POA. 



Spitzbergen, and Greenland, 

 flowers in June. 



283 

 In these countries it 



14. Poa alpina, Linn. Alpine Poa. 



Root perennial, fibrous, tufted, with smooth fibres ; stems 

 smooth, shining, often purplish above, leafy below, tufted, 

 often swollen at the base, four to twelve inches high ; joints 

 two, small ; leaves short, flat, rough on the edges and inner 

 surface, smooth and polished behind, those of the stem 

 folded, compressed, radical ones forming a dense tuft ; 

 sheaths long, smooth, striated ; ligule long ; panicle loose, 

 ovoid, about two inches long, erect ; branches angular, 

 smooth, generally in pairs ; spikelets broad, shining, ele- 

 gantly variegated with green, white, and purplish-brown, 

 three- to five-flowered, often viviparous, crowded, ovate ; 

 outer glumes ovate, rather falcate, acute, equal, three- 

 ribbed, minutely toothed on the keels, not webbed ; flower- 

 ing glumes three-ribbed, the ribs hairy on the lower part, 

 pointed, the lateral ribs faint; palea shorter, green bor- 

 dered, and fringed. 



This species is found on the mountains of Perthshire, 

 Inverness, and Carnarvon, 

 and in alpine pastures in 

 Ireland and the north of 

 England. In moist situa- 

 tions it is liable to become 

 viviparous, the florets chang- 

 ing into buds and forming 

 young plants. 



It is a native of alpine 

 pastures in Lapland, Nor- 

 way, Sweden, Germany, 

 France, Switzerland, Italy, 



