G R A M I N A. 



alter the appellation of it to Graminea. The Latin Word 

 ^ramen is fuppofcd to be derived from gradient, going or 

 procceeding along, in allufion to the great increafe of many 

 ef thefe plants by their creeping roots. 



Juffieu's fecond clafs coiiillls of n^onocotyledonoiis plants 

 vith a faperior germen. His definition of the prefent order 

 is as follows. 



Calyx, (which he terms ^/amf,) ilngle or manv-flowered, 

 enclofing, in the latter inilance, two ur more flowers, dif- 

 pofod in two ranks in a little fpike or ear ; it is moftly of 

 two valves, rarely of or.e or of many, or altogetlier wanting. 

 Each flower has a f jro//.?, (called ^o/jm- by Juffieu,) refem- 

 bling the before-mentioned calyx, mollly of two valves, 

 rarely of only one, or altogether wanting ; the outer valve 

 either beardlefs or awned. Stamens below the germen, of a 

 definite number, except in the Pariana of Aublet, gene- 

 rally three, rarely two, or fix, or one ; their anthers oblong, 

 forked at each end. Germen one, fuperior, accompanied at 

 the bafe by two little fcales, not always evident. Styl.s 

 often two, with tw<i featliery ftigmas ; fometimes one, with 

 a fimple or divided fiigrna. Seed in either inilance fohtary, 

 naked, or often clotKc-d with the permanent inner valve of 

 the corolla. Embryo Imall, attached below to the fide of 

 the farinaceous and mucli larger albumen. The lobe of the 

 embryo in germination is permanent and fefiile along with 

 the annexed albumen, attached on one fide, at the bottom, 

 to the priinary fiieath which fiirrounds the plumula, or bud 

 of the future plant. 



The rorj.'s are fibrous and capillary. Stems or culms cylin- 

 drical, either hollow or filled with pith, jointed or feparated 

 into dillincl; portions by knots, mollly fimple and Iierbaceous. 

 Leaves alternate, generally folitary at each knot of the 

 ilom, iheathing, their Iheath fplitting down to the knot. 

 FLrvcTS either in denfe cluilers, or fpiked upon a common 

 rack's, or panicled, concealed before they arrive at maturity 

 in the flieath of the upper leaf. Some fpecies are monoicous, 

 -bv an abortion of fome of tlie organs. 



Botaniils liave differed much about the principles on wliich 

 the genera of GrafTes (hould be founded. Linnaeus and Juf- 

 fieu take into confideration the number of flowers, or rather 

 florets, in each calyx ; Hallcr in a great meafuie rejects 

 this, paying regard chiefly to the figure of the parts, which 

 indeed is of prnnary importance. He does not, however, 

 fufficiently attend to other equally important marks, as the 

 diltinclion, for inilance, between Poa and Brlza, confiHing 

 in the incorporation of the feed of the latter with the larger 

 valve of the corolla, and its depreffed figure. It were to be 

 wifned that the awns of grafl"es were permanent and conllant 

 in the fame genus, or at leait fpecies. but though conllant 

 ia fome, as y}v:na, in others, as Agrofils and Trilicum, they 

 are not fafficicnt to difcriminate fpecies. 



In the fexual fylleni Grades chiefly belong to Triandria 

 D'i!jn\a. Some few have proper monoecious, none dioeci- 

 ouo, flowers, and feveral are polygamous, having a few male 

 bloffoms intermixed with perfeft ones furniflied with both 

 ftamens and piilils, and were therefore referred by Linnaeus 

 to Polygamla. But this latter circumilance is fo common 

 and variable, and caufcs fuch unnatural feparations of fpe- 

 cies or genera, that botaniils have generally agreed to pay 

 no regard to it in this family, but to clafs all fuch grafles 

 by their perfeft flowers. 



Linnius remarks that '< Grafies are the moll genend of 

 plants, conflituting almoll a fixth part of all the vegetables 

 on our globe, efpecially in open fituations. There they 

 multiply, and extend themfelves by creeping roots, to a vail 

 extent. I'n confined and woody places they Icarcely creep, 

 but grow ered. They are the moll important of plants, 



efpecially as affording the chief fullenance of animals wt« 

 feed on vegetables. They fumifli tlie verdure of ovir fum- 

 mers, and ipread a carpet over our meadows. Their leave 3 

 arc not eaiily damaged, even by our v.alking over then ; 

 and though winter deflroys their foli.ige, and the carlv 

 fpiing finds them dry and withered, they revive in a won- 

 derful manner from apparent death. How folicitouOy has 

 the Author of Nature proteded thefe plants, by giving 

 them fuch hard ftems, while they are perfeding their feed, 

 that cattle cannot readily attack them in that flatc ! Thcr, 

 on the otlier hand, they are fo conftituted, that the more 

 their l>erbage is cropped, or hardly ufrd, the better they 

 thrive, and extend themfelves the more under ground. That 

 they may he able to exifl in almoll every fituation, their 

 narrow Ipiny leaves are purpofcly contrived to infinuate 

 themfi-lves between other plants. 



" The creeping roots of graffes are formed like a tape- 

 worm ; and are moilly fibrous, rarely tuberous or bulbous. 

 They confift of numerous joints and knots, each of which 

 has its bud, capable of producing a new Item, and the more 

 they are feparated by the heavy tread of cattle, the more 

 they multiply, thus conft-ituting the ftrength of the vege- 

 table kmgdom. 



" Very few graffes have any peculiar tafle, mofl of them 

 having the infipidity of pot-herbs, though fome few are fra- 

 grant, at leail when dry. None are dangerous or poilonous, 

 if we except the intoxicating feeds ol Lo/ium temu'entutji. 

 They are the moll fimply conllrucled of all herbs, fcarcely 

 any of them having thorns, prickles;, tendrils, llings, brafteas, 

 or other appendages. Their ftems are with us generally 

 fimple; in India frequently branched. Leaves alwavs fimple 

 and undivided, molUy quite flat, and if one fide be fomcwhat 

 rounded, it is never that next the ilem. The flieath cf 

 their leaves is often crowned with a membranous ilipuia, 

 calhd by fome ligula, which clofely embraces the llem in 

 growing, to keep out water. 



" The fruclificatlon of GrafTes is fo different from other 

 plants that it was judged impoilihle to reduce them to order. 

 They were firll divided into Corn and Graffes, but tb..* 

 former differ from the latter merely in the greater lize of' 

 their feeds, which compofe the balls of our aliment, as t!ie 

 fmallell of the grafs-feeds nourilh fmall birds. Ray firlt 

 examined this tribe fcicntifically, dividing them by their 

 habits or likenefTes, but he traced out no jull limits. Tour- 

 nefort, though a moil eminent botanill, was not equal t» 

 this fuhjeft. Monti followed Ray, but examined the 

 graflics of Italy only. .To!m Scheuchzer, at the perfualion 

 of Sherard, undertook ample and minute defcriptions of 

 every grafs he could procure, but the herbage of all is fo 

 fimilar, that his defcriptions, till he comes to the inflorel- 

 ccnce, are too little contrallec. They arc, however, very 

 «xadl. Micheli firll contrived a method of arrangemcr^ 

 founded on the fpikel^ts being fimple or compound, with 

 an attention alfo to the fexual parts ; but he fubioined fome 

 plants, termed gramlnilus amines, which have really no con- 

 nedlion with them. If the fexes of grafles be attended to, 

 their arrangement becomes lefs difficult. Their inflcrel* 

 cence is either fpiked or panicled." 



The principal writers on GrafTes, befides thofe abow- 

 mentioned, are Schrcber, who wrote in German, with fine 

 plates, coloured or uncoloured, and who is very full on their 

 qualities and uf's ; Rottbbll, who defcribed new or rare 

 fpecies, with plates ; Linnxus the younger, in a thefis 

 defcribing new genera of graffes ; Hotl, who has pubtilhed 

 three foho volumes, with excellent coloured plates in the 

 flyle of Jacquin, entitled Cram'ma ylujiriacj ; Leers, who 

 in his Fkra Uerhcrrunjis has delineated and engraved all the 



graiTeS 



