AlRA AQUATICA. SwEET - TASTED WATER AlRA. 



AIRA Linnai Gen. PL Triandria Digynia. 



CaL 2 valvis, 2 florus. Flo/cull abfque interjedo rudimento» 

 Rati Syn. Gen. 27. Herb.e graminifolije fXore imperfecto culmiferje. 



AIRx\ aquatlca panicula patente, floribus muticis lsevibus calyce longioribus, foliis planis. Lfonai Svfl. 

 Vegeiab. p. 96. Fl. Sueclc. No. 68. 



POA locuftis bifloris ; glabris, florali gluma majori plicata, ferrata. Haller hlft. No. 1471» 



AlRA aquatlca Scopoti Fl. CarnioL 94. Hudfon FI. Angl. 29. 



AIRA culmo inferiore repente, flofculis muticis calyce longioribus, altero pedunculate Roy. lugdb. 6o* 



GRAMEN caninum fupinum paniculatum dulce. Bauhin Pin. 2. 



GRAMEN miliaceum aquaticum. Rati Syn. 402. Scheuz. agr. 218, 



GRAMEN miliaceum fluitans fuavis faporis. Merret. Pin. 



RADIX perennis, . % ROOT perennial. 



CULMUS bafi repit, furculofque emittit more Feltucze I STALK creeps at bottom > and fends out young moots 



fluitautis qui longe excurrunt et ad geniculos ■% like the Flote Fefcue grafs, which run out to 



radiculas plures albas dimittunt ; culmusdemum | a confiderable diftance, and fend down fmall 



erigitur, pedalis circiter, teres, ereclus, fiftulo- | white roots at the joints ; it then becomes erect, 



fus, tener. % grows to about a foot in height, is round, hol- 



I low, and tender. 



FOLIA la tiufcula, tenera, laevia, carinata, vaginae ftria- % LEAVES broadiih, tender, fmooth, carinated, the 



tae, ad bafin rubrae praecipue in furculis. fheaths Itriated, red at bottom, particularly 



* in the young moots, 



PANICULA ere&a, diffufa, laxa, racemi plures ex % PANICLE upright, fpreading, loofe ; branches feve- 



lino punclo, fepe flexuoli. I ral, proceeding from one point, frequently 



■% crooked. 



SPICULE plerumque biflores, flofculo uno feffili, alte- | SPICULE generally contain two flowers, one of which 



ropedunculato,purpurei, apicibus albidis,^. 1. | is ieffile, and the other ftands on a foot-ftalk, 



% purple, the tips white, fig. .1. 



CALYX: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis inaequalibus, pur- I CALYX: a Glume of two valvess the valves unequal, 



pureis, lsevibus, Corolla multo brevioribus,^-. 2. $ purple, fmooth, and much fhorter than' the 



I Corolh, fig. 2 



COROLLA : Gluma bivalvis, valvulis aequalibus, fub- J COROLLA : a Glume of two valves, the valves equal, 



* truncatis, plicatis five angulatis, fig. 3. as if cut ofFat top, folded or angular, fig. 3. 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria capillaria, longitudine I STAMINA: three capillary Filaments the length of 



Corollas; Anthers flavas, fig. 3. . $ the Corolla ; An therje yellow, fig. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen ovatum; Styli duo plumofi, | PISTILLUM : Germen oval; Styles two and fea- 



fig. 4- J thery, fig. 4. 



NECTARIUM _ Glumul^ duae minima? ad bafin ¥ NECTARY two very minute Glumes at the bottom of 



Germinis, fig. 5. | the Germen, fig. 5. 



SEMEN ovatum, intra Glumas arete claufum, fig. 7. | SEED oval, clofely contained within the Glumes, j%-. 7, 



The far-- foil and fituation which produces the Fejluca fiultans, is produaive alfo of this grafs ; they both grow- 

 in gently flowing ftreams, or in wet boggy meadows ; this circumftance may ferve among others to diftbguifh the 

 Aira aquatlca fromfomeof the Poas, with which at firft fight the young botanift might "eafily confound it: it has 

 however befides this, many other charaders which point it out more obvioufly. The bottom of the ftalk ufually 

 creepson the ground, and when it gets into the water, it runs out like the Fejluca fiultans to a confiderable diftance, 

 throwing off roots and young fhoots as it pafles along, very much in the manner of that grafs : the ftalk grows about 

 a foot or more in height, is hollow, and remarkably tender ; the leaves are broader than any of the Poo's, ex- 

 cept the Poa aquatlca, which is in every refpea a much ftronger plant: but what more efpecially characterizes this 

 grafs, is the purple or blueiih colour of the Panicles, which is difcernible even at a diftance; and the fweet tafte of 

 the flowers if drawn through the mouth, whence this grafs has acquired the name of dulce. Its parts of fruaifkation 

 likewife above defcribed, diftinguifh it very ftrongly : when dried and placed between papers, the flowers and feeds 

 are very apt to fall off. 



It flowers in June and July, and may be found almoft every where in the fituations above-mentioned. 



With refpea to its ufes in rural oeconomy, it is in every' refpea inferior to the Flote fieficue grafs, confequently 

 not worth cultivating for the ufe of cattle. y 



In a country like ours, where cultivation has made a confiderable progrefs, the water plants are confined to a finall 

 fpace compared to what they occupied in a ftate of nature ; the draining of bogs and lakes has rendered many large 

 traas in feveral parts of the kingdom, capable of producing corn and grafs adapted to the ufe of cattle, which were 

 formerly inacceffible to man orbeaft. We ought not however to look on this or any other plant as made in vain, bc~ 

 caufe we do not immediately fee the ufes they are applied to : feveral forts of water-fowl which abound in uninhabited 

 countries, are expert gatherers of the feeds of the aquatic grafes ; and no lefs than five different fpecies of Mufci cr 

 Flies, were produced from a few handfuls of the feeds of this grafs, which when I gathered it, were doubtlefs in their 

 Pupa or Chryfalis Hate ; How little do we know of natures produa.ions ! 



