( 292 .) 
AVE'NA * * 
Linnean Class and Order. TRiA'NDRiAf, Digy'nia. 
Natural Order. Grami'neao, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gram, 
of Bot. p. 86. ; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71 . — Lindl. Syn. p. 293. ; Introd. 
to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 292. — Rich, by MacgiUiv. p. 393. — Loud. 
Hort. Brit. p. 542. — Mack. FI. Hibern. p 294. — Gramina, Linn. — 
Graminales ; sect. Festucina: ; type, Avenacea: ; Burn. Outl. 
of Bot. v. i. pp. 359 & 369. 
Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Spikelets (fig. 2.) of 2 or more al- 
ternate florets. Calyx (see figs. 1 & 2.) of 2 unequal, egg-spear- 
shaped, concave, lax, membranous-pointed, awnless glumes. Co- 
rolla (see figs. 2 & 3.) of 2 unequal, spear-shaped palea: ( valves J, 
the outer firmer than the calyx, and about the same size, egg- 
shaped, involute, so as to be nearly cylindrical, pointed at the end, 
concave ; deeply cloven at the summit, bearing from the middle of 
the back a stout awn ; spirally twisting in its lower part; simple 
and tapering above; spreading when dry ; inner palea egg-shaped, 
smaller, awnless. Nectary (see fig. 4.) of 2 spear-shaped scales. 
Filaments (see fig. 3.) 3, shorter than the corolla. Anthers rather 
short. Germen (see fig. 4.) blunt. Styles (see fig. 4.) somewhat la- 
teral, short, distinct. Stigmas (see fig. 4.) densely feathery. Seed. 
(fig. 5.) elliptic-oblong, with a narrow channel along its upper side, 
sometimes downy, closely enveloped in the hardened outer palea of 
the corolla, retaining its awn. The upper florets are often im- 
perfect. 
The loose panicle ; the calyx of 2 glumes, containing 2 or more 
Jlorets; and the corolla of 2 spear-shaped paiese, firmly inclosing 
the seed, the outer one bearing a twisted dorsal awn ; will distin- 
guish this from other genera in the same class and order. See Hook. 
Brit. FI. (4th ed.) t. 2. f. 30. 
Seven species British. 
AVE'NA PUBESCENS. Downy Oat-grass}. 
Spec. Char. Panicle upright, nearly simple. Spikelets upright, 
of about 3 florets, a little longer than the calyx ; outer palea of the 
corolla jagged. Leaves flat, downy, their edges smooth. 
F.ngl. Bot. t. 1640 — Knapp's Gram. Brit. t. 90. — Host. Gram. Austr. v. ii. 
p. 37. t. 60. — Curt. Brit. Entom. v. xiii. t. 625. — Leers’ FI. Herliorn. (2nd edit.) 
p. 42. t. 9. f. 2.— Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1665—lluds. FI. Angl. (2nd edit.) p. 52. - 
Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. pi. i. p.448 — Sin. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 140.; Engl. FI. v. i. 
p. 164. — With. (7th edit.) v. ii. p. 194.--Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 131.— Hook. 
Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. A Spikelet — Fig. 3. A perfect, and an imperfect 
Floret.— Fig. 4. Nectary, Germen, and Pistils.— Fig. 5. A Seed. 
* Name of doubtful origin; the ancients applied it to the Drome-grass. 
Hooker. 
f See folio 56, note f. 
t Oat, Theis tells us, comes from the Celtic word atari, the oat ; and that 
again from etan, to eat. Hooker. 
