62 



Panicum Crus-galli, Linnceus. E. B. 876 ; ed. 2. 102. Hooker ^ 

 Arnott. EchinocUoa Crus-galli, Palisot de Beauvois, Lindley, 

 Babington. Oplismenus Crus-galli, Kunth. 



Occasionally met with on moist arable land and waste ground 

 in the southern and eastern counties of England, chiefly in the 

 vicinity of tidal rivers and about garden grounds, as around 

 Battersea, Deptford and Greenwich near London; Petersfield, 

 Hampshire ; and about Norwich and Thetford, Norfolk. It is 

 evidently not indigenous, but, introduced with garden seeds, or 

 floated hither from the Continent, vegetates from seed, in any 

 favourable situation, for a few years, and then disappears until 

 renewed by a fresh importation. The natural production of a warmer 

 climate, few of its seeds seem to mature under garden culture here ; 

 and, while different species of exotic annuals spring up spontaneously 

 from year to year, like those of indigenous growth, P. Crus-galli can 

 never be depended upon as a self-renewer. A strong coarse-looking 

 Grass, forming compact tufts of foliage, from which, the stems, 

 at first decumbent, rise to the height of one or two feet. Leaves 

 broad, linear-acuminate, often destitute, or nearly so, of ligule. 

 Panicle three to six inches long, when short more or less compact 

 and pyramidal, but generally conspicuously branched ; lower branches 

 one to two inches in length, and distant, the upper ones becoming 

 gradually shorter and at length, confounded in a terminal spike ; 

 dark green or tinged with purple. It is an exceedingly variable 

 grass ; and the identification of the alleged naturalized species under 

 this name is doubtful, two, at least, having been associated vrith 

 it by English collectors. 



Annual. Flowers in July and August. 



As a weed it is naturalized over most parts of Europe, especially 

 in the south ; it appeafs under the same character in North America ; 

 and I have seen it this summer in a collection of dried specimens 

 from South Australia. Its native country is doubtful ; but it has 

 probably emanated from northern India, where it is stiU found 

 wild with P. Crm-corvi and others of its congeners. 



Genus 27. SETARIA. Bristle Grass. 



Gen. Char. Inflorescence spike-like, or more or less distinctly 

 branched. Spikelets compressed, single or two or three 

 together, surrounded by an involucre of bristles, two-flowered, 

 the lower flower imperfect. Glumes two, awnless ; the lower 

 one smaller, three-veined ; the upper as long as the spikelet, 

 many-veined. Lower palea of the imperfect flower resembling 

 and equalling the upper glume ; upper often wanting. Palese 



