Engl. Bot. t. 1978. — Curt. FI. Lond. t. . — Knapp’s Gram. Brit. t. 77. — Mart. 
FI. Rust. t. 99. — Host. Gram. Austr. v. i. p. 16. 1 . 19.— Grave's Monogr. on Brit. 
Grasses, t. 94. — Sincl. Hort. Gram. Wob. pp.24 Sc 176, with a plate. — Schreb. 
Gram. v. i. p. 60. t. 6. f. 1 & 2 — I.eers’ FI. Herb. p. 37. t. II. f. 1. — Linn. Sp. PI. 
p. 112. — Sm. in Trans, of Linn. Soc. v. iv. p. 284" — Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. pt. r. p. 
429. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 126; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 153. — With. (7th edtt.)v. ii. 
p 187. — Gray’s Nat. Air. v. ii. p. 119. — Lindl. Syn. p. 311. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 
49. — Macr. Man. Brit Bot. p. 273. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 103. — Sibth. FI. 
Oxon. p.47. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 23. — Davies’ Welsh Bot. p. 11. — Purt. Midi. 
FI. v. i. p. 77. — Relli. FI. Cant. (3rded.) p.42. — Curt, on Brit. Grasses, (5th ed.) 
p. 21. — Salisb. Bot. Comp. v. ii. p. 5. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 41. — Grev. FI. Edin. 
P- 28. — FI. Devon, pp. 21 & 126. — Johnst. FI. Berw. v. i. p. 27. — Winch’s FI. of 
Norihumb. and Durh.p. 7. — Loudon’s Mag. Nat. Hist. v. i. p. 382, with a figure. 
— Walker’s FI. ofOxf. p. 28.— Bab. FI. Bath. p. 58. — Murr. North. FI. p. 75 — 
Dick. FI. Abred. p. 24. — Irv. Lond. FI. p. 99. — Lnxf. Reig. FI. p. 9. — Cow. FI. 
Guide, p. 24. — Mack. Catal. of PI. Irel. p. 15. ; FI. Hibern. p. 311. — Bromus 
polymorphus, var. <t. Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd edit.) p. 48. — B. hordeaceus, Linn. 
Sp. PI. (1st edit.) p. 77. — Festuca avenacea hirsuta, paniculis minus sparsis, 
Ray’s Syn. p. 413. 
Localities. — In meadows, pastures, and fields, everywhere, as well as on 
waste ground, walls, and banks. 
Biennial. — Flowers in June. 
Root fibrous, branched and whitish. Culm upright, simple, 
striated, mostly smooth, with downy knots or joints, two feet or 
more high, in good ground, much more dwarf, scarcely 2 or 3 in- 
ches, in dry barren places*. Leaves and Sheaths very soft to the 
touch, hoary with fine short, dense hairs. Ligula (stipula) short, 
blunt, somewhat torn. Panicle 2 or 3 inches long, hoary and 
downy all over, a little spreading when in full flower, but otherwise 
upright and close ; its branches half-vvhorled ; the uppermost sim- 
ple ; some of the rest more or less subdivided ; all angular and 
downy. Spikelets nearly upright, egg-shaped, pointed, a little 
compressed. Calyx downy, its glumes elliptical, pointed ; the 
larger with 5 or 7 strong ribs, sometimes more ; the smaller with 
three. Florets from 7 to 10, seldom fewer, downy, closely imbri- 
cated in every state, elliptical, concave and depressed, not at all 
cylindrical ; the outer palea with 7 strong ribs, membranous at the 
margin, blunt and deeply cloven at the extremity, with a strong 
straight awn continued from the midrib, and about the length of 
the palea ; inner palea very thin, and much narrower, entire, and 
strongly fringed. Styles distant. Seed large, oblong, flattened, 
united with both the pale®. 
This species of Bromus is very common in many of our rich 
meadows, but being an early grass it has generally shed its seed 
before the usual time of mowing, and as it produces but few root 
leaves, its crop of herbage is, consequently, very small, and of 
little value. 
* In this state it is the Bromus nanus of Weigel, Observ. Bot. p. 8. 1. 1. f. 9. 
I have specimens of this variety, which I received, about four years ago, from the 
Rev. J. Jacob, LL. D. Author of the “ Flora of West Devon and Cornwall,” 
which are only two inches and a half high. In these specimens the culm, above 
the leaves, is strongly striated, and densely covered with deflexed hairs. 
