_Anthoxanthum_ is sometimes confused with _Arrhenatherum_ (see p. 56) and _Molinia_; the latter differs in its ligule--a tuft of hair--its stringy roots, tapering leaf-base, less obvious ridges, and smooth sheaths, &c. _Anthoxanthum_ is deep green and often very luxurious in rich wet soils--e.g. in Devonshire. (_c_) Ears as mere collar-like ledges where the blade joins the sheath. Sheath usually pubescent or hispid with reflexed hairs. Ridges inconspicuous. Ligule very short. ✲ _Perennial, with firmer leaves_. _Hordeum sylvaticum_, Huds. (Wood Barley). Leaves flat, thin but firm, rather broad, scaberulous. Sheath hispid, with reflexed hairs. Blade not tapering below. Translucent spaces between the veins as broad as the latter. Ligule short and blunt. Shady places. Useless. _Hordeum pratense_, Huds. (Meadow Barley). Tufted, or bulbous below. Leaves narrower, flat, tending to roll up, scabrid above and hairy beneath. Sheath narrow, hairy. Moist meadows, and of some use as pasture in the young state. ✲✲ _Annual, with thin dry leaves_. _Hordeum murinum_, L. (Wall Barley). Coarse tufts; leaves small, narrow, hairy or scabrid. Sheaths sparsely hispid, or very downy, inflated. Roads, &c. A useless weed. _H. maritimum_, With. is a sea-side form, smaller and more glaucous. Sheaths hairy. (β) Leaf-blades not eared at the base. * Sheaths of radical leaves veined with red-purple. _Holcus lanatus_, L. (Yorkshire Fog). A useless weed, but very common in pasture and hay; forming tussocks, greyish-green, softly hairy (tomentose). Blades with roundish ridges. Ligule short and obtuse. Sheath somewhat keeled, with trace of collar ledge. It is said to have a bitter taste (Fig. 15). Ligule pilose. Tufted hairs along the broad rounded ridges, and on the lower surface and prominent keel. The much rarer _H. mollis_, L. is not so long-haired, except on the nodes, and is more creeping and slender in habit. It is a “twitch.” The Hordeums present several points of difficulty to beginners. The differences between the species are given above. _H. maritimum_ has narrower and thicker leaves than the rest. Bromes are most likely to be confounded with Hordeums, but they have entire sheaths and no ears (see p. 43). For distinctions between _H. murinum_ and _Lolium_ see p. 49. _H. sylvaticum_ and _Bromus asper_ (p. 44). ** No conspicuously red-veined sheaths. † Ligule absent, or a tuft of hairs. _Molinia cærulea_, Mœnch. (Purple Molinia). Tussocks, with tough stringy roots. Leaves narrowed below, and tapering above to a long point, ridges obsolete; very thin and dry but fairly stiff, and hairy above, especially at the base. Ligule absent, or a tuft of hairs. Sheaths smooth. Moors. Useless as forage, but used locally for brooms.