Agrostis.] gramine^. 585 



In Bloodstone copse, sparingly, 1 846. In New copse, near Wootton bridge, 1846. 

 Spaiino;ly in copses under Arreton and Mevsley or Messley downs, 1844. 



W. Med. — To! t wood, near Gatcombe. Copse on the N. side of Wroxall 

 down, above Wroxall farm. 



A large, nearly smooth, slender grass, of a pale, delicate, rather glaucous gieen ; 

 about 3 feet high, growing in clumps. Leaves distant, broad, flat, thin and 

 pointed, short for their width, finely serrated, on long close-ribbed sheaths. Ligule 

 oblong, jagged. Panicle lax, of several distant, spreading, half-whorled tufls of 

 smooth, slender, compound, wavy branches, a little rough only on their ultimate 

 divisions. i^/ore<s ovate, pointed, scarcely ^th of an inch long. G^mjhm equal, 

 thin, STribbed, ronghish externally with small points. Palem nearly as long as 

 the calyx, equal, concave, thin and shining; outer one indistinctly 3-ribbed, the 

 inner plainly 2-ribbed, Anthers pale yellow. Stigmas short, feathery, spreading 

 horizontally. 



VIII. Agrostis, Linn. Bent'grass. 



Panicle loose. Spikelets laterally compressed. Glumes 2, 

 acute, membranaceous, longer than the floret, awnless. Flo7-et 

 sessile, glabrous or with 1 — 3 tufts of very short hairs at the base. 

 Glmnellas 2, unequal; the inner sometimes wanting, the outer 

 with or without an awn. Caryopsis free, oblong or linear. 



A very intricate and perplexing genus of grasses to the botanist, ffora the 

 variety of form and aspect the same species will assume aecoiding to soil and 

 situation, and the suppression or assumption of certain organs that in more con- 

 stant genera furnish the readiest specific distinctions. Though simple enough in 

 structure, the minuteness and elasticity of the parts render the dissection of the 

 florets a very troublesome task, trying alike to the patience and eyes of the ope- 

 rator. The nerves of the valves of the corolla, to w-hich an undue importance is 

 attached, are often hardly to be traced under a high magnifier, the valve showing 

 like an uniform and ribless membrane. For this reason I have omitted all 

 mention of them in the specific descriptions, conceiving the descriptions will he 

 found sufficiently clear without referring to marks so undecisive. For the same 

 reasons the unnatural genus Tiichodium of Schrader, founded solely on the sup- 

 pression or partial development of one valve or palea of the corolla^ is here 

 discarded. 



1. A. canina, L. Brown Bent-grass. *' Branches of the pani- 

 cle long slender erect-patent, glumes unequal lanceolate rough at 

 the keel, outer one 1-nerved, glumella 1 erose at the end 5-nerved 

 with a dorsal awn from below the middle, leaves linear, sheaths 

 smooth, ligule oblong acute," — .Br. Fl p. 523. E. B. t. 1856. 

 Host. Oram. Aust. iv. 31, t. 53, 



Moist woods, meadows, heaths and pastures. Fl. July. %. 

 E.Med. — Inwards copse, near Ashey, in great plenty. [In the lane leading 

 from the Ryde and Newport road to Fishbourne, Dr. Bell-Sailer, Edrs.] 

 W. il/ed.— [Cockleton bog. Dr. Bell- Salter, Edrs.] 



2. A. vulgaris, With. Fine Bent-grass. " Branches of the pa- 

 nicle smoothish its branchlets spreading after flowering, glumes 

 nearly equal, outer one rough on the keel above, outer glumella 

 3 -nerved, ligule extremely short and truncate." — Br. Fl. p. 534. 

 E. B. t. 1671, Host. Gram. Aust. iv. 3i, t. 59. 



In rough stony or sandy pastures, on heaths, by roadsides and other dry places ; 

 abundant, i^i. July, August, if. 



4 F 



