leading and unmistakeable attributes of a true Grass ; sufficiently 

 so, at least, to render his after-descriptions intelligible to one not 

 a botanist. 



Every Grass, properly so called, has its stem cylindrical and 

 jointed at intervals throughout, the erect or ascending portion, 

 the Culm or straw, being, almost universally, hollow between the 

 joints. The leaves, which spring from these joints only, have their 

 lower part, which corresponds to a flattened leaf-stalk, rolled 

 around the stem in the form of a sheath ; and the upper or spread- 

 ing portion, the true leaf, is usually long, narrow, and tapering to 

 a point; it is always separated from the sheath by a projecting 

 membrane, or a row of hairs or bristles, more frequently by the 

 first, which is known, among botanists, by the name of Ligule, 

 from the Latin ligula, a spoon or scoop, which this little append- 

 age, in many of the Grasses, somewhat resembles ; or, if we con- 

 sider* liffula itself to be derived from lingua, a tongue, the similarity 

 in outline will not be the less obvious in other instances. 



The flowers of the Grasses are variously arranged : in some 

 cases they are disposed in loose, more or less spreading bunches, 

 termed Panicles, as in the Millet Grass, Plate XX. — ^in others 

 they form compact masses, denominated Spikes, which may be 

 either short and rounded, as in the Hare's-tail Grass, Plate XIX., 

 or long and slender, as in the Meadow Cat's-tail Grass, Plate 

 XIII. These flowers are very different from those of most other ve- 

 getable tribes ; never presenting either the bright hue or the sym- 

 metrical disposition of their parts, which excites our admiration in 

 many of the higher orders of flowering plants. The organs which, 

 in the flowers of the Grasses, represent those constituting the richly- 

 varied cup of the Tulip, or the azure and silver bells of the Cam- 

 panula, have here a totally different character and disposition. 

 They are small, dry, membranaceous scales ; never atranged two 

 or more upon the same plane or level, but each occupying its own 

 on alternate sides ; being inserted in every instance a little above 



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