in the Bromes and' their Brown Rust . 243 
is regarded as a valuable fodder-grass in some regions, and 
Chatin 1 mentions it as having been one of the best of all 
grasses in withstanding the hot dry summer of 1892. 
B. erectus is allied to B, asper , as is evident in the form and 
constitution of the spikelets, but its contracted stiffer panicle, 
narrower leaves, and differences in sheaths, habitat, &c., dis- 
tinguish it. It is, however, an extremely variable species, and 
numerous races and varieties are described 2 . 
The ‘seed 3 3 of B. erectus is narrow and long, about 10-14 
x 1 mm. or, with the awn, 14-20 mm. Rachilla oblique 
above, 2-4 mm. long, and beset with rough short hairs. 
Lower palea papery at edges, nearly flat, fimbriated above ; 
the upper palea almost fully exposed, very thin. Caryopsis 
navicular, dark-brown, with a broad shallow ventral groove. 
Hilum a narrow black line. There is a faint dorsal keel. 
Apex tufted with remains of style. Colour in the mass 
grey, the darker caryopsis shining through the pale-yellowish 
paleae. 
The ‘seed 3 germinated very badly, and only very few 
plants were as a rule obtained. In a second consignment, in 
fact, none germinated in a sample of thirty-four sown 
(No. 745). 
B. asper, Murr. 
Is a species of Europe, except the extreme north, and the 
Orient extending into India and N. Asia, and has been 
introduced into N. America. All authorities agree that it 
comes near B. erectus , and we may therefore put it here. In 
the London Catalogue it is indexed as B. ramosus , Huds., 
with two varieties. The dispute as to the name and varieties 
is dealt with by Trimen and others 4 , and need not concern 
us here ; but I can lay no stress on the characters of ramifica- 
tion of the panicle, and it seems difficult to keep the varieties 
apart. 
1 Compt. Rend., cxv, 1892, p. 397. 
8 See Ascherson, Syn. d. mittel-europ.' FI., 1901, p. 577. 
8 ‘ Seed ’ here signifies the true fruit (caryopsis) enclosed in its paleae. 
4 Trimen, Journal of Botany, viii, 1870, p. 376. See also Ascherson, Syn. d. 
mittel-europ. FI., p. 575. 
