The true Grasses, comprising the Natural Order Graminaceæ—also written Gramineæ—are often popularly confounded with other herbs which possess narrow green ribbon-like leaves, or even with plants of very different aspects—e.g. Cotton-grass (Eriophorum) and other Sedges, and the names Rib-grass (Plantago), Knot-grass (Polygonum), Scorpion-grass (Myosotis) and Sea-grass (Zostera), as well as the general usage of the word grass to signify all kinds of leguminous and other hay-plants in agriculture, point to the wider use of the word in former times. This has been explained by the use of the words gaers, gres, gyrs, and grass in the old herbals to indicate any kind of small herbage.
In view of the importance of our British grasses in agriculture, I have here put together some results of observation and reading in the hope that they may aid students in recognising easily our ordinary agricultural and wild grasses. During several years of work in the fields, principally directed at first to the study of the parasitic fungi on grasses, and subsequently to that of the importance of grasses in forestry and agriculture, and to the variations they exhibit, the need of some guide to the identification of a grass at any time of the year, whether in flower or not, forced itself on the attention, and although a botanist naturally turns to a good Flora when he has the grass in flower, as the best and quickest way of ascertaining the species, it soon became evident that much may be done by the study of the leaves and vegetative parts of most grasses. Indeed some are recognisable at a glance by certain characters well known to continental observers: in the case of others the matter is more difficult, and perhaps with a few it is impossible to be certain of the species from such characters only.
Nevertheless, while the best means for the determination of species are always in the floral characters so well worked up in the Floras of Hooker, Bentham and others, there is unquestionably much value in the characters of the vegetative organs also, as the works of Jessen, Lund, Stebler, Vesque and others abroad, and Sinclair, Parnell, Sowerby and others in this country attest.
Almost the only plants confounded with true grasses by the ordinary observer are the sedges and a few rushes. Apart from the very different floral structures, there are two or three easily discoverable marks for distinguishing all our grasses from other plants (Fig. [1]). The first is their leaves are arranged in two rows, alternately, up the stems; and the second that their stems are circular or flattened in section, or if of some other shape they are never triangular and solid[1] (Figs. [6] and [7]). Moreover the leaves are always of some elongated shape, and without leaf-stalks[2], but pass below into a sheath, which runs some way down the stem and is nearly always perceptibly split (Figs. [8]-13). Further, the stems themselves are usually terete, and distinctly hollow except at the swollen nodes, and only branch low down at the surface of the ground or below it[3].
Fig. 1. A plant of Oat (Avena), an example of a typical grass, showing tufted habit and loose paniculate inflorescence (reduced). Figuier.
All our native grasses are herbaceous, and none of them attain very large dimensions. In the following lists I term those small which average about 6-18 inches in the height of the tufts, whereas those over 3 feet high may be termed large, the tufts being regarded as in flower. The sizes cannot be given very accurately, and starved specimens are frequently found dwarfed, but in most cases these averages are not far wrong for the species freely growing as ordinarily met with, and in some cases are useful. I have omitted the rare species throughout, and in the annexed lists have added the popular names.
Large Grasses.
(Over 3 feet.)
Milium effusum (Millet-grass).
Digraphis arundinacea (Reed-grass).
Aira cæspitosa (Tufted Hair-grass).
Arrhenatherum avenaceum (False Oat).
Elymus arenarius (Lyme-grass).
Bromus asper (Hairy Brome).
B. giganteus (Tall Brome).
Festuca elatior (Meadow Fescue).
F. sylvatica (Reed Fescue).
Glyceria aquatica (Reed Sweet-grass).
G. fluitans (Floating Sweet-grass).
Arundo Phragmites (Common Reed).Medium Grasses.
(1-3 feet.)
Phleum pratense (Timothy).
Avena pratensis (Perennial Oat-grass).
Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet Vernal).
Alopecurus agrestis (Slender Foxtail).
A. pratensis (Meadow Foxtail).
Agrostis alba (Fiorin).
Psamma arenaria (Sea Mat-grass).
Avena flavescens (Yellow Oat-grass).
Holcus lanatus (Yorkshire Fog).
Hordeum sylvaticum (Wood Barley).
H. pratense (Meadow Barley).
Agropyrum repens (Couch-grass).
A. caninum (Fibrous Twitch).
Lolium italicum (Italian Rye-grass).
Brachypodium sylvaticum (Wood False-Brome).
B. pinnatum (Heath False-Brome).
Bromus erectus (Upright Brome).
B. sterilis (Barren Brome).
B. arvensis (Field Brome).
Festuca ovina (var. rubra, &c.). (Sheep’s Fescue).
F. elatior (var. pratensis). Meadow Fescue.
Dactylis glomerata (Cock’s-foot).
Cynosurus cristatus (Crested Dog’s-tail).
Poa pratensis (Meadow-grass).
P. trivialis (Rough stalked Meadow-grass).
P. nemoralis (Wood Poa).
Molinia cærulea (Flying Bent).
Melica nutans (Mountain Melick).
M. uniflora (Wood Melick).Small Grasses.
(6-18 inches.)
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Milium effusum (Millet-grass). Digraphis arundinacea (Reed-grass). Aira cæspitosa (Tufted Hair-grass). Arrhenatherum avenaceum (False Oat). Elymus arenarius (Lyme-grass). Bromus asper (Hairy Brome). B. giganteus (Tall Brome). Festuca elatior (Meadow Fescue). F. sylvatica (Reed Fescue). Glyceria aquatica (Reed Sweet-grass). G. fluitans (Floating Sweet-grass). Arundo Phragmites (Common Reed). |
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Phleum pratense (Timothy). Avena pratensis (Perennial Oat-grass). Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet Vernal). Alopecurus agrestis (Slender Foxtail). A. pratensis (Meadow Foxtail). Agrostis alba (Fiorin). Psamma arenaria (Sea Mat-grass). Avena flavescens (Yellow Oat-grass). Holcus lanatus (Yorkshire Fog). Hordeum sylvaticum (Wood Barley). H. pratense (Meadow Barley). Agropyrum repens (Couch-grass). A. caninum (Fibrous Twitch). Lolium italicum (Italian Rye-grass). Brachypodium sylvaticum (Wood False-Brome). B. pinnatum (Heath False-Brome). Bromus erectus (Upright Brome). B. sterilis (Barren Brome). B. arvensis (Field Brome). Festuca ovina (var. rubra, &c.). (Sheep’s Fescue). F. elatior (var. pratensis). Meadow Fescue. Dactylis glomerata (Cock’s-foot). Cynosurus cristatus (Crested Dog’s-tail). Poa pratensis (Meadow-grass). P. trivialis (Rough stalked Meadow-grass). P. nemoralis (Wood Poa). Molinia cærulea (Flying Bent). Melica nutans (Mountain Melick). M. uniflora (Wood Melick). |