202 CHAPTERS ON BRITISH BOTANY. [July , 



there is no reason why it may not be our A. pratensis, especially 

 as this grass was seen by Sibthorp in Greece. But it may be 

 asserted on equally good grounds^ that it may be a Phleum or a 

 Phalaris, for these grow in meadows and have a spiked panicle 

 which does not differ much in shape from the genuine Foxtail. 

 There is no evidence to support the opinion that it signifies any 

 species of grass. It was probably a general term, like grass, and 

 did not always represent the same identical species or even genus. 



The remaining grasses of Theophrastus are entered here, viz. 

 Arundo, Avena, and Bromus. The first-mentioned is one of the 

 Calami (reeds), a very common appellative, embracing many plants 

 of several orders; for example, Acorus Calamus, Schoenus, the 

 famous Arundo Donax, the ligneous reed of Southern Europe, 

 etc. Our A. epigeios is supposed to be ')(apaKia<i eirir/eio'i of the 

 Greeks ; and this is not improbable, as the species are found in 

 most parts of Europe. See Bill. 25 ; Sp. i. 79 ; Theoph. 4. 12 ; 

 Stackhouse, 31, 32. Three species of Bromus, viz. B. mollis, B. 

 scoparius, and B. tectorum grow in Greece. Some authors sup- 

 pose that Eye is the Bromus of Theophrastus; others, that Avena 

 fatua, or the Wild Oat, is the ancient Bromus. Sprengel assumes 

 that it was the latter, and entei's A. fatua as synonymous with 

 Bromus of Theophrastus. It is uncertain to what genera or spe- 

 cies of plants either the terms Bromus or Avetia refer. 



Some more Grasses which have Greek names will be found in 

 the sequel, when we come to the plants of Dioscorides. 



AcoNiTUM is another uncertain plant. The ancients knew 

 several species of this genus. Theophrastus (b. ix. c. 16) in- 

 forms his readers that it grew in Aconse, a district or village of 

 the Marianduni. Billerbeck says that the genuine A. Napellus 

 is described by Dioscorides, though only named by the father of 

 botany. It grows in Laconia : see Fl. Grseca. It is also found 

 on the mountains of Switzerland (Bil.) . It is a rare denizen of 

 England, probably an escape from cultivation. It is very com- 

 mon in cottage gardens, and many deadly accidents have been 

 the result of mistaking its roots for those of Horseradish, and 

 the recent leaves for parsley. Those who know the plants may 

 marvel that such accidents could have occurred, diflfering as they 

 do so much in smell, taste, and form, from the plants for which 

 they were mistaken, but unhappily it is too true that fatal mis- 

 takes have been made. 



