157 
long spreacling-reflexed hairs, the uppermost one shorter than its 
leaf, and sometimes subglabrous ; ligule prominent, longer than 
broad, lacerate, equal. Panicle secundly drooping, very large, lax, 
open and semi-pyramidal in flower and fruit. Rachis with distant 
nodes, pubescent. Panicle-branches 2 to 5 at the lower nodes of the 
rachis, the longer ones unbranched and bare of florets at the base for 
about half their length, arching-spreading in flower, scabrous. Spike- 
lets drooping, linear-fusiform-cylindrical before flowering, afterwards 
wedge-shaped-oblong and compressed, ultimately oblong 5- to 9-flow- 
ered. Glumes lanceolate, acute, not awned, broadly scarious on the 
margins, the upper one-third longer than the lower (or sometimes 
not much larger) and with 3 prominent ribs, the lower one with 1 rib. 
Florets widely open during the time of flowering. Lower pale oblong- 
lanceolate, acuminate, deeply bidentate, with rather broad scarious 
margins and apices, with 3 faint pubescent ribs, slightly scabrous 
towards the apex. Awn from the bottom of the notch of the pale, 
usually from one- half as long to us long as the pale, more rarely not 
longer than half the pale. Ovary woolly at the apex. Stigma 
springing from a little below the apex of the ovary. 
^ Yar. ^, serotinus. 
Plate MDCCXCV. 
. 1845, p. 724. Garde, Fl. v. Nord- & Mittel-Deutschz. 
Sheaths all with sprcading-reflexed hairs. Panicle-branches mostly 
2 at the lower nodes of the rachis (at least in the wild state), eacli of 
them bearing several spikelets. Glumes unerpuJ. Pales nearly gla- 
brous on each side of the midrib. 
? Yar. /5, BenekeriiL 
Punch. le. Fl. Gemi. et Helv. Vol. I. Tab. CXLV. Fig. Zo7. 
Upper sheaths subglabrous. Panicle -branches 3 to 6 at the lower 
nodes of the rachis, 1 of the branches bearing but a single spikelet. 
Glumes nearly equal. Pales hairy all over. 
Stems shorter and leaves narrower, and flowers said to be produced 
two or three weeks earlier than in var. a. 
In woods and hedge-banlcs. Rather common and generally dis- 
tributed in England and the south of Scotland, extending north to 
