278 BRITISH GRASSES. 



over the meadow ; so that, in such springs as are not 

 subject to such showers, this grass thriveth not so well." 

 Such a locality would, doubtless, favour the growth of 

 P. trivialis, and the description suits well its thickly 

 matting growth, but the length of its creeping shoots is 

 at least six times greater than any which it now attains. 



Lawson remarks that "its stoloniferous shoots begin 

 to grow pretty early in spring, and by lying prostrate on 

 the ground, make a beautiful verdant carpet ; as the 

 season becomes more advanced, however, these shoots 

 become dried, from the effect of much sunshine, but 

 shoot out again towards the end of the season, when the 

 weather becomes more moist, and continue green during 

 the most of the winter,- — a habit of growth which fits it 

 for mixing with the Italian Rye-grass, or any of the up- 

 right growing sorts. 



P. trivialis, var. parviflora, has small spikelets, con- 

 taining only one, or at most two florets ; its stem is 

 generally smooth. It is found in shady woods. 



The foreign homes of P. trivialis are Lapland, Nor- 

 way, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, Germany, France, 

 Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Asia, and 

 North America. 



12. Poa nemoraliS; Linn. Wood Poa. 



Root perennial, creeping ; stems smooth, flattish, erect, 

 slender, compressed, eighteen to twenty-four inches high ; 

 leaves narrow, taper pointed, rough on the edges and the 

 inner surface, and smooth on the lower part of the back ; 

 sheaths smooth, tight, compressed, shorter than the leaves ; 

 ligule short, notched or torn ; panicle slender, erect, loose, 

 slightly drooping ; branches slender, hair-like, zigzag, rough, 



