Bromus Giganteus. 
Tall Brome Grass. 
BROMUS 
BROMUS 
BROMUS 
BROMUS 
BROMUS 
GRAMEN 
GRAMEN 
GRAMEN 
Lin. Gen. Pl. Triandria Digynia. 
Cal. 2-valvis. Spicula oblonga/ teres, difticha : arifta infra apicem. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 27. Herb.® graminifoliaj flore imperfecto culmiferje. 
giganteus panicula nutante, fpiculis quadrifloris : ariftis brevioribus. Lin.Syfl. Vegetab. 
p. 103. Spec. Plant, p. 114. FI. Suec. n. 34. 
giganteus panicula ramofa nutante, ramis binatis, fpiculis fubquadrifloris arifta bre- 
vioribus. Hudfon FI. Angi. p. 51. 
glaber, locuftis quadrifloris nutantibus, ariftis longiflimis. Haller, hijl. n. 1510. 
giganteus. Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 116. Var. 1. glabra et minor . 
bromoides aquaticum latifolium, panicula fparfa tenuiflime ariftata. Scheuchz. A*roJl. 
p. 264. t. 5 . fig. 17. 
fylvaticum glabrum, panicula recurva. Vaill. Paris, p. 93. 
avenaceum glabrum, panicula e Epicis raris ftrigofis compofita, ariftis tenuiflimis. 
Rail hifi. 1909. Syn. p. 415. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 104. 
RADIX perennis, fibrofa. < 
CULMUS tripedalis et ultra, ereflus, laevis, geniculis < 
plerumque purpureis. < 
FOLIA femunciam lata, laete viridia, laevia, inferne < 
nitida, baft appendiculis ex fufco purpureis < 
utrinque, caulem amplexantibus inftrutta, \ 
vagina inferne fcabriufcula, minime pilofa, > 
fuperne glabra, membrana breviftima. ; 
PANICULA ampla, pedalis etiam, fparfa, ramis ' 
plerumque binatis, nutantibus, fecundis, 
fcabriufculis. 
SPICULAE ovato-lanceolatae, fubquinquiflorae, fem- 
unciales, plerumque virides, laeves, ariftatae: 
AriJlcE albae,fpiculis paulo longiores, flexuofae, ' 
fcabrae. 
CALYX: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis inaequalibus,' 
acuminatis, viridibus, marginibus albidis, ] 
majore lineis tribus, minore unica fubdiaphana • 
notata , fig. 1. 
COROLLA: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis fubaequalibus, 
viridibus, laevibus, margine albis, exteriore 
majore, concava, obfolete trinervis, ariftata, 
arifta gluma longiore paulo infra apicem ex- 
ferta, interiore minore, planiufcula, albida, ! 
M'h 3 - 
NECTARIUM : Glumul^e duae, accuminatae, ad 
bafin germinis, Jig. 4. 
STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria, alba; 
Anther. -e flavae, bifurcae,^. 5. 
PISTILLUM: Germen obovatum, viride, nitidum; 
Styli duo, patentes, ad bafin ufque ramofi, 
fig • 6. auft. fig. 7. 
SEMEN oblongum, ex nigro purpurafcens, intra ■ 
glumas adhaerentes, inclufum, Jig. 8, 9. 
ROOT perennial and fibrous. 
STALK three feet or more in height, upright, frnooth, 
the joints for the moft part purple. 
LEAVES half an inch broad, of a bright-green colour, 
fmooth, fltinincj underneath, furnifhed at the 
bafe on each fide with two purplifh-brown 
appendages, which embrace the ftalk, Jheath 
below a little rough to the touch, but not 
hairy, above fmooth, the membrane very Ihort. 
PANICLE large, even a foot long, loofe, branches 
generally growing in pairs, all one way, 
drooping, and roughifti. 
SPICULAE. ovato-lanceolate, containing about five 
flowers, half an inch in length, for the moft 
part green, fmooth, and bearded : Beards 
white, a little longer than the fpiculze, 
crooked, and rough. 
CALYX : a Glume of two valves, the valves unequal, 
pointed, green, with white edges, the large 
valve marked with three, and the fmall one 
with one fomewhat tranfparent line, fig. 1. 
COROLLA : a Glume of two valves, the valves 
nearly equal, green, fmooth, the edges white, 
the outer one largeft hollow, faintly three- 
rib’d, and bearded, the beard longer than the 
glume, and proceeding from a little below 
the point, the interior one leaft, fomewhat 
flat and whitifh. Jig. 2, 3. 
NECTARY : two fmall pointed Glumes at the bafe 
of the germen, fig 1 . 4. 
STAMINA : three capillary, white Filaments ; 
Anthers yellow and forked,^. 5. 
PISTILLUM : Germen inverfely ovate, green and 
fhining ; Styles two, fpreading and branch- 
ed quite to the bottom, fig. 6 . magnified, 
fig • 7 - 
SEED oblong, of a blackifh-purple colour, enclofed 
within the glumes which adhere to it, fig. 8,9. 
There is only one grafs for which this fpecies of Bromus is liable to be miftaken, and that is the Bromus 
hirjutus already figured, they are both large grades, and grow in fimilar fituations, indeed frequently together: 
they have been confounded by Scopoli, who makes the hirjutus a variety of the giganteus; but the leaft 
attention would have taught him, that they were materially different. 
The (heath of the lower leaves in the hirjutus is covered with long ftiff hairs, which are wanting in the 
giganteus; the leaves of the giganteus are gloffy on the under fide, and thofe of the ftalk, near their extremities, 
appear as if a flack ligature had been tied round them; but there is a charafter almoft peculiar to this grafs’ 
the bafe of the leaf is terminated by two fmall appendages, of a reddifli-brown colour, which ufually embrace 
the ftalk, and will never fail to diftinguifh it from the hirjutus: the fpiculje alfo, if no other diftinguifhing 
chara&cr were prefent, would be all-fufficient, being (horter by almoft one half, containing fewer flowers, 
and having ariftae or awns longer in proportion to the fpiculae and more crooked : we may add another cha- 
ra£ter which we have difcovered from cultivation, the giganteus is a perennial, whereas the hirjutus is only 
an annual or biennial, a circumftance which we were not fufficiently apprized of when we defcribed that 
plant. 
This grafs is frequent enough in the neighbourhood of London, in woods, and under hedges, efpecially 
fuch as are accompanied by a wet ditch, nor is it uncommon by the fides of the Thames; the fituation which 
it affe&s with us, is more agreeable to the name given it by Scheuchzer, than to the account delivered by 
Linn.-eus in his Species plantarum, where he ■ fays, habitat in Europce Jylvis ficcis: we very rarely or never 
find it in meadows; hence, though a produftive grafs, there feems not much probability of its becoming a 
good grafs for meadows or paftures. 
It flowers from July to September. 
