149 
prominent rough ribs and scabrous margins, yellowish-green; sheaths 
rough, the uppermost one about as long or a little longer than its 
leaf; ligule prominent, as long as broad, laciniate. Panicle equal, lax, 
erect and open and pyramidal in flower, secundly drooping and closed 
in fruit. Lower panicle-branches 1 to 5 at each node of the rachis, 
but generally 3, elongated, spreading-ascending in flower, and ascend- 
ing-erect in fruit, the uppermost ones shorter, but not reduced to 
pedicels. Spikelets 2- to 5 -flowered, but usually 3- or 4-flowered, at 
first linear-elhptica], afterwards oval. Glumes unequal, linear, mu- 
cronate, both 1-ribbed, the lower one Uttle more than half as long and 
half as broad as the upper, the upper about half as long as the spikelet 
and subulate. Lower pale narrowly lanceolate, longly acuminate and 
mucronate (almost awned), strongly 3-ribbed when dry, with the 
midrib excurrent, finely punctate-scabrous, scarcely scarious at the 
apex, pale green. 
Var. a, genuina. 
Plate MDCCLXXXVII. 
F. calamaria, 8m. Engl. Bot. ed. i. No. 1005. 
Leaves very broadly linear. Spikelets 3- to 5 -flowered. 
Yar. 3, decidua. 
Plate MDCCLXXXYIIL 
F. decidua, Sm. Engl. Bot. ed. i. lio. 2266. 
Leaves linear. Spikelets 2- to 3-flowered, usually with only one or 
two flowers perfect. 
Whole plant smaller than in var. a. 
In woods. Local and rare. Sparingly distributed from Sussex, Wilts ^ 
and Gloucester, to Banff, Elgin, and Inverness. Rare but widely 
distributed in Ireland. Yar. 3, Sussex, Westmoreland, and Ayr. 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer. 
Plant ojowing in dense circular tufts, the branches of the rhizome 
being ve^ short and terminating in several stems of both kinds, but 
without radical leaves — the lower sheaths of both barren and flower- 
ing stems being pale brown and having no laminiE. Stem 2 to 3 feet 
high. Longest leaves 9 inches to 1 foot long, by | to f inch broad in 
var. a ; but not above -|- inch in var. 0. Panicle 3 to 7 inches long, 
Spikelets \ inch long, or in var. i3 I inch. Florets 4- inch long, widefy 
separated and mth the edges of the pales rolled in, so as to be nearly 
semi-cylindrical in fruit. 
