TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Spartina. 135 



B. n. 1512. Hall. Hist. v. 2. 238. 



Gramen asperum. Bauh. Hist. v. 2.467./. Rati Syn. 401. 

 G. spicatum, folio aspero. Bauh. Prodr. 9. f. Theatr. 45. /. 

 Scheuchz.Jgr.299. t. 6. f.\5. Moris, v. 3.202. sect. 8. t. 6. /. 38. 



In meadows, hedges, and shady places, common. 



Perennial. June — August. 



Root fibrous, tufted. Stem erect, straight, 2 feet high j leafy be- 

 low 3 naked and roughish above. Leaves linear, flat, acute, dull 

 green, spreading, striated, harsh, rough-edged. Sheaths rough, 

 keeled, compressed. Stipula elongated, mostly torn. Panicle 

 alternately branched ; branches angular, stiff, very rough, spread- 

 ing, especially the lowermost, each bearing a compound, ovate 

 or globular, dense tuft, of unilateral, bristly, crowded spikelets. 

 Calyx membranous, very unequal - } the outer valve 3 -ribbed, 

 rough at the keel. Florets 3 or 4, rarely solitary j common 

 stalk smooth. Outer valve of the cor. 5-ribbed, rough at the 

 keel, with a short awn-like point; inner fringed at the ribs. 

 Anth. pale violet, pendulous. 



In shady places, orchards, &c, this is a harsh coarse grass, not 

 very acceptable to cattle ; but when cultivated on dry open 

 land, its quality becomes excellent, and the crop of tufted radi- 

 cal leaves abundant. 



49. SPARTINA. Cord-grass. 



Schreb. Gen. 43. Muhlenb. Gram. 53. Beauv. Agr. 25. t. 7-f.6. 

 Limnetis. Richard. — Nuttall Gen. 38. 



Cat. single-flowered, of 2 unequal, compressed, lanceolate, 

 keeled, clasping valves ; the outer one sometimes smallest, 

 narrow and pointless ; sometimes largest, with a rough, 

 straight, terminal awn; inner cloven at the summit, with 

 more or less of an intermediate tooth, or point. Cor. 

 about the length and shape of the cal. of 2 lanceolate, 

 bluntish, clasping, compressed, awnless valves, the inner- 

 most rather the longest. Nect. none. Filam. capillary, 

 not so long as the cor. Anth. erect, linear, entire at the 

 top, cloven at the base. Germ, elliptic-lanceolate. Styles 

 combined a great part of their whole length, separate at 

 the top. Stigmas feathery, slender, various in length. 

 Seed oblong, compressed, clothed with the unaltered co- 

 rolla, but quite loose. 



Hard, rigid, smooth, perennial, maritime grasses, with com- 

 pound, close, unilateral spikes of numerous flowers. This 

 genus is closely allied to Dactylis, under which it has been 

 included by Linnaeus and most botanists ; but a compa- 

 rison of their characters, given above, will prove them 



