994 



THE GRASS FAMILY. 



gated and leaf-like, and this state has 

 been considered as a species, under the 

 name of F. vlvipara (Eng. Bot. t. 1355). 

 Besides which the following, among the 

 British varieties, are sometimes ranked 

 as species : — 



a. Common sheep's F. Stems not a 

 foot high, with dense tufts of subulate 

 leaves. In dry, hilly pastures. 



b. Tall sheep's F. (F. duriusciila). 

 Taller but tufted, the radical leaves subu- 

 late, one or two stem ones usually flat- 

 tened. In moister and more luxuriant 

 pastures. 



c. Sand F. (F. sahulicola or some- 

 times F. rubra). Rootstock more or 

 less creeping, all the leaves subulate. 

 In light sandy or loose stony places. In 



maritime sands, sometimes above 2 feet high. 



Fig. 1207. 



2. Meadow Fescue. Pestuca elatior, Linn. (Fig. 1208.) 



A perennial, varying from about 2 to 

 4 or 5 feet in height, either tufted or 

 with a shortly creeping rootstock. Leaves 

 flat but varying much in breadth. Pa- 

 nicle sometimes reduced to a simple 

 spike, with almost sessile, distant spike- 

 lets, more frequently branched, but al- 

 ways erect and narrow, from 5 or 6 

 inches to near a foot long. Spikelets 6 

 lines to near an inch long, containing 

 from 5 to 10 or even more flowers. 

 Flowering glumes, when the panicle is 

 nearly simple, rather broad, scarious at 

 the edge, scarcely pointed, and distinctly 

 5-ribbed ; but the more the panicle is 

 branched the narrower and more pointed 

 are the glumes, with less distinct ribs, 

 and sometimes with a distinct but ex- 

 ceedingly short awn. 



In meadows and moist pastures, on 

 Fig. 1208. banks and riversides, throughout Europe 



and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. Common in Britain. 



Fl. summer, rather early. The three most marked British forms, often 



