Hordeum 
MURINUM, 
Wall Barley, 
HORDEUM hin. Gen. Pl. Triandria Digynia. 
Gal. lateralis, bivalvis, uniflorus, ternus. 
Ran Syn. Gen. 27. Herbae graminifolue, flore imperfecto culmifer.e. 
HORDEUM munmm flofculis lateralibus mafculis ariftatis, involucris intermediis ciliatis. Lin. S\Jl. 
Vegttab.f. 108. Sf.Pl.f.i 26. FI. Suee.n. tij. 
HORDEUM fpicis craffis, longe ariftatis, oalycinis glumis ariftatis. Haller FUJI. n. i S j6. 
HORDEUM murinum. Scopuli Fl. Corn. n. 1241. 
GRAMEN hordeaceum minus et vulgare. Bauh. Pin. 8. 
HORDEUM ipurium vulgare. Parkinfon 1 1 47. 
GRAMEN fecalin um et fecale fylveftre. Ger. emac 73. Rail Syn. p. 39 t. Wild Rie or Rie-Grafs, 
Wall- Barley, Way-Bennet. Hudfon. Fl. Angi, ed 2 p. 56. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 108. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa, albida vel fubfufca. 
CULMI plures, pedales et felquipedales, fuberefti, fo- 
lioli, ball procumbentes, infradti, geniculati, 
geniculis majufculls, pallidioribus. 
FOLIA palmaria in quibufdam etiam fex uncias longa, 
duas vel tres lineas lata, fubglauca, molli pube 
veftita, ball appendiculis duabus albis, acu- 
minatis, amplexicaulibus, inftructa; membrana 
breviffima, obtufa; vagina vix pubefcens. 
SPKLE palmares, et ultra, parum nutantes, pallide vi- 
rentes, compreflae, fpicis hordei diftichi haud 
ablimiles. 
CALYX : Involucrum hexaphyllum, triflorum, fo- 
liolis fetaceis, acuminatis, ariftis corollae bre- 
vioribus, fcabris, duobus intermediis bali la- 
tioribus, ciliatis, Jig. 1 . 
FLOS intermedius hermaphroditus, laterales mafculi. 
omnibus magnitudine et forma fimilibus,^. 2. 
Flos Hermaphrod. 
COROLLA bivalvis, valvula exterior oblongo- ovata, 
acuminata, obfolete trinervis, lawis, delinens 
in ariftam biuncialem fcabram, Jig. 4. valvula 
interior lanceolata, plana, medio Meata, apice 
emarginato-truncata, Jig. 3. ad balin exteriorem 
hujus valvula; exfertur arifta redla longitudine 
filamentorum, Jig. 8. 
NECTARIUM : Glumulie du<£, acuminatas ad bafin 
germinis, Jig. 7. 
STAMINA : Filamenta tria, capillaria, glumis co- 
rollae multo breviora. An therae parva;, e 
flavo virefeentes, Jig. 5. 
PISTILLUM : Germen ovatum, pubefcens. Styli 
duo, reflexi, villofi, Jig. 6. 
|ROOT annual, fibrous, whitifh or of a brownifh colour. 
§ STALKS numerous, a foot or a foot and a half high, 
nearly upright, leafy, procumbent at the bale, 
I and crooked or broken, jointed, the joints ra- 
? ther large and paler than the ftalk. 
I LEAVES a hand’s-breadth or in lome even fix inches in 
length, and two or three lines broad, fomewhat 
glaucous, and covered with a foft down, fur- 
I niftied at the bafe with two 'fmall, white, 
pointed appendages, which embrace the ftalk ; 
I membrane very fhort and obtufe ; J1:eatb fcarcely 
<( downy. 
I SPIKES a hand’s-breadth or more in length, drooping a 
little, ot a pale green colour, flat, and not 
I unlike thofe of common barley. 
I CALYX : an Involucrum of fix leaves, containing 
three flowers, the leaves running out to a long 
briftly point, fhorter than the beards of the 
corolla, the two intermediate ones broader at 
the bafe than the others, and edged with hairs, 
+ fis : 1 - 
I FLOWER in the middle hermaphrodite, the fide ones 
I males, all alike in fize and fhape, Jig. 2. 
t Hermaphrodite Flower. 
I COROLLA of tyvo valves, the outer valve oblong- 
| ovate, with a long point, faintly three-ribbed, 
fmooth, terminating in a beard or awn, which 
is rough to the touch, fg. 4. the inner valve 
c — mV, uiuci viuve 
lanceolate, flat, with a groove, truncated at 
top, and flightly emarginate, Jig. 3. at the 
outer bafe of this valve arifes a flraight awn 
^ the length of the filaments, Jig. 8. 
I NECTARY: two long-pointed, little Glumes, at the 
I bafe of the germen, Jig. 7. 
4 STAMINA; three capillary Filaments, much fhorter 
I than the glumes of the corolla- Anthers 
I - fmall, of a yellowifh green colour, fig, 5. 
I PISTILLUM: Germen ovate, downy. Styles two, 
reflexed, and villous, fig. 6. 
Some of the grafles are noxious to the hufbandman in one way, and fome in another. We have been informed, 
on the moft refpeaable authority, that in the Hie of Thanet this grafs is well known to the inn-keepers, who call 
it Squirrel-tail Grafs ; and find, that if horfes feed on it for fome time, the beards or awns of the fpikes flick into 
their gums, and make them fo fore, that they are in danger of being flarved. The gentleman, who related to me 
this fadt, informed me, that on the road he had a bill put into his hand, fignifying, that at fuch an inn travellers 
might depend on having good hay for their cattle, without any mixture of Squirrel-tail Grafs. 
It is chiefly on the edges of paths, at the bottoms of walls, and on the borders of fields, that we find this 
lioxious grafs ; and in fuch fituations it is extremely common in the neighbourhood of London. Fortunately it is 
leldom or never found in the body of paftures and meadows, and conl'equently it rarely occurs in our hay. 
It continues to flower and produce feed during the greateft part of the fummer. 
We are carfully to diftinguifh it from the Hordeum prat enfc of Mr. Hudson, which LinnaiUs, contrary to tb 
opinion of Ray, Vaillant, Haller, and other refpedtable Botauifts, confiders oifly as a variety of the pref e 
ipecies. 
