﻿(lie.) 



LO'LIUM* *. 



Liimean Class and Order. TitiA'NDiuAf, Digy'nia. 



Natural Order. Grami'ne/E, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gr. of 

 JBot. p. 68. — Lindl. Syn. p. 293. Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 

 292. Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 642. — Gra'mina, Linn. — Rich, by 

 Macgilliv. p. 393. — Sin. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71. Guamina'les ; Sect. 

 Triticinte ; Type, Hordea'ce/E ; Burnett’s Outl. of Bot. pp. 

 359 & 362. 



Gen. Char. Common Receptacle (rachisj elongated, alter- 

 nately channelled to receive the separate spikelcts. Spi/telets many- 

 flowered, at right angles with the rachis. Bractea (see fig 1.) of 

 1 spear-shaped, slightly concave, permanent leaf, at the base of 

 each spikelet. Calyx of 2 lateral glumes, often deficient. Corolla 

 (fig. 2.) of 2, nearly equal pale®, the outer palea spear-shaped, or 

 elliptical, concave, somewhat keeled, acute, cloven at the point, 

 more or less awned ; the awn terminating the keel, at the cleft of 

 the palea. Inner palea elliptical, rather smaller than the outer, in- 

 flexed at the edges. Nectary of 2, sometimes cloven, scales. Fila- 

 ments (see fig. 2.) 3, hair-like, shorter than the corolla. Anthers 

 oblong, cloven at each end. Germen (see fig. 3) blunt. Styles 

 (see fig. 3.) very short. Stigmas (see fig. 3.) oblong, feathery along 

 the upper side. Seed oblong, channelled in front, where it is united 

 to the inner palea of the corolla, being loosely invested on the op- 

 posite side with the outer palea. 



Distinguished from other genera, with aggregate florets on a 

 jointed or toothed rachis, with lateral excavations, in the same class 

 and order, by a bractea (a 1-valved calyx, of Linn.) at the base of 

 each spikelet. 



Three species British. 



LO'LIUM PERE'NNE. Perennial Darnel. Ray-grass. Rye- 

 grass. Red Darnel. Crop. 



Spec. Char. Pale® very slightly awned. Spikelets longer 

 than the bractea?. Florets spear-shaped. 



Engl. Bot.t.315. — Knapp’s Gr. Brit. t. 100. — Host. Gr. Austr. v.i. p.20. 

 t. 25. — Schreb. Beschr. der Graser. t. 37. — Graves’ Br. Grasses, t. 115. — Hook. 

 FI. Lond. t. 18. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 122. — Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 55. — Sm. 

 FI. Brit. v. i. p. 148. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 173. — With. (7th ed.) p. 199. — Gray’s 

 Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 93. — Lindl. Syn. p.295. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 56.— Leers’ FI. 

 Herb. (2nd ed.) p. 46. t. 12. f. 1. — Mart. FI. Rust. t. 4. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. 

 p. 107. — Siblh. FI. Oxon. p. 50. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 26. — Pint. Midi. FI. v. i. 

 p. 87. — Belli. FI. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 48. — Sincl. Hort Gram. Woburn, p. 25. f. 

 22. and p. 211, with a plate of the slender variety (tenue)\ and p. 216, with a 

 plate of Russell’s variety (Russellianum). — Curt. Observ.on the Brit. Grasses, 

 (5th ed.) p. 31. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 45. — Grev. FI. Edin. p. 31. — FI. Devon, pp! 

 23 & 123 — Johnst. FI. of Berw. v. i. p. 30. — Baxter’s Lib. of Agricul. and Hort. 

 Knowl. (2nd ed.) p. 304, with a figure. — Walk. F’l. of Oxf. p. 31.— Bab. FI. Bath. 



p. 60. — Mack. Catal. of PI. of Irel. p. 16. — Lolium rubrum, Johns. Ger. p. 78. 



Gramen loliaceum angustiore folio et spied, Ray’s Syn. p. 395. 



Fig. 1. Portion of the Rachis, and a Bractea (Calyx of Linn.).— Fig. 2. Co- 

 rolla, Stamens, and Pistils. — Fig. 3. Germen and Pistils. 



* From laion, Gr. corn ; and oloon, Gr. injury. Thornton. The seeds of 

 Lolium temujentum, mixed in the bread, or fermented in ale, are said to cause 

 inioxication in men, beasts, and birds, and to bring on fatal convulsions. Eng. FI. 

 t See Alopecurus pratenSis, fol. 45, note f. 



