Perennial. — Flowers in June, July, and August. 
Root fibrous, tufted, not creeping. Culms (stems) numerous, up- 
right, simple, from 1 to 2 feet high, smooth above; clothed on the 
lower part with soft deflexed hairs. Leaves strap-spear-shaped, flat 
and striated above, keeled below ; covered on every part with soft 
hairs, which give them a greyish appearance. Sheath (vagina) 
marked with narrow, purplish lines, hairy on the outside, smooth 
and shining within. Stipula (ligula) blunt, toothed, hairy on the 
outside and on the edge. Panicle thrice compound, at first con- 
tracted, reddish, and a little drooping ; afterwards upright, spread- 
ing, and whitish, with downy stalks. Glumes (calyx-valves) 2. 
dotted, hoary, or downy, nearly equal in length, the innermost 
broadest, with 3 ribs, and terminating in a point; the inner smaller 
and keeled. Florets shorter than the Glumes, as is also the awn of 
the barren floret. The awn in this species, as Sir J. E. Smith ob- 
serves, is twisted and recurved when dry, but turns inwards when 
moist. Seed coated by the hardened polished palece or corolla. 
“ This Grass is very common, and grows on all soils, from the 
richest to the poorest. It attains to the greatest degree of luxuri- 
ance on light moist soils, particularly on those of a peaty nature. 
Cattle prefer almost any other grass to this ; it is seen in pastures 
with its full-grown downy leaves entire, while the grasses which 
surround it are eaten to the roots. The numerous downy hairs 
which cover the whole plant, render the hay which is made of it 
soft and spongy, and in this state it is also disliked by cattle, parti- 
cularly by horses. The nutritive matter consists almost entirely of 
mucilage and sugar. The grasses most liked by cattle have always 
a portion of bitter extractive and saline matters, as constituents of 
their nutritive principle. This grass, however objectionable in lands 
capable of growing the superior grasses, is yet of value on high, 
poor, exposed soils ; there it affords a larger supply of food than 
any other grass, but it should not be introduced without mature 
consideration. The seeds are light and easily dispersed by the 
winds ; and when once in possession of a soil, particularly of a 
moist and light one, there is scarcely any means that will get rid 
of it, without a course of fallow and clean tillage.” — Mr. G. Sin- 
clair, in Baxter’s Lib. of Agricul. and Hort. Knowl. p. 306. 
A very pretty fungus, Sphaeria typh'ina of Persoon, Sphaeria 
spiculifera of Sowerby, is frequently found on the culms and 
leaves of this Grass in the neighbourhood of Oxford. An excellent 
figure and description of this parasite is given by Dr. Greville, in 
his very beautiful “ Scottish Cryptogamic Flora," t. 204. It is 
sometimes found on other Grasses. 
