TKIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Phalaris. 73 



Digynia, p. 37. Mr. Brown traces an analogous struc- 

 ture in Pomcrculla^ Ehrharta, Tetrarrhena^ MicrolcEiia^ 

 and perhaps Phalaris. In tliis last section are compre- 

 hended several genera, more or less anomalous in struc- 

 ture, and certainly ill understood by botanists in general. 

 They either have separated y/oiirr^, or a deficiency of 

 calyx, or an unusual number of stamens. Most of them 

 are tropical and aquatic grasses. 



Grasses yield more sustenance to man and to the larger 

 animals, than all the rest of the vegetable kingdom to- 

 gether. Their herbage, so perpetually s})ringing, and so 

 tenacious of hfe, accommodated, in one instance or other, 

 to almost every climate, soil, and situation, affords to 

 Nature, her most welcome clothing, and to the cultivator 

 of the soil his chief riches. Nothing poisonous or inju- 

 rious is found among them, if we except the intoxicating 

 quality attributed to the seeds of Lolium ; but many are 

 gratefullv aromatic. Their farinaceous albumen supplies 

 man witfi the staff of life, in Wheat, Rye, Barley, Rice 

 and Maize, and makes a great part of the food of many 

 birds and small quadrupeds. 



As man cannot live on tasteless unmixed flour alone, so 

 neither can catde, in general, be supported by mere grass, 

 without the addition of various plants, in themselves too 

 acrid, bitter, salt, or narcotic, to be eaten unmixed. 

 Spices, and a portion of animal food, supply us with the 

 requisite stimulus, or additional nutriment ; as the Ra- 

 nunculus tribe, and many others, season the pasturage and 

 fodder of cattle. 



29. PHALARIS. Canary-grass. 



Linn. Gen. 32. Juss. 29. FL Br. 62. Lam. t. 42. Gcertn. t. 80. 

 Schrad. Germ, v I. 177. 



Cal. single-flowered, of 2, nearly equal, compressed, keeled 

 valves, whose straight inner margins meet. Cor. smaller 

 than the cal. concealed, of 3 or 4 valves ; the outermost 

 smallest, lanceolate, acute, of 1 or 2 valves ; 2 inner ones 

 twice as large, unequal, cartilaginous, downy, subsequently 

 hardened and closely investing the seed. Nect. 2 equal, 

 ovate, thin scales. Filam. capillary. Anth. oblong. Styles 

 very sliort, with long feathery stigmas. Seed ovate, coated 

 with the ijHier corolla. Stems leafy. Injlorescence more 

 or less compound, though often apparently a simple spike. 



