poa. 271 



It is very sweet and succulent, and is a favourite with 

 cattle. But its life is too evanescent to make it desir- 

 able for cultivation. 



It is common throughout Europe, North Africa, South 

 America, and Northern Asia. 



P. annua, var. sericea, has shorter leaves that do not 

 become crumpled, its spikelets contain the minimum 

 number of florets, three, and the lateral ribs of the 

 flowering glumes are furnished with silky down. This 

 variety is found in watery places. 



9. Poa compressa, Linn. Flattened Poa. 



(P. polynada, Bab. Man.) 



Boot perennial, creeping; stem ascending, much com- 

 pressed, decumbent at the lower part, smooth ; joints from 

 four to seven, the uppermost high on the stem ; leaves short, 

 flat, acute, ro.ughish on the edges, and on the inner surface, 

 smooth at the back; sheaths short, flattened, the upper one 

 the same length as its leaf; ligule short, blunt ; panicle 

 dense, unilateral, erect, ovate-lanceolate; rachis and branches 

 rough, the latter short and in pairs ; spikelets small, ovate- 

 oblong, four- to six-flowered ; outer glumes slightly unequal, 

 three-ribbed, toothed on the upper part of the central rib ; 

 flowering glumes five-ribbed, the first, third, and fifth ribs 

 hairy in the centre, the second and fourth very faint, the 

 summit of the lowest flowering glume extends slightly be- 

 yond that of the largest outer glume ; palea short, edged 

 with green ; scales acute, notched ; florets often webbed at 

 the base. 



This grass is of a somewhat glaucous hue, and this 

 along with its very much flattened stem, and dense 

 panicle, form easily distinguishable features. Mr. Pursh 



