78 PHALARIS. [class in. oRDia u. 



about the same length. Anthers mostly yellow, but varying in colour 

 to dark brown or purple. St>/les short, united. Stigmas feathery. — 

 jg, ful'vus, made by Sir J. E. Smith a species, has been, by all suc- 

 ceeding botanists, considered very doubtful ; the colour of the anthers 

 we have observed to be very various iu specimens both with long and 

 ehort awns ; and although we have not found the awn so often as short 

 as that represented in English Botany, yet still so very variable in 

 length, as to induce us to think it a variety, rather than a species. 



Habitat. — Common by the side of pools, in marshes, and wet mea- 

 dows, sometimes on walls. 



Perennial ; flowering from June to August. 



This plant is remarkably various in size, which circumstance greatly 

 depends upon the situation of its growth ; when gi'own by the side' of 

 pools or wet drains in a rich soil, the stems may be observed more than 

 two feet long, either floating on the surface of the water, or trailing on 

 the wet ground, and taking root from the joints; the leaves broader 

 and longer than when grown in drier situations. It is remarkably 

 tenacious of life, and although mostly found iu the situations above 

 named, it is occasionally observed in very dry places, even on the tops of 

 walls, when it has bulbs superadded to its fibrous roots. It is of little 

 or no agricultural utility, both on account of its natural habit and the 

 little nutritive matter it afifords. 



GENUS XVI. PHA'LARIS. Linn. Canary-grass. 



Gen. Char. Panicle contracted, or spreading. Glumes two, equal, 

 keeled, longer than the glumella. Glumelles of two equal, awn- 

 less valves, at length forming an indurated covering to the seed, 

 and accompanied at its base with one or two unequal imperfect 

 florets. Name from i?>«Xoi, jvhite, or shiriing ; in reference to the 

 glossy covering of the seed. 



1. P. canarien'sis, Linn. (Fig. 97.) cultivated Canary-grass. Stem 

 erect, panicle compact ovate, glumes boat-shaped, compressed, 

 keeled, each valve of the glumella wiih an abortive floret at the base. 



English Botany, t. 1310. — English Flora, vol. i. p. 74. — Lindley, 

 Synop.sis, p. 300. — Hooker, Briti.sh Flora, vol. i. p. 31. — Sinclair, Hort. 

 Gram. AVoburn. p. 399. 



Root of numerous white fibres. Stem erect, from one to two feet 

 high, leafy, glaucous, striated. Leaves broad, lanceolate, soft, some- 

 what pubescent. Sheaths long, striated, upper ones considerably in- 

 flated. Ligula obtuse. Inflorescence an obtuse spike. Glumes large, 

 pale, yellow, with two green lines, and a remarkably broad keel at the 

 back, entire at the point, and containing a perfect floret of two pointed 

 shining hard cartilaginous hairy valves, and two imperfect florets, each 



