ROMUS MOLLIS. SOFT BrOME GrASS. 



BROMUS Zinna>iGen. PL Triandria Digynia. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 27. Herb^i Graminifolije flore imperfect© Gulmifer^:. 

 BROMUS mollis panicula ere£tiufcula, fpiculis ovatis pubefcentibus, arifUs recYis, foliis molliffime villofis» 



Linnai Syjl. Vegetal, p. 102. Sp. PL p. 112. 

 BllOMUS hirfutus, locuftis feptifloris, ovato conicis. Haller h'tft. p. 1504, 

 BROMUS Polymorphus. Scopoli FL Carniol. p. 80. 



FESTUCA avenacea hirfuta, paniculis minus fparfis. Rati Sy nop. p. 413 Hudfon FL Angl. p. 39. n. 1. 

 Secalinus. Schreber. Gram, pi. 6. jig* 1. 



RADIX biennis * 



CULMUS pedalis ad tripedalem, ere£his ; GENICULI 

 tumidi, cylrndracei. 



FOLIA cum vaginis pilis mollibus veftita» 



PANICULA ere&Iufcula, nunc coarctatatiUnc diffufa. 



SPICULE ovato- acuta, turgidse, fubcomprerlae, ple- 

 rumque villofe, octofloragy circa oras glumarum 

 albidae. Jig. 1 . 



CALYX 1 Gluma bivaivis, -valvulis inasqualibus, muti- 

 cis.flg. 2. 



COROLLA: Gluma bivaivis, valvula exteriore lata, | 

 concava, ftriata, ariftata, Jig. 4. interiore plani- | 

 ufcula, ciliata, lanceolata. Jig. 3. Arista val- | 

 vulis paulo longior, fubrecta, Jig. 4. I 



NECTARIUM: Glumula bipartite, ad bafin petali in- | 

 terioris* fig. 5, parum auct : 



STAMINA : Filameinta tria capillaria, AntHer^e \ 

 primum flavae, oblongae, dein fufcae et bifurea- %■ 

 tae. Jig. 7. 6. audi: : g- 



PISTILLUM: GERMENovatum,apioefubemarginatum, I 

 fig. 8. Styli duo., ad baiin ufque plumofi, ex $. 

 uno latere ger minis enati. fig. o/. 



SEMEN oblongum, concavum, calyci adnatum^g*. 10. | 

 denudatum^. 1 1. | 



ROOT biennial * 



STALK from one to three feet high, upright ; the 

 joints fvvelled and cylindrical. 



LEAVES together with their sheaths covered with 

 foft hairs. 



PANICLE nearly upright, fometimes clofe, fometimes 

 fpreading. 



SPICULiE oval and pointed, turgid, flattifh, generally 

 villous, containing eight flowers, whitifh about 

 the edges of the Glumes. Jig. I. 



CALYX: a Glume of two valves, the valves unequal 

 without any beard, or arifta, fig. 2. 



COROLLA : a Glume of two valves, the| outermofr. 

 valve broad, hollow, ftriated, and bearded, fig. 

 4 ; the innermofr. flattifh, ciliated or hairy at the 

 edges and pointed, fig. 3; the Arista a little 

 longer than the valves and nearly ftraight, 

 fig. 4. 



NECTARIUM: a fmall kind of Glume deeply divided, 

 placed at the bafe of the inner petal, fig. 5. a 

 little magnified. 



STAMINA: three Filaments very fmall, Anthers 

 firft yellow and oblong, laftly brown and forked 

 at each end, fig. 7. 6. magnified. 



PISTILLUM: Germen oval, with a flight depreffion 

 at top, fig. 8. two Styles feathery quite down 

 to the bottom, proceeding Jrom one fide of the 

 Germen, fig. 9. 



SEED oblong, concave, adhering to the Calyx fig'. 10. 

 the Calyx taken off, fig; 1 1 . 



OUR Farmers in general are not very warm in their recommendations of this Grafs, neverthelefs it abounds in 

 moft of our bell: meadows ; --it fp rings up early, and ripens its feed generally about the time of Hay-making. The 

 feed is large, and each panicle contains nearly as much as that of a common Oat, indeed it feems to have more pre- 

 tentions to the the name of Corn than of Grafs. 



Although Cattle may not be fo fond of the leaves, and panicle of this Grafs while green as of fome others, yet may 

 it not (when cut down as it ufualfy is when the feed is nearly ripe) contribute to render the hay more nutritive ? and 

 hence may it not be a proper Grafs to fow with others. ? It feems at leaft. to deferve the attention of the Farmer. 



There is perhaps no clafs of plants more affected by difference of foil and fituation than the Grafles, hence the fame 

 plant has often been divided into feveral fpecies ; and to fuch Varieties is the prefent Plant incident, as to occafion 

 Scopoli to give it the name of Polymorphus. 



When it grows on a Wall; or dry "Bank, the Spiculae are generally more upright, and clofer together ; when the 

 foil is rich and moift, the Spiculae fpread out, and the whole plant becomes much larger; in Meadows the Spiculse 

 frequently lofe their villous appearance and become perfectly fmooth. To determine this fpecies then with more 

 certainty, recourfe muft be had to the parts of fructification. 



* According to Linnseuo, 



