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often whorled. Glumes two. „early equal, keeled, one-flowered, or often with the pedicel of an upper flower Paleæ
wo: lower awnless or awned at the back (often in the same species); upper two-nerved, rarely 0. Awu never
l ^ n pheef) “ abounding in
1. Agrostis canina, L ,; glaberrima, culmis cæspitosis foliosis, foliis planis, ligula membranacea elongata,
pamcula effusa lanceolata, ramis primariis capillaribus verticillatis, spiculis parvis, glumis subæqualibus
acummatis flore paulo longioribus carmis apicibusque ciliatis, palea inferiore basi breviter pilosa membranacea
4-nervi apice troncata 4-cnspidata, arista snpra medinm inserta vel exserta, superiore brevissima v 0
(Diagnosis ad exempl. Novæ Zeland.)—Kkk. Sp. PI. Engl. Bot. i. 1856.
Hab. Middle Island ; Milford Sound, Lyall. (A native of England.)
One of the most common and variable pastnre-grasses of Great Britain, also found in the Falkland Islands,
but not hitherto in Australia. I have not seen it in any New Zealand colleetion bnt Dr. LyalFs ; it was gathered
in Milford Sound, but I bave no reason to suppose that it has been introduced.— 1-1* foot hirii. slender
perfectly smooth leafy. Leaves flat, with a rather long sheath and membranous ligula. PanicU effuse, erect of
numerous, whoried, very slender thread-hke branches, and small, often piirpHsh spikelets. Glumes ciliated at the
back and tips, sharp, longer than the flower. Lower palea membranons, with four nerves, produced a little beyond
the truncate tip. and a short awn inserted above the middle ; upper very small or wanting.
2. Agrostis (Tricbodium) parviflora, B r.; parvula, tenella, glaberrima, eGmis gracflibus cæspitosis,
folus plains angustis, panicGa effusa capillari rariflora, glumis acuminatis florem excedentibus carina scabris
palea inferiore membranacea glaberrima truncata nervis inconspicuis, arista dorsali inclusa v. nulla, superioré
minima v. 0.—Br. Prodr.
Var. R. perpusiUa ; muscoidea, culmis brevissimis cæspitosis foliosis, foflis confertis setaceis *-uncia-
hbus recurvis, pamcula folus immersa pauciflora, arista 0, palea superiore 0.
Hab. Northern Maud; East Coast, Cook’s Straits, etc., Colenso.~Nar. R. Top of the Euahine
mountains, Colenso.
A slender, tufted Grass, 6-S inches high, (var. R not an inch high.) erect or prostrate at the base, quite smooth
Oulrus leafy upwards or only at the base. Leaves veiy narrow, flat or involute, setaceous in var, R. Ligula lonv
membranous. Pamcle of few lax caplllay trichotomons branches, whorled in threes. Spihelets minute. Glum 'es
about ^longer than the flowers; nearly equal, scabrid along the keel. Lower palea quite glabrous, very membranous,
broad, Irnneate. with faint nerves. Awrs when present, as in the specimens from the East Coast, dorsal,
slender, included, wholly absent in those from Cook’s Straits. Upper palea wanting in my specimens.-TMs is also a
native of Tasmania, where it attains a foot high, and the panicles are green or pmpllsh, and where alpine specimens
growing in exposed places have rigid subulate leaves, and very short cnlms ; it is very nearly allied to the A. alpina
of the European Alps, but the awn when present is never basal in this, and the panicle is fewer-flowered,
3. Agrostis quadrwela,Dr.-, cæspitosa, culmis vaginisque lævibus seaberulisve, foliis planis involutis
V. setaceis, pamcula coarctata cylindracea continua v. lobata rarius interrupta v. subeffusa, glumis acuminatis
flore basi senceo longioribus, palea inferiore lævi v. scaberula nervis 4 apice percurrentibus breviter
4-cuspidata ansta dorsali infra medium v. basin versus inserta inclusa v. glumis * longiora, superiore paulo
brevwre bidentata.—A. quadrisela et A. montana, Br. Prodr. Raoul, Choix des Plantes. Avena, Lab.
Fl. Nov. Holl. V. l . p . 25. t. 32. Bromidium, Nees.
H ab. Northern Island; Auckland, Bay of Islands, etc., Ounningham, eto.
An extremely vanable and vey common Grass, presenting no constant characters by which its many forms
may be always known from one another.- -C«ai» a span to S* feet high, smooth or rough, as are the leaves and
sheaths. Leaves broad or narrow, short or long, smooth or scabrid, Panicle densely spicate, cylindrical and continuous,
or lobed or more open and pyramidal, with the lower branches remote and spreading. Glumes foch
long, always longer tlian the flower, but very variable in this particular. Flower on a short, villous pedicel. Lower
palea scaberulous, rarely quite smooth, hard, concave, contracted at the point, and then bifid or ending in four little
awns very variable in relative length, great awn dorsal, inserted below the middle or towards the base, bent, twisted
below ; upper palea shorter, with two nerves, that are scabrous at the back above. Stamens three.—1 have examined
a vast number of Tasmanian, Australian, and New Zealand specimens of this most variable Grass, vainly trying
to divide them into species or constant varieties. Brown’s specimens of A. montana (in Brit. Mus.) have a slender
pamcle ; florets as long as tiie glumes ; palea rough, awned near the base.
4. Agrostis ZyaDif, Plook. fil.; gracillima^ glaberrima, foliis setaceo-involutis, panicula capiUari
effusa pauciflora, ramis primariis ternis elongatis trichotomis, pedicellis divaricatis, glumis æqualibus ovato-
lanceolatis acutis dorso scaberulis flore ^ longioribus, palea inferiore sericea membranacea truncata apice
erosa dorso ad medium aristata, arista palea duplo longiore, palea superiore hyalina nervis inconspicuis
acuta V. breviter bifida, stylis basi remotis.
IIab . Middle Island ; Milford Sound, LyaU.
A very elegant species, of which I have only rather old specimens, having both flower and seed however.
Culms tufted, very slender, 8-12 inches high, branched below, perfectly smooth, as are the involute setaceous filiform
leaves. Panicle very large and widely spreading, of few branches and spikelets j rachis flexuous, at the few distant
joints; branches ternate, capillary, spreadmg, an iuch long before dividing into three hair-like flexuous branchlets,
or long, single-flowered pedicels. Spikelets small, \ inch long. Glumes equal, sbai-p, about one-third longer than the
sessile membranous flower. Lower palea silky, truncate, toothed at the top, with a short awn from the back above
the middle ; upper shorter, acute, with the nerves hardly distinguishable.—This plant resembles Aira catyophyllea of
Europe, but the panicle is much more slender, with longer branches, and the spikelets are constantly one-flowered.
5. Agrostis A. Rich.; “ panicula pedali erecta pjTamidali, ramis semiverticillatis pluries
ramosis pendulinis liirtellis, valvis dorso denticulatis, palea exteriore glumæ pilosa. A. Rich.” Flor. p . 134.
t. 23.
Hab . Middle Island ; Astrolabe Harbour, I f Urville.
I have seen no specimens of this plant, which, according to Richard’s description and figure, is very distinct
from any of the preceding, but allied to A. Lyallii in habit. It may be distinguished by its large size (2
feet and upwards), rough culm and leaves, which, as well as the branches of the pamcle, are covered with short,
stiff, spreading hairs. Ligida 3-4 lines long, membranous, torn at the top. Loicer palea hairy (villous in the
plate), bifid, four-nerved, with a dorsal straight awn ; upper much shorter, glabrous, without any pedicel of a second
flower.
Obs. Agrostis rigida and A. procera, A. Rich. Flora, do not appear, from the descriptions, to be species of
this genus; they are possibly single-flowered varieties of species of Lanthonia (see Trinius and Ruprecht, Gram.
Stip. p. 5).
Gen. XIY. ECHINOPOGON, Beauv.
Spiculæ unifloræ, setula villosa accedeiite, coarctatæ. Glumæ æquales, flore æquilongæ. Paleæ 2,
æquilougæ; inferiore basi villosa, apice bifida, longe aristata, arista hand torta; superiore bicarinata, apice
bidentata. SbaminaB. Otw/V/« barbatuin.—Cy\\\\\c:\\ scaberulum ; foliis ; \>amc\i\a spicfe/oiini.
The only known species is a very common extratropical, Australian, Tasmanian, and New Zealand, harsh,
scabrid Grass. Spikelets crowded into an ovate or globose head, bristling witb rigid spreading awns. Glumes
equal, aciuuinate, rigid, as long as the solitary floret, which has a tuft of silky hairs at the base. Paleæ nearlv
equal : the lower with a bifid top, and rigid, not twisted awn ; upper with a small, stiff, villous bristle at its base.
Stamens three. Ovary bearded at the top. (Name from €;^tvoç, scabrid, and Trwycov, a beard)