TRIANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Glyceria. 115 



haked. Leaves rather firm, spreading or recurved, single-ribbed, 

 striated, bluntish, with a short cartilaginous tip ; rough chiefly 

 at the edges and keel near the extremity. Sheaths short, Stipula 

 obsolete. Spike erect, bkieish grey, shining, about an inch 

 long, somewhat branched or panicled, with notched or jagged, 

 short bracteas. Glumes all more or less awned. Calyx as well 

 as the outer valve of the corolla, fringed ; the latter terminating 

 in a short central awn, and a short tooth (Schrader says some- 

 times 2) on each side ; inner valve flat, cloven, with inflexed 

 margins, downy at the outer edges. 

 An elegant and singular grass, flowering too early to be often seen 

 by mountain travellers. Professor Schrader has much enriched 

 this genus, describing 6 German species, one of which, with an 

 annual root, is Cenchriis capitatus, Linn. Sp. PL 1488, Fl. Grav. 

 v.l.Sl.t. 100. referred to Sesleria by the learned Host. 1 have 

 had no opportunity of investigating its structure, which has 

 never, till now perhaps, been rightly understood. 



44. GLYCERIA. Sweet-grasa. 



Br. Pr. 179. Beam. Agr. 96. t. 19./. 7- 

 Poa, sect. 2. Hook. Scot. 32., 



Cal. of 2 unequal, awliless, concave valves, cohtainuig a 

 linear-oblong spiJcelet of numerous, awnless, alternate, 

 two-ranked, perfect^or^i^5, unconnected by any fibres, or 

 web, at their base. Cor. of 2 unequal valves ; the outer 

 cylindrical, ribbed and fin-rowed, scarcely keeled, entire, 

 more or less abrupt, and often membranous, at the point, 

 inflexed at the edges ; inner narrower, obtuse, or notched, 

 flat, membranous, with 2 nearly marginal ribs. Nect. a 

 tumid scale, notched or cloven, at one side of the germen. 

 Filam. capillary, longer than the cor. A7ith. pendulous, 

 linear, deeply cloven at each end. Gerjnen ovate. Sfi/Ies 

 distinct, various in length. Stigmas spreading, feadiery, 

 large, repeatedly branched or compound. Seed cylin- 

 dric-oblong, with a furrow at one side, loose, covered 

 with the unchanged corolla. 



Root perennial, in some species annual. Stems leafy, knotty. 

 Fl. panicled, numerous. 



I venture to admit into Mr. Brown's genus of Glyceria^ 

 founded on Festuca, (or Poa,)fluitans alone, such of our 

 former Poce as agree with that grass in having linear 

 spikelets, cylindrical furrowed florets, and for the most 

 part branched stigmas, which last character is considered 

 by that learned author as one of the most essential. It 

 occurs however in Poa annua, trivialis, pratensis, and 



I 2 



