144 - TRIANDMA. DIGYNIA. Poa. 



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of the spikets the same as in the preceding, and the base of the 

 lower floret equally woolly ; but the great length to which it 

 trails on the ground before the flowering stem rises up, gives it 

 a claim to particular notice. Mr. Hudson's P. trpvidlh palus- 

 tris, has been supposed intended for this grass, but he quotes the 

 spec. ch. of Poa palustris as given by Linnaeus in the Spec. 

 Plantar, which, though not well discriminated, can never be the 

 plant in question, which Haller describes as having a calyx with 

 awns, and so it is figured by Morrison. H. ox. viii. 6* 2J ♦ cited 

 by Linnaeus, and also by Hudson. 



There is great reason to believe that this is the famous Or- 

 cheston grass, which, as Mr. Swayne observed to me, was men- 

 tioned by Ray (from Merret) calling it, Gramencantnum mpinum 

 longtss'vnum ; giving as its place of growth, Maddington, 9 miles 

 from Salisbury. Ray adds, that it is 24 feet long ; that they fat 

 Logs with it, and says it also grows in some places in Wales. 

 Ray Syn. Indiculus. PL dub. Mr. Swayne informs me that the 

 part of the meadow in which he found this grass, is in the parish 

 of Maddington, and that Maddington and Orcheston St. Mary 

 are divided only by a small stream.* 



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* I requested the favour of Mr. Swayne to send me specimens of 

 this celebrated grass, which he was so obliging to do, and also to add the 

 following account of it, which I transcribe with pleasure, as being, I be- 

 lieve, the best account yet given to the public. — u The late worthy Ed- 

 mund Rack, first Secretary of the Bath Agricultural Society, was sent to 

 Orcheston, (as you read in one of their volumes,) to investigate this 

 wonderful grass. After his return, he shewed me some specimens which 

 he brought back with him, at the same time informing me, that the mea- 

 dow had been mown before he came there, and that he had picked his 

 specimens from the haymow. These were so imperfect, that it would 

 probably have puzzled a skilful botanist to have determined the species, 

 much less could I pretend to do this. 1 knew, however, enough to 

 satisfy myself, that it was some species of Agrostis. I had thoughts of 

 visiting the place myself for a long time, but the distance of 40 miles 

 still made me defer it. At length, being on a visit to a friend in Somer- 

 setshire, he told me he had been to see the famous Orcheston grass, that 

 he had been so lucky as to be there at the time the meadow was mowing, 

 had been directed to the real long grass by the farmer and labourers at 

 work, and had brought back with him living plants and specimens of the 

 flowers. When he produced the latter, you may guess my surprize to find 

 them specimens of Alopecurus pratensis of very large growth. I carried 

 home with me a plant, and set it in my garden. It produced, the spring 

 following, a very fine tuft of the flowering spikes of Alopecurus pra- 

 tensis. This occurrence at once determined me to visit Orcheston, which 

 I did the year following, the first week in June. When I arrived, the 

 greatest part of the 1 low, (or rather meadows, for there are several 

 partitions, though the whole is not more than two or three acres,) indeed 

 all, except one corner, about a quarter of an acre, had been mown, and 

 the gra^o was then lying in small cocks. The standing part had one uni- 

 form appearance, and presented a thick and beautiful assemblage of the 

 flowering panicles of what I take to be Poa trivialis palustris of Hudson- 

 A specimen shall be sent for your decision. I examined the grass cocks, 

 and no other flowers of grass appeared, except here and there a few spikes 



gf Alopecurus. The grass which had not been cut, was lodged qx l>i»S 



"on 



