THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GRASSES. 73 
Puracmites—Panicle more or less compact; glumes 
and glumels finely pointed, the latter very unequal, 
Phragmites communis (Arundo phragmites) — common 
reed—is too well known to need description; it grows in 
abundance on the margins of rivers and pools, and is made 
available for thatching purposes. In hedgerows and damp 
places, on clay soil, it will often be found on badly managed 
parts of the farm, where its great size and stout rhizomes 
make it a troublesome weed. Draining, however, is an 
effectual remedy, to which end this and kindred species are 
often useful, as directing attention to the state of affairs, 
not only as regards broad extent but in isolated patches. 
Baily, Printer, Cirencester. 
