flowers imperfect. Glumes keeled, unequal, awnless. Lower palea sharp, awnless or awned at the tip or back ; upper
bifid at the point. Caryopsis ft-ee. (Named in honour of G. L. Keeler, an author on Frcncli and German Grasses.)
1. Kce le ria c r ista ta (Pers. Synops. i. 9 7 ); glaberrima, v. vaginis foliisque puberulis, panicula
spicata elongata erecta basi interrupta nitida, glumis subacutis 2-5-iloris floribus brevioribus, palea inferiore
acuminata v. breviter aristata.—Fl. N . Zeal. i. 305. Aira, L in n .; Eng. Bot. t. 648. {Gnnn, 586,
587.)
H a b . Macquarrie Plains, and other parts of the Colony, Gunn.— (Fl. Nov.) (Abundant in Great
Britain.)
D is t iu b . Extratropical Australia, New Zealand, Europe, temperate North Africa, India, South Africa,
aud North and South America.
A handsome Grass, 1-3 feet high, conspicuous for its white, shining, spiked panicle of compressed spikelets,
awnless, or with inconspicuous aavns.—Whole plant more or less downy or glabrous. Leaves flat, a span long,
narrow. Banicle spiked, erect, 3-5 inches long, inteiTupted at the lower parts. Spikelets very variable in size,
imbricate, erect, two- to five-flowered. Glumes shorter than the floM-ers, unequal, acute. Lower palea acuminate
or with a short awn at the apex or back below the point.
Gen. XXIV. EESTUCA, Z.
Spicula bi-multifloræ. Gluma 2 (raro in § Tulpia 1), carinatæ, inæquales, acuminatæ, muticæ.
Paleæ 2 ; inferior carinata, apice acuta v. aristata interdum bidenticulata ; superior bicarinata. Squamula
2, bifidæ. Stamina 1 -3. Stigmata terminaba v. lateralia. Caryopsis glabra, libera, v. paleæ superiovi
adhærens.—Folia jî/awo v. setacea; vfieMs. plerumque pedicellata, paniculata v. raeemosa ; rachilla ar//-
culata.
A large genus of Grasses, almost confined to temperate aud cold regions, fonning extensive pasture-lands in
the alps of Europe and elsewhere.—Leaves flat or subulate. Spikelets pedicelled, panicled, or racemose, rarely
spiked. Flowers often numerous, on a jointed partial rachis. Glumes two (sometimes one in § Vulpia), keeled.
Palea two ; lower acute, keeled, often with a terminal awn, or rarely toothed or bifid at the apex. Scales two,
bifid, smooth. Stamens one to three. Styles terminal, or inserted below the apex. Caryopsis free, or adhering to
the upper palea.— I know of no certain technical character but the acuminate and often awned lower palea to separate
this genus from Poa. (Name, a Latin one of uncertain application.)
a. Lower palea entire at the apex.
1. F e stu c a dur iu scu la (Linn. Sp. PI. 108); stricta, erecta, glaberrima, culmis cæspitosis basi
foliosis, foliis setaceo-involutis strictis erectis v. patulis, panicula elongata coarctata, ramis brevibus elonga-
tisve paucifloris, glumis 6 - 8 -floris inæqualibus acutis floribus brevioribus, floribus linearibus remotis scabridis,
palea inferiore basi nuda acuminata aristata.—Eng. Bot. /. 470 ; Fl. Antarct. ii. 383 ; Fl. N. Zeal.
i. 309. {Gunn, 994.)
H a b . Wet places : Formosa, Gunn.— (Fl. Nov.) (Native of England.)
D is t r ib . Temperate and Arctic Europe, Asia, and America, New Zealand, Chili, and Fuegia.
A widely-distributed Grass, found in almost all temperate and cold climates. It forms a great proportion of
the alpine pasture Grass in the moorlands of the British Islands, and is extremely variable in stature and habit.—
Quite smooth, generally shining. Culms densely tufted, leafy chiefly at the base, 1-3 feet high, strict, slender.
Leaves setaceous, often long and filiform, sometimes short and rigid. Panicle an inch to a span long, erect, nari'ow,
contracted or spreading, few-flowered ; branches erect, long or short, slender. Glumes acuminate or acute, shorter
than the flowers, four- to eight-flowered. Flowers narrow, remote, glabrous. Lower palea acuminate, awned, generally
scabrid.
2. F e stu c a CVulpia) bromoides (Linn. Sp. PI. 10 9 ); annua, glaberrima, culmis plurimis dense
cæspitosis foliosis, foliis filiformibus involutis, vaginis elongatis, ligula membranacea, ¡jaiiicula contracta
unilaterali racemosa, ramis brevibus erectis, spiculis sessilibus 8- 1 0 -floris lævibus scaberuiisve, glumis uni-
lateralibus valde inæqualibus subulato-acumiiiatis, floribus approximatis anguste lanceolatis, palea inferiore
lunge aristata, arista scaberula.— /!«^/. Bot. t. 1411. F. plebcia, Br. Prodr. 183; Fl. Antarct. ii. 384.
Fl. N . Zeal. i. 309. F. Stuartiana, Steud. Syn. Glum. 304. Vulpia rectiseta, / ’. Muell. in Herb. Hook.
Var. 0 . tenella; culmis brevibus capillaribus 1-3-floris.
Hab. Abundant in dry pastures, etc.— (Fl. Oct.-Jan.) («.«.) (A, native of England.)
D is t iu b . Throughout the northern temperate hemisphere; common also iu the south, b u t generally
introduced; Australia and New Zealand.
A very common Grass, native of Europe and (generally naturalized) of other parts of the world. It has possibly
been introduced into Tasmania, though found by Mr. Brown there upwards of half a century ago.—An annual
Grass, very valuable in size, from 2 inches to 2 feet, always perfectly smooth. Cxilms densely tufted, simple, more
or less leafy upwards, slender ; in var. 0 as slender as a thread. Leaves narrow, involute, filiform ; sheaths long.
Panicle generally 1-3 inches long, erect, contracted, rather dense, sometimes reduced in var. 0 to one spikelet ;
branches short, erect, appressed. Spikelets rather crowded, shortly pedicelled, three- to ten-flowered, i inch long
with the awns. Glumes narrow, subulate, the upper much the longest, strongly nerved, placed at one side of the
base of the spikelet. Flowers close together on a slender rachis. Lower palea scabrous or smooth, concave, narrow,
lanceolate, tapeiing into a long, scabrid, hair-like awn.
3. F e stu c a d istichophylla (Hook, fil.) ; culmis brevibus ramosis rigidis glaberrimis Iævibus folio-
sis, vaginis imbricatis, foliis distichis involutis setaceis strictis, ligula brevissima, panicula racemosa terminali
pauciflora, spiculis sessilibus lævibus compressis 8- 10-floris, floribus arete imbricatis, glumis ovatis
acuminatis fioribus brevioiibus, palea inferiore late ovata acuminata striato-nervosa.—Poa distichophylla,
Br. Prodr. 182. Uniola distichophylla, Lab. Fl. Nov. Holl. i.p . 21. t. 24. {Gunn, 414.)
I I ab. Northern coast, growing on the shore, often within high-water mark.— (Fl. Nov.)
D is t r ib . Extratropical coasts of Australia.
A rigid, harsh, perfectly smooth and polished Grass, forming large dense tufts near the sea.— Culms a span to
14 foot long, much branched, leafless below. Leaves spreading or erect, on opposite sides of the culm; sheaths
round ; blade involute, setaceous, 1-3 inches long, stiff ; ligula very short. Fanicle an erect, short, ovate, compressed
raceme of about five large, shortly pedicelled, compressed spikelets, each 4 - 4 inch long, and eight- to ten-
flowered. Glumes ovate, acuminate, concave. Floxoers closely imbricate, striated, broadly ovate, acuminate. Stigmas
purple.—I regret being obliged to place this plant in Festuca in opposition to Mr. Brown’s authority, who refers
it to Poa ; hut I know of no natural limits between these two genera, and the only artificial one that appears useful
or tenable lies in the comparative sharpness or bluutuess of the lower palea, which in this plant is decidedly acuminate.
The flowers arc sometimes infested with the Ergot, which is a black cylindrical body, the diseased growth
of the ovary after being attacked by a species of Fungus.
b. Lower palea sometimes xninutehj toothed at the apex.
4. F e stu c a Ho oke rian a (F. Muell. MSS.) ; elata, erecta, culmis vaginisque lævibus scaberuiisve,
foliis breviusculis planis coriaceis utrinque scaberulis, ligula brevi coriacea, panicula effusa nutante, ramis
elongatis, spiculis majusculis 6- 8 -tloris, glumis carina marginibusque ciliatis, inferiore 3-nervi superiore
5-nervi, rachilla pilosa v. barbata, palea inferiore 7-nervi apice aristata v. sub apice bifida breviter aristata
carina scaberula, superiore apice bidentata carinis pectinatis. (Ta b . CLXV.)
IliB . Cheshunt, Arckei-.— (Fl. Nov.)
D is t r ib . Alps of Victoria, Mueller.