and  their  Adulteration. 
705 
As  offered  for  sale,  the  seeds  are  not  naked  like  those  of 
wheat,  but  are  still  covered  by  two  sets  of  leafy  envelopes. 
J hey  are  oblong  and  more  or  less  hairy  bodies,  with  two  hygro- 
metric  awns,  one  being  kneed,  and  the  other  shorter  and 
straight.  The  small  seed  is  easily  freed  from  the  outer  cover- 
ings, and  it  is  found  to  be  an  oval  brownish  body,  with  a 
shining  coat.  I he  coat  consists  of  two  thin  striated  scales, 
which  are  so  closely  wrapped  round  the  seed  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  remove  them.  VY  hen  the  grass  is  in  flower,  the 
6 c a 
Fig.  3.— Annual  Vernal  Grass,  Anthoxanthum  f'uelii,  Lee.  ami  Lam.  Ten  times  the  natural  size. 
a.  The  seed  with  its  shining  striated  scales;  b,  one  of  the  pales,  with  the  jointed  hygrometric 
awn,  the  hairs  along  the  nerves  and  margins,  and  with  straight  edges  and  toothed  apex;  c,  the 
“ seed  ” as  offered  for  sale,  consisting  of  the  two  pales,  completely  enclosing  the  seed. 
scales  are  more  open,  and  the  stamens  spring  from  within 
them.  The  hairy  awned  pales  are  believed  to  be  aborted 
florets,  one  on  either  side  of  the  central  fertile  floret,  which 
produces  the  seed  ; and  the  three  florets  are  enclosed  in  two 
unequal-sized  white  chaffy  glumes,  which  remain  attached  to 
the  flowering  stalk  when  the  seeds  are  ripe.  This  description 
applies  equally  to  the  seeds  of  all  species  of  Anthoxanthum. 
