Mr. F, Townsend ona supposed new species of Glyceria. 107 
vii. t.79) is an excellent one of G. plicata ; except the fruit, which 
is a tolerable representation of that of G. fluitans, as will be seen 
by reference to Nees von Esenbeck (Gen. Pl. Fl. Germ. Monocot. 
i. 57), whose figure of the fruit is exactly that of G. plicata ; the 
rest of the plate by the latter author is not sufficiently accurate. 
By Parnell (Brit. Grasses, t. 45), as far as I can judge, a fair figure 
is given of G. pedicellata ; and in Curtis (Fl. Lond. i. t. 18) also 
is to be found a good plate of the same plant: the form of the 
panicle is good; but the outer pale is too long, and the magni- 
fied representation still less accurate ; the anthers and leaves are 
accordant. There only remains one other figure to be noticed, 
viz. that given in ‘English Botany’ (t. 1520); it is however so 
faulty that I can determine nothing with sufficient accuracy. 
Since the above was forwarded to the Botanical Society at 
Edinburgh on Nov. 29th, 1849, some “ Remarks on G. fluitans 
and G. plicata” have appeared in the ‘ Phytologist’ (mi. 734) 
from the pen of Mr. W. H. Purchas, on whose paper I should 
wish to say a few words. In G. fluitans I have not myself ob- 
_ served any characters by which specimens with appressed branches 
may be distinguished from those with the branches divaricate ; 
colour is the only distinction which Mr. Purchas has remarked, 
and of this he appears to speak only from recollection and to 
consider almost valueless. 
G. plicata a. of the same paper is certainly my G. pedicellata ; 
but these plants do not agree in the proportion of the outer pale ; 
in the latter the outer pale is twice as long as broad, in the 
former it is less than twice as long as broad. The character 
taken from the position of the apex of the outer pale with re- 
spect to the floret next above (when first attempting to distin- 
guish the plants) I thought might be of value, but afterwards de- 
termined it to be worthless. The plicature of the leaves may be 
found in all these plants, but not generally in G. flutans, whilst 
in G. pedicellata and G. plicata I have found the plicature pretty 
constant. That a specimen from Mr. Moore agrees with this plant 
is possible, as the two latter plants possess some characters in 
common and were not then distinguished ; but an original speci- 
men from that botanist preserved in Mr. Babington’s herbarium 
is the G. plicata of this paper. 
The description of G. plicata B, which Mr. Purchas thought 
to be my plant, is that of G. plicata (Fries), with the exception 
of the proportion of the outer pale and the character given of the 
leaves. It is curious that Mr. Purchas should never have ob- 
served the leaves to be folded, as I have found them very con- 
stantly so, having examined plants from numerous localities in 
several countries. The panicle has truly a “ fuller look,” “from 
the greater number of compound branches,” as well as from 
