The reader is probably acquainted with the Fescue Grass, with its awned flowers arranged in one-sided panicles. There are no less than seven species, one of which—the Single-husked Fescue (Festuca uniglumis)—grows on sandy shores, flowering in June and July, and reaching a height of from nine to twelve inches. The panicles are upright and unbranched, and the species may be readily known by the flowers, which are compressed, with long awns, and with the lower glumes wanting.
Knappia agrostidea is a dwarf species, rarely exceeding four inches in height, that is found on certain sandy shores, but is very local. Its flowers are arranged in a simple spike, the spikelets being solitary and unilateral, with only a single flower, and the pales are shaggy. The plant has several stems which bear short, rough leaves.
The Mat Grass or Sea Reed (Ammophila arundinacea) is common on many sandy coasts, where it grows to a height of three or four feet, and flowers in July. The white flowers are clustered in dense cylindrical, pointed spikes; and the leaves are of a glaucous green colour, rigid, and curved inward at the edges.
Dog’s-tooth Grass (Cynodon dactylon). This species has a creeping root, and the leaves are downy on the under side. The flowers are arranged in a compound spreading spike, of three to five parts, and the spikelets are of a purplish colour, ovate in form, and arranged in pairs. The glumes are equal in size. It is found on sandy shores, grows to a height of about six inches, and flowers in July.
A species of Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is also to be seen on sandy coasts. Unlike the other species of the same genus, its flowers form an erect spreading panicle, and the glumes are not keeled. It is also taller than the common canary grass of waste places, often reaching a height of three feet, and is commonly known as the Reed Canary Grass.
Fig. 279.—Knappia agrostidea
