GRAMINA. 
143 
contiguous floret ; in the florets when in fruit being more separated, 
and making a greater angle with the axis of the spikelet, so that the 
awns diverge greatly; and in the lower pale being usually less 
scabrous. 
Barren Fescue- Grass. 
French, Fehtqiie queue d' Ccureu'd. German, Elchhornsclnvaiiz-Schwingel. 
Section IL— EU-FESTUCA. 
Panicle contracted or diffuse at the time of flowering, compound. 
Lower glume a little smaller than the upper, but never minute. 
Lower pale semi-cylindrical, rounded on the back, with a terminal 
awn shorter than the pale. Stamens 3. 
Perennial, with the lower leaves, or sometimes all the leaves, seta- 
ceous or linear, conduplicate or convolute; ligule auricled. 
SPECIES III.— F ESTUCA OVINA. Linn. 
Plates MDCCLXXXIII. MDCCLXXXIV. 
Billot, n. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. ISo. 2977. 
F. ovina proper, Boole, fil. Stud. Fl. p. 443. 
F. ovina, var. a, moTc. & Am. Brit. Fl. ed. viii. p. -557. 
Perennial. Densely C£Espitose. Rootstock with erect branches, with 
very numerous tufts of radical leaves and several flowering stems, but 
no stolons. Flowering stems erect or ascending from the very base, 
slender, slightly angular, slightly rough towards the apex, with barren 
tufts of leaves proceeding from the lower knots at the time of flowering, 
so as to give the appearance of the stem being surrounded by radical 
leaves. Leaves all setaceous, semi-cylindrical, conduplicate, or the 
stem-leaves narrowly channelled, not keeled, green or glaucous ; ligule 
obsolete, except at the margins of the leaf, where it is produced into 
an auricle on each side of the stem. Panicle erect, short, lax, rhombic- 
triangular and open in flower, linear and closed at other times, 
distichously unilateral. Lower panicle-branches 1 or 2 at the lower 
nodes of the rachis, short, ascending-spreading in flower, adpressed 
at other times; uppermost panicle-branches simple and reduced to 
short pedicels bearing single spikelets. Spikelets 2- to 5-flowered, 
oval. Glumes slightly unequal, lanceolate-subulate, the upper one 
three-fourths to one-half the lengtli of the spikelet. Lower pale 
lanceolate, mucronate or with an awn shorter than itself, very 
narrowly scarious at the apex, smooth or more or less pubescent, par- 
ticularly towards the apical margins. 
