Hordeum.] gramine^. 617 



superior and inner jjlane with inflexed edges, and a pair of green ribs down the 

 centre, the apex slightly notched or bifid and spinulose, or sometimes entire. 

 Awns of llie lateral florets about twice, of the central florets about three Umes, as 

 long as the paleee : at the base of the inner palea of each floret, but springing from 

 the stipes or pedicel, is a bristle or awn, supposed to be an abortive floret, about 

 half the length of the valve. Stamens short, hence but little exserted ; anthers 

 small and short, elliptical, pale yellowish green. Scale cleft lo the base into two 

 linear-lanceolate, acute and fringed lobes, that are gibbous below. Germen vil- 

 lous at top. Styles distant, feathery and recurved. Seed elliptical-oblong, 

 grayish, with a groove in front, and sometimes 3-ribbed behind, somewhat con- 

 vex, firmly adhering to both valves. 



2. H. pratense, Huds. Meadoiv Barley-grass. Squirrel-tail- 

 grass. Spikes elongate or lanceolato-oblong, culms leafless at 

 top, sheaths close, " all the glumes setaceous and scabrous (not 

 ciliated), outer glumella of the middle spikelets about as long as 

 its awn, of the lateral ones with a short awn." — Br. Fl. p. 555. 

 E. B. t. 409. H. secalinum, Schreb. : Host. Gram. Aust. i. 26, 

 t. 38. 



In rather moist meadows and pastures, also in salt-marshes, with the next spe- 

 cies ; abundant. Fl. June, July. © or 2^ ? 



E. Med. — Monkton meadows, Eyde, 1844. About Ryde it constitutes a too 

 large portion of the hay-crops. 



W. Med. — Most abundant in meadows about Yarmouth, and between Yar- 

 mouth and Thorley. Mavsh-meadows at Easton, Freshwater gate. Cowes. 



Root small, fibrous and slightly creeping, " becoming bulbous in barren ground 

 occasionally overflowed" (Sm.) Culms few, slightly ascending at the base, after- 

 wards erect, from about 18 inches lo 2^ feet in height, very slender, smooth, terete, 

 nalted for several inches below the spike. Leaves few, bright green, not glaucous, 

 flat, the superior ones very distant, the topmost leaf shorter than its sheath, the 

 rest as long as or longer, linear, flat, acute, roughish and a little hairy on their 

 upper side mostly, the margins minutely scabrous, folded, but not, as in the last, 

 auricled at their base. Sheaths long, close, striated, glabrous, excepting those of 

 the very lowest and withered leaves, which are very downy, ribbed and whitish. 

 Ligule extremely small, short and truncate. Spike distichous, elongate or lan- 

 ceolato-oblong, from about H inch to .3 inches in length, compressed. Spikelets 

 erecto-patent, smaller than in the last, and with much shorter awns. Florets 

 similarly constituted and arranged as in the last and following species on the 

 compressed 2-edged rachis, whose margins are closely beset with minute spinules 

 pointing upwards. Calyx-glumes of all the three florets scabrous-serrate, setaceo- 

 subulate, equal in breadth, but those of the central floret shorter than the 

 glumes of the lateral ones. Palea lanceolate, much shorter than the glumes ; 

 outer one of each floret acuminated into a long awn, of which that of its cen- 

 tral floret is much longer than its glumes, of the lateral florets consider- 

 ably shorter than their glumes ; the outer palea of the central floret is glabrous, 

 of the lateral slightly hairy, towards the summit, that of the former ovato- 

 lanceolate, very aristato- acuminate, 5-ribbed, the lateral pair of ribs less dis- 

 tinct and near the inflexed margin; inner and superior valve lanceolate, very 

 acute but not aristate, having a pair of strong green ribs bounding a central groove, 

 in which lies an awn or bristle of about half the length of the valve, springing at 

 its very lowest point, but not attached to its base, properly speaking perhaps, but 

 rather planted on the pedicel of the floret. Lateral florets mostly staminiferousi 

 the fertile organs imperfect or wanting. Anthers linear-oblong, scarcely cloven, 

 bufl"-yellow, much exserted on their slender lax filaments. Scale (nectary, Sm.) 

 cleft to the base into two acute, lanceolate, somewhat fringed lubes. Germen very 

 downy at top, oblong. Styles distant, much-branched, beautifully plumose and 

 recurved. 



4 K 



