of two oblong, thin, membranaceous, unequal scales, like the 

 paleEB in shape, clasping the ovary below, and persistent. Seed small, ovoid, 

 pointed, glabrous, yellowish and pellucid, closely sheathed in the membrane-like, 

 brown and shining paleae of the central or perfect floret, and included between the 

 valves of the two exterior and imperfect ones, which fall away from the calyx in 

 maturity, and then acquire a deep tawny colour. 



