By Thomas Bruges Flower, Esq. 



297 



rigid, linear, setaceous. Ligule oblong", incise. Bachis angled, 

 sometimes at once bearing the spikelets, but more usually throwing 

 out branches. Glumes nearly as long as the contiguous florets. 

 Florets linear-oblong, rather distant, smooth, bluntish. Lower pale a 

 obtuse, obscurely five- veined. The whole plant generally assumes a 

 brown or purplish hue, remaining bleached and dry after Midsummer. 



Briza, (Linn.) Quaking-grass. 

 Linn. CI. iii., Ord. ii. 

 Name. From (brizo) to hang the head, in allusion to the drooping 

 spikelets. 



1. B. media, (Linn.) common Quaking-grass. Engl. Bot. t. 340. 

 Paul. Gr. t. 30. 



Locality. Meadows and pastures, most abundant in barren 

 ground. P. El. June. Area, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Recorded in all the 

 Districts. Whole plant very elegant. Stems slender, 1 foot or 

 more high. Leaves short, linear-acuminate. Branches of the panicle 

 filiform, divaricating, purple. Spikelets very smooth, shining pur- 

 ple, more or less green or greenish -white at the edges. Glumes very 

 concave, sub-compressed. Ligule truncate, very short, always ter- 

 minating abruptly. When the pales and glumes are greenish,, it is 

 the variety pallens of French authors. 



Catabrosa, (Pal. de Beauv.) Whorl-grass. 

 Linn. CI. iii., Ord. ii. 

 Name. From (catabrosko) , to devour. 



1. C. aquatica (Presl.) water Whorl-grass. Engl. Bot. t. 1557. 

 Parn. Gr. t. 20. Grlyceria aquatica Presl. 



Locality. Banks of the Avon, canal, pools and ditches. P. El. 

 June, July. Area, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Not unfrequent in the Districts. 

 Boot creeping or floating. Stems floating, leafy, smooth, rising about 

 12 or 18 inches above the water. Leaves flat, bright-green. Panicle 

 erect, repeatedly branched, smooth, many-flowered, large and hand- 

 some in luxuriant specimens. Spikelets 2, rarely 3 or 4-flowcrcd, 

 olive, usually stained with purple. Lower pale with 3 glabrous ribs. 

 When growing accidentally out of the water, this grass assumes 

 a very dwarf habit. 



