GRASS FAMILY 



58l 



shorter panicle being more open, with slender ascending branches 

 below ; and the upper empty glume twice as long as the lower. — 

 Occurs in similar situations more commonly. — Fl. June, July. 

 Annual. 



5. F. ovina ( Sheep's Fescue). — A densely tufted, glaucous grass 

 3 — 24 in. high ; stem slender, 

 4-angled, rough below the 

 inflorescence ; Leaves chiefly 

 radical, subulate, almost 

 cylindric, with 2 - lobed 

 ligules ; panicle rather com- 

 pact, slightly i-sided, i| — 4 

 in. long, purplish ; spikelets 

 small, 3 — 6-flowered ; flower- 

 ing glumes mucronate or 

 with an awn shorter than 

 themselves, often viviparous. 

 — Dry hilly pastures ; one 

 of the commonest grasses. 

 Very variable. — Fl. June, 

 July. Perennial. 



6. F. rubra (Creeping 

 Fescue). — A creeping plant 

 with runners and scattered 

 tufts ; stem many - angled, 

 smooth below the inflores- 

 cence ; leaves bristly, flat or 

 involute ; panicle broadish 

 below, slightly 1 -sided, red- 

 dish ; spikelets 4 — 10- 

 flowered, shortly awned. — 

 Sandy places ; common. 

 Very variable. — Fl. June. 

 Perennial. 



7. F. or aria, a creeping 

 plant with rush-like, cylin- 

 dric, sharply-pointed leaves 

 and downy flowering glumes, 



and occurring on sandy sea-shores, has been recorded as* 

 British. 



8.* F. heterophylla (Various-leaved Fescue). — A densely tufted 

 plant, 2 — 4 feet high; radical leaves numerous, capillary, triangular, 

 rough, sometimes a foot long ; cauline leaves flat, narrow, rather re- 

 curved ; ovary downy at the apex ; otherwise resembling F. rubra. 



fest6ca ovina {Sheep's Fescue). 



closely allied to the preceding, 



