90 



genus, proposed by Dr. R. Brown, and adopted by Sir J. E. Smith, 

 as at present limited, consists of certain species of large, handsome, 

 aquatic or semiaquatic grasses, abounding in nutriment, and containing 

 a considerable quantity of sugar ; from which latter circumstance the 

 name is bestowed, from the Greek glyceros, sweet. 



Glycebia aquatica. Reed Sweet Grass. Plate LXXIV. 



Panicle erect, repeatedly branched ; branches rough, widely spread- 

 ing. Spikelets numerous, stalked, ovate or passing into linear-oblong, 

 compressed, about six- or eight-flowered. Flowers obtuse. Lower 

 palea seven-veined, the dorsal vein extending to the summit. Leaves 

 broad, channeled. Root creeping. 



G-lyceria' aquatica, Smith. Bahington. Poa aquatica, Linnmus, E. B. 

 1315 ; ed. 2. 120. Hooker and Arnott. Parnell. Hydrochloa 

 aquatica, Hartman. Lindley. 



Very common on the banks of rivers, ditches, and ponds, often 

 growing in the water. Root creeping. Stems three to six feet high, 

 erect, smooth, slightly compressed and two-edged. Leaves long, 

 broad, channeled, rough on the margins and keel. Ligule short, 

 obtuse. Panicle erect, large, spreading, six to ten inches long, and 

 four or five broad, tinged with brown or purple ; branches slender, 

 angular, rough, often much divided. Glumes small, obtuse, or very 

 slightly acuminated. Outer palea, of the lowermost flowers, especially, 

 with seven prominent veins ; that of the upper ones often only five- 

 veined ; the middle or dorsal vein rough with minute teeth. 



Perennial. Flowers in July and August. 



Abundantly distributed throughout Europe in similar situations to 

 those which it occupies here, but the North American plant described 

 under the same name appears to be of doubtful identity. 



This is a valuable grass in moist land liable to lie under water at 

 times, being one of the most nutritious, and generally liked by cattle. 

 In some districts, as in the fens of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, 

 and on low marshy ground about the Thames and other large rivers, it 

 may be profitably cut twice or thrice in a season, yielding each time an 

 abundant crop. According to Mr. Sinclair the mowing should take 

 place at the period of coming into fiower, as the proportion of nutritive 

 elements the grass then contains is greater than when the seed is ripe, 

 in the ratio of 19 to 17. In some of the districts above mentioned, 

 the richest summer pasturage, as well as the principal supplies of winter 

 fodder, are alike yielded by this useful species. As a set-off against 

 its value in this respect, it ought, however, to be mentioned, that it 

 creeps so rapidly at the root as quickly to fill up the ditches and water- 

 courses, and even slow rivers, thus constituting a formidable obstacle 

 to the improvement of the land by drainage. Curtis has described the 

 mode by which the removal of this and other vegetation of the kind 

 from such channels is efi'ected, and the river or the water-course 

 cleansed out, by means of an instrument called a lear ; consisting of 



