Poa annua. Common dwarf Poa 



POA LirniaiGen. Plant. Triandria Digynia. 



Rail Synop. Gen. 27. Herb/e graminifolije flore imperfecto culMiferje. 

 POA annua, paiiicula diffufa, angulis re£tis, fpiculis obtufis, culmo obliquo compreflb, Lin, Syfi. Vegetal i 



p. 97. Spec. Plant, ed. 3. p. 99. PL Sueck. p. 228. 

 POA culmo infract-O, panicula triangularx, locuftis trifloris glabns, Plaller. hijl. Vol. 2. p. 22 J. 

 GRAMEN pratenfe paniculatum minus. Baahhu Pin. p. 2 



GRAMEN pratenfe minimum album et rubrum. Gerard, emac. 3, Parkin/on. 11 $6. 

 GRAMEN pratenfe minus feu vulgatimmum. Rail Synop. 408. Hudfon. Fl. Angl. p. 34. Scopoll. PL 

 Carnlol. 71. Stillingfleet. tab. 7 



RADIX annua, fibrofiflima. | 



CULMI plures, cefpitofi, femiprocumbentes, in pratis * 



vero inter alias plantas crefcentes, fuberecti, £ 



paululum infracti, femipedales. 



! 

 VAGINAE compreflae, ancipites, laeves. i 



FOLIA plurima, brevia, carinata, glabra, faspe tranf- 1 



verfim rugofa, margine minuthTime aculeata. * 



flg.S- _ < I 



PANICULA triangularis, fubcompreffa, flores fubfe- | 



cundi. I 



PEDUNCULI unherfales ad bafin paniculas plerumque 1 



bint, altero breviore, in medio frequenter term, % 



apice vero folitarii ; anguli nunc recti, nunc | 



obliqui. * 



SPICULE ovato-acutae, compreflae, utrinque acutae | 



triflorae, quadriflorae. fig. 2. y 



CALYX : Glum a bivalvis, valvulis concavis, inaequa- i 



libus. fig. 1. I 



COROLLA bivalvis, valvulis villofis, margine mem- £ 



branaceis, albidis, una majore, concava, obtufi- | 



ufcula; altera minore, anguftiore. fig. 3. $ 



STAMINA : Filamenta tria capillaria ; Anthers y 



flavefcentes, bifurcatae. fig. 4. & 



PISTILLUM . Germen ovatum, Styli duo ramoliffi- I 



mi, pellucidi. fig. 5. 1 



SEMEN ovatum, corolla adnafcente te&um, ad bafin * 



villofulum. fig. 7. I 



ROOT annual and very fibrous. 



STALKS numerous, forming a turf, femiprocumbent, 

 but in meadows when growing among other 

 plants, nearly upright, a little crooked, and 

 about half a foot high. 



SHEATHS flat, two edged, and fmooth. 



LEAVES very numerous, ihort, keel-fhaped, fmooth, 

 frequently wrinkled tranfverfely, the edge very 

 finely ferrated. fig. 8. 



PANICLE of a triangular lhape and flattifh, the flowers 

 growing moftly to one fide. 



PEDUNCLES : the univerfal peduncles generally pro- 

 ceed from the bottom of the panicle in pairs, 

 one of which is fhorter than the other, from 

 the middle often by threes, and at top Jingly ; form- 

 ing angles fometimesflraight, fometimes oblique. 



SPICULtE oval and pointed, flatiin and fharp on both 

 fides, containing three and four flowers, fig. 2. 



CALYX : a Glume of two valves, the valves hollow 

 and unequal, fig. 1. 



COROLLA of two valves, the valves villous, membra- 

 nous and whitifh at the edges, the,one larger, 

 hollow and bluntifh, the other fmaller and 

 narrower, fig. 3. 



STAMINA : the Filaments very minute, the Anthe- 

 rs yellowifh and forked, fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM : the Germen oval, two Styles exceed- 

 ingly ramified and pellucid, fig. 5. 



SEED oval, covered by the Corolla which adheres to it, 

 at bottom {lightly villous, fig. 7. 



THE laudable Society eftablifhed in London for the encouragement of Manufactures, Arts, and Commerce, 

 fenfible of the improvements which might be made in Agriculture, from a more general introduction of the moft ufeful 

 Englifh Grajfes, have offered Premiums to fuch as mall give the bell: account of their cultivation, and the Poa Annua 

 above defcribed, is one of thofe they have feledled, from its appearing to them to be one of the moft ufeful. 



Mr. Stillingfleet obferves that it makes the fineft turf, that he has feen in high Suffolk whole fields of it, without 

 any mixture of other Graffes, and that as fome of the beft fait Butter we have in London comes from that County, 

 he apprehends it to be the beft Grafs for the Dairy ; from obferving likewife, that this Grafs flourimed much more 

 from being trodden on, he concludes that frequent rolling muft be very ferviceable to it: 



There is no Grafs better entitled to Ray's epithet of VulgatiJJimum than this, as it occurs almoft every where, in 

 Meadows, Gardens, at the fides of Paths, and on Walls : when it grows in a very dry fituation, it frequently doth 

 not exceed three inches, but in rich, meadows it often grows more than a foot in height. The panicle is frequently 

 green, but in open fields it acquires a reddifh tinge ; it flowers all the Summer long, and even in Winter if the weather 

 be mild. 



It appears to be the firff. general covering which Nature has provided for a fruitful foil when it has been difturbed ; for 

 which reafon, in Walks, Pavements, or Pitching, it may be confidered as one of the moft troublefome of Weeds ; 

 the moft expeditious method of deftroying it, would probably be by pouring boiling water on it. 



All the Authors that have defcribed this Grafs call it an annual, it differs however very confiderably from the other 

 annual Graffes, they throw up their Spikes or Panicles, produce their flowers and feeds, and then die away ; this on the 

 contrary keeps continually throwing out new moots, and producing new flowers, and feeds, and if the ground be moift, 

 a Angle plant will remain growing in this manner throughout the year, fo that we generally find on the fame plant, 

 young fhoots and ripe feeds. 



" Hie ver ajjiduum at que alienis menfibus afias." 



Perhaps this is the only vegetable we have that in this Circumftance imitates the Tropical plants. 



Although its feed may be gathered the whole fummer long, yet about the latter end of May, it will be found 

 in the greateft plenty : Experience muft determine the beft method, in which this Grafs mould be cultivated, 

 whether by fowing its feed, or dividing and tranfplanting the Grafs itfelf; as this feed would with more difficulty 

 be procured in large quantities than that of many others, and as a fingle tuft of this Grafs may be divided into a vaft 

 number of young plants, probably tranfplanting it in wet weather would be the moft eligible mode of cultivation. 



Thefe obfervations are fubmitted to the confideration of the Farmer and Gentlemen of landed property, who refide 

 In the Country, and who have both leifure and opportunity to try experiments of this kind. Although the Authors 

 province more particularly is to defcribe and figure thefe plants in fuch a manner as to make them as obvious as poffible, 

 yet he would be exceedingly happy to communicate to the public, any improvements which may be made in this or 

 any other branch of Agriculture, that he may be favoured with. 



