2 HANDBOOK OF GRASSES 
flower in spring are Afilium effusum and Medica (fig. 26). Nearly 
half our grasses begin to flower in June, an equal number in July, 
a few not till August ; some of the earlier species continue flower- 
ing until autumn. 
The scientific grouping of grasses, that is, according to their 
affinities, will be found in Chapter III., to which the student 
should make frequent reference. The secret of success in the dis- 
crimination of grasses lies in being thoroughly conversant with the 
tribal and generic characters. Suppose, for example, that a speci- 
men of Poa annua be gathered ; after the student has examined it 
and satisfied himself about its identity, he should refer to Chapter 
III. and carefully note the tribal and specially distinctive generic 
characters there given; he will then be able to recognise, as 
belonging to this genus, all other species of Poa that he may meet 
with. 
For the examinaticn of grasses a pocket-lens, preferably a triple 
one, will suffice ; but those who possess a microscope will find it 
helpful in the examination of extremely minute parts. Tiny one- 
flowered spikelets are rather troublesome to dissect with needles ; 
if a thin slice be cut off the base of such spikelets, all the parts 
will then fall asunder. An excellent plan is to make in one’s 
note-book an enlarged drawing of the flower-cluster or spikelet, and 
its different bracts or glumes (as in some of the illustrations) while 
examining them with the lens; this will impress the important 
characters on the mind as nothing else can, and if the name of the 
species be appended to each sketch, always using the Latin names, 
as they are more precise, the record thus made will be very con- 
venient for future reference. 
Owing to limited space our descriptions of the British species 
are necessarily brief, and attention is called to the more distinctive 
characters only. Of the manuals, Hooker’s Student's Flora of the 
British Islands gives pretty full delineations ; those of Babington’s 
Manual of Botany are shorter, but critically precise. Sowerby’s 
English Botany, vol. xi., is devoted entirely to grasses, and con- 
tains elaborate descriptions of both species and varieties, as well 
as large coloured illustrations of all the species. We have noticed 
all the well-marked varieties or sub-species, but the student will 
bear in mind that in many cases there are transitional forms not 
usually mentioned by botanical writers, who select the typical or 
predominant form and the extreme varietal one. Besides these, 
numerous varieties occur which are too slight for mention. All 
varieties, however, are of interest as showing the influence of soil 
and situation in causing variation. 
Although in general aspect the leaves of grasses are much alike 
—‘“a narrow, sword-shaped strip of fluted green ”—close inspec- 
tion of them, including the sheaths, will reveal many minute 
characters which, taken collectively, are sufficient for the identifi- 
cation of the species, due regard being paid to habitats. The 
student should not rest content until he is able to analyze the turf 
of meadow, pasture and heath with facility, and to assist him in 
