GRASSES 79 
ovary or pistil, with two feathery stigmas. On the back 
of the flowering glume notice the prominent awn. Awns 
are found on the flowering glumes of many grasses, and 
sometimes on the empty glumes also. They are often 
rough or bent, and serve to catch in the hair or feathers. 
of animals. They thus help to spread the seeds about. In 
some grasses the awns by twisting and untwisting, 
according as the air is dry or moist, help to bury the 
seeds in the soil. Count the number of flowers in each 
spikelet. One of the flowers is often imperfect. Note 
that the grain or fruit is easily separated from the husk. 
This is still easier when the “seeds” have been well dried 
in a kiln. 
Hxamine a piece of one of the native Danthonias when 
in flower. Note the kind of inflorescence, the number 
of flowers in each spikelet, and the peculiar ligule. Rub 
some flowers out of a ripe spikelet. Notice the large tufts 
of hairs on the flowering glume, also the awns that are 
often twisted at the base in corkscrew fashion. These 
tufts of hairs cause the “seeds” to be carried about by the 
wind. This is why this grass grows up so readily on 
waste land. In Briza (Quaking grass) the whole spikelet 
is light and inflated. When ripe it falls off and is blown 
about. This pretty but useless grass has thus been spread 
all over our waste land. 
Examine a small tuft of Rye-grass. Note that the leaves 
and culms are glabrous (quite free from hairs). Look 
carefully at the inflorescence: the spikelets are alternate 
and without stalks on the axis of the culm. This type 
of inflorescence is called aspike. Note that each spikelet 
has only a single empty glume. ‘The flattened axis 
sufficiently protects the inner face of the spikelet. The 
spikelets are three- to many-flowered. Note the prominent 
midrib and the well-marked folding of the lower part of 
