Holcus Lanatus. Meadow Soft-grass. 



HOLCUS Urn Gen. PL F'olygamia Monoecia. 



Hermaphrod. CaK Gluma i five 2 flora. Can Gluma ariftata. Slam. 3. 

 Styli 2. Sent. 1. 



Masc. CaL Gluma 2-valvis. Cor. o. Slam. 3. 

 K-aii Syn, Gen. 2^. Herbje graminifoxi^: flore imperfecto culmifer^. 



HOLCUS lanatus glumis bifloris villofls : flofculo hermaphrodite mutico ; mafculo arifta recurva» Lin* 

 Syfi. Vegetab. p. 760. Sp. PL 1485. Fl.Suec. n. 917. 



AVENA diaotha, floribus ovatis 5 perfe&o mutico, imperfe£to ariftato. Ualkr. hijl. n. 1484. 



HOLCUS lanatus. Scopoll FL Carn.n. 1238. 



"GRAMEN pratenfe paniculatum molle. Bauh. pin. 1. 



GRAMEN miliaceum pratenfe molle. Pet. Cone. Gr. 224. Rail Syn. p. 404. Soft-tufted Meadow* 



Grafs. 



Hud/on. FL Angl. ed. 2. p. 440. Ligbtfoot. FL Scot. p. 631. 



RADIX perennis, fibrofa, minime repens» t ROOT perennial, fibrous, not at all creeping. 



CULMI plures, bipedales, feu tripedales, raro ultra, | STALKS federal, from two to three feel high, feldom 

 ^erecti, quatuor communiter geniculis diftincti, f higher, upright, generally furniihed with four 



pubefcente&, teretes, in quibufdam loeis ad f joints, downy, round, in fome lituation taking 



bafin radicantes. ¥ root at the bottom. 



FOLIA ipilts mollibus undique veftita, incana, tres lineas | LEAVES covered on every part with foft hairs, which 

 lata, plana, fuperne ftriata, inferne carinata ; % give them a greyim appearance, about three 



vagina lineis purpureis externe riotata, interne | lines in breadth, fiat, above ftriated, below 



«itida j membrana obtufa, externe pilofa, pilif- ^ keeled, the Jheatb marked externally with pur- 



que ciliata. | pie lines, internally mining; the membrane 



J blunt, externally hairy, and edged with hairs. 



PANICULA primo fpiciformis„ mollis, laxus, rubellus, t PANICLE at firft forms a kind of foft, Jcofe, reddifh 

 parum nutans, dein eredta, diffufa, albida. I fpike, which droops a little, afterwards be- 



¥ comes upright, fpreading and whitifh, 



SPICULiE biflors, albidas, villofulas, verfus apicem co- | SPICULES containing two flowers, whitifh, fomewhat 

 loratas. I villous, coloured towards the top. 



CALYX : Gluma bivalvis, valvula exteriore majore, tri- 1 CALYX : a Glume of two valves, the outer one largeft, 



nerve, interiore mucronata. minore carinata. | having three ribs, and terminating in a point, 



Jig. 1. auct. t the inner one fmaller and keeled. Jig. 1. 



I magnif. 



FLOS FERTILIS. I FERTILE FLOWER. 



COROLLA bivalvis, valvula? telierae, virides, nitida?, | COROLLA compofed of two valves which are tender, 

 muticse, valvula exteriore majore. Jig. 2. % green, ftiining, and pointlefs, the outer valve 



I largeft. Jig, 2. 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria; AntheRje \ STAMINA: three capillary Filaments; Anthek;e 

 oblongas, bifurcatse, flavae. fig- S* f oblong, forked at each end, of a yellow colour. 



I fig- 5- 



PISTILLUM: Germen obovatum ; Styli duo, ad ba- 1 PISTILLUM : Germen inverfely ovate ; Styles two, 



fin ufque ramofi. Jig. 6. | branched quite down to tbe bottom. Jig. 6. 



SEMEN parvum, acuminatum, nitidum glumis corollas f SEED fmall, pointed, and mining, covered by the 

 tectum. Jig. 9. et valvuiis calycis inclufum. | glumes of the corolla, j£g\ q. and inclofed in the 



Jig. 8. % valves of the calyx, fig. 8. 



FLOS STERILIS, | BARREN FLOWER. 



COROLLA bivalvis, valvulse miuores, exteriore ariftata,^ COROLLA compofed of two valves, the valves fmall, 

 arifta e dorfo valvuke erumpente, longitudine | the outer one bearded, the awn arifing from 



valvuhe exterioris calycis. jig. 3, 4. J the back of the valve, the length of the outer 



i valves of the calyx. Jig. 3, 4. 



STAMINA ut in fertiln fig, 5. | STAMINA as in the fertile flowers, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM : Germen ut in fertili, fed multo minus ; | PISTILLUM: the Germen as in the fertile flower, but 

 Styli duo> fubulati, fimplices. fig. 7. muchlels ; Styles two, tapering, and fimple. 



I fig- 7- 



SEMEN minimum, abortivum. ^ SEED very minute and abortive. 



The hlolcus Lanatus abounds in moil meadows, is frequently found by road-fides, and fometimes on walls, fo that 

 it will thrive in almoft any lituation. The rednefs of its panicle when julr opening, joined to^the foftnefs and hoari- 

 nefs of its leaves, render it a very confpicuous grafs. 



Haller fpeaks highly of it as food for cattle, calling it optimum pabulum. We cannot coincide with him in this 

 opinion, nor do the generality of our intelligent farmers and graziers, who condemn it as too foft and woolly; ne- 

 verthelefs the feed of it (being e.afily collected) is fometimes lent up to London in great quantities, and fold for pure 

 grafs -feed: but it were better to lay down ground for meadow or pafturage in the ufual way, than fill it with this 

 unprofitable, though pure grafs-feed. 



Mr. Lightfoot informs us in his FL Scot, that it is fometimes ufed to make ropes for the fithing-boats. 



It is a very diftinct fpecies from the Holcus Mollis (as we lhall particularly explain when we treat of that grafs), 

 and flowers in June and July. 



One cannot but lament that Linnaeus mould have feparated the Holcus from the other grafies, with which it 

 has fo great an affinity, and have placed it among the plants of the clafs Polygamia, merely becaufefbme of its flow- 

 ers were imperfect ; it frequently happening, as Haller very juftly obferves, that the Tritlcum, Llordeum, and fe- 

 veral other graffes, are in the fame predicament; and it was the lefs neceifary here, as there is an evident piftillum 

 in the barren flowers, though an imperfect one» Fid. fig. 7, 



