EN^GLISH BOTANY. 
Argyle and El^in. Frequent and generally distributed in Ireland. 
Yar. 3 doubtfully indigenous. "Near the 'Plough,' CamberweU," 
"in Sowerby's herbarium." {Dr. Trimen, 'Journ. Bot.' 1870, p. 
378); Kensington Gardens! {Hon. J. L. Warren, 'Journ. Bot.' 
1871, p. 238). 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer, Autumn. 
^ A robust grass, with the stems 2 to 6 feet high. Longest leaves 9 
mches to 2 feet by i to 1 inch broad. Panicle 9 to 18 inches lon<T or 
more Spikelets | to 1 inch long, exclusive of the awns. Florets h 
mch long, exclusive of the awns. 
Sometimes confused by young botanists with B. giganteus, but the 
leaves are more hairy, and the sheaths, or at least the lower ones 
with long spreading-reflexed hairs; the panicles and spikelets are 
more drooping; the spikelets longer, with shorter a^vns; the ovary is 
haiiy at the apex, and the stigmas are not terminal. 
The only form that is certainly wdld in Britam, so far as is yet 
known, is the B. serotinus of Beneken. 
At Aberdour, on the Fife coast, B. asper is very abundant, mth 
the lower branches of the panicle in pairs. In 1869 I brouf^ht a plant 
from this locality into Balmuto Garden, which has now (July 1871) 
developed its panicle. I have before me two stems taken from that 
root. In one of these there are 3 branches at each of the lower nodes 
ot the pamcle, and in the other 4 branches. These, however are all 
elongate none of them bearing but a single spikelet as in the plant 
figured by Reichenbach and distributed by BiUot as Bromus asper 
The number of branches of the panicle at each node of the rachis is 
a character of but little importance. In specimens from Lyons col- 
lected by M. Jordan the panicle-branches are in pairs and upper 
sheaths glabrous. Keither is the pubescence of the pales to be 
depended on m the genus Bromus. All the characters taken to- 
gether, however, are_ perhaps sufficient to entitle it to be considered 
a sub-species ; but this cultivation alone can determine. 
Dr. Trimen, in "Journ. Bot.," Sept. 1870, wishes to substitute the 
name Bromus ramosus of Hudson's first edition of the "Flora 
Anglica " for the commonly-received one of Bromus asper. Hudson 
withdrew his name " ramosus " in the second edition, so that in this 
case as well as in that of Aira setacea, Dr. Trimen, fortunately for 
botanical science, is not likely to be able to disturb generally accepted 
nomenclature. 
Rmgh Brome- Grass. 
French, Brame rude. Germaix, Bauhaange Trespe. 
