( 348 .) 
BRO'MUS* *. 
Linnean Class and Order. Tria'ndria f, Digy'nia. 
Natural Order. Grami'ne.e, Juss. Gen. PL p. 28. — Sm.Gram. 
of Bot. p. S6. ; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71. — Lind. Syn. p. 293. ; Introd. 
to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 292. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 393. — Loud. 
Hort. Brit. p. 542. — Mack. FI. Ilibern. p. 294. — Hook. Brit. FI. 
(4th edit.) p.426. — Gramina, Linn. — Graminales; sect. Ff.s- 
tucin.e ; type, Avenace.e , Burn. Outl. of Bot. v. i. pp. 359 
and 369. 
Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Spikclcts (see fig. 2.) egg-shaped, 
or oblong, compressed, of many alternate, imbricated, 2-ranked, 
awned, perfect florets. Calyx (fig. 1.) of 2 unequal, egg-shaped, 
or spear-shaped, pointed, concave glumes, shorter than the lower 
florets. Corolla (fig. 3.) of 2 unequal palea ( valves ) ; the outer 
elliptical, rarely spear-shaped, concave, scarcely compressed, more 
or less ribbed, longer than the calyx, flat, or a little indexed, at the 
edges ; cloven at the summit ; awned at the back just below the 
summit ; awn tapering, wavy, direct, generally as long as the pa- 
lea, or longer, decurrent at the base ; inner palea nearly as long as 
the outer, but narrower, 2-ribbed, cloven or entire at the summit, 
its margins membranous, folded in at each rib, which is strongly 
fringed with rather distant bristles, curved upwards. Nectary 
(fig. 4.) a deeply divided scale, or of 2 distinct entire ones. Ft la- 
ments (see fig. 3.) 3, hair-like, shorter than the corolla, sometimes 
but two. Anthers generally short, pendulous, notched at each end. 
Germen (see fig. 5) egg-shaped. Styles (see fig. 5.) distant, lateral. 
Stigmas (see fig. 5.) densely feathery. Seed (fig. 6.) elliptic- 
oblong, depressed, downy at the summit, concave or channelled on 
the upper side, which is united to the unchanged inner palea of 
the corolla, the other palea being usually loose. 
The loose panicle ; the calyx of 2 valves, containing many florets ; 
and the corolla of 2 elliptical palea, the outer one awned below 
the bifid extremity ; will distinguish this from other genera in the 
same class and order. 
Twelve species British. 
BRO'MUS MOLLIS. Soft Brome-grass. Lob-grass. Oat-grass. 
Spec. Char. Panicle upright, close, compound. Spikelets 
egg-shaped, somewhat compressed. Florets imbricated, compress- 
ed, pubescent. Awns straight, as long as the paleae. Leaves and 
Sheaths very soft and downy. 
Fig. 1 Calyx. — Fig. 2. A Spikelet ; a. a. the 2 glumes of the Calyx. — Fig. 3. A 
Floret, showing the 2 Palea;, the Stamens, and the Pistils. — Fig. 4. Nectary. — 
Fig. 5. Germen, Styles, and Stigmas. — Fig. 6. A Seed. 
* From Bromos, Gr. a name given by the Greeks to a kind of oat ; and that 
again from Broma, Gr. food. Hooker. 
