CLASS ni. ORDER 11.] POA. 121 



The rougliisli Meadow -grass is one of the most valuable of our native 

 grasses : it possesses highly nutritive properties, arrives at perfection at 

 the most seasonable period, and is preferred by cattle before almost any 

 other grass, as is evident by those i)arts of pastures Avhere it is most 

 abundant being more closely eaten down than any other. It grows to 

 the greatest perfection in moist, rich soils, in sheltered situations, or 

 amongst a mixture of other grasses, where it will get a partial covering : 

 under such circumstances, it has been found to nearly double the 

 quantity of its produce. This grass is most valuable for permanent 

 pastures, and in sowing the seed it should be in the proportion of about 

 seven pounds to the acre. Valuable, however, as this grass is in moist, 

 rich soils, and sheltered situations, it cannot with advantage be culti- 

 vated in dry exposed land, as the quantity of herbage which it pro- 

 duces is for less, and it gradually diminishes, and frequently dies off 

 in the course of a few years. 



13. P. an'nua, Linn. (Fig. 150.) annual Meadotv-grass. Panicle 

 spreading ; glumes unequal ; florets about five, a little remote, 

 five-ribbed, hairy, but without web at the base; stem compressed ; 

 root fibrous. 



English Botany, t. 1141. — English Flora, vol. i. p. 127. — Lindley, 

 Synopsis, p. 317. — Hooker, British Flora, vol. i. p. 46. — Sinclair, Hort. 

 Gram. Woburn. p. 400. 



Root fibrous. Stems numerous, bent and branched at the base, 

 smooth, pale, and striated; the lower joints often putting out roots. 

 Leaves linear, flat, flaccid, blunt, frequently waved, a bright palish 

 green, smooth, except a slight roughness on the edges. Sheaths close, 

 compressed, smooth. Ligula obtuse in the lower leaves, acute in the 

 upper. Inflorescence an erect, spreading, smooth, branched panicle. 

 G/wmes unequal, smooth, or roughish: the outer valve smallest, lan- 

 ceolate, single-ribbed; the inner ovate-lanceolate, three-ribbed. Flo- 

 rets about five, rather remote, green tinged with purple, smooth, shi- 

 ning, the margins pale and membranous. Glumelles unequal : the 

 outer ovate-lanceolate, acute, five-ribbed, hairy, without web at the 

 base; the inner valve with two marginal, roughish ribs, bifid at the 

 apex. Anthers yellow. Stigmas large. Seed small, angular, pale. 



Habitat. — Common everywhere. 



Annual ; flowering from April to Xovember. 



This is one of the most common of the grasses, growing almost any- 

 where upon walls, roofs, the crevices of pavements, road-sides, &c. It 

 is also very various in size, depending upon the place of its growth. 

 It is a very troublesome weed in court-yards, gravel walks. Sec, and 

 difiicult of extirpation, for it produces seed nearly all the year round: 

 in such like places, it has been recommended to destroy it by boiling 

 water, lime, kc. ; but perhaps the most efi'ectual method is to sprinkle 

 the places pretty well over with common salt, once or twice during the 



VOL. I. R 



