AvENA ELATIOR. TaLL 



AT-VjtR ASS. 



AVENA Lin, Gen. PL Triandria Digynia 



Cal. 2 valvis, muitiflorus : arifta dorfali contorta. 



RaiL Syn. Gen, 27. Herb^ graminifoli^e flore IiMperfecto culmifer^. 

 AVENA elatior paniculata, calycibus bifloris, flofculo hermaphrodito fubmutico mafculo ariftato. 



Lin. Svft. Vegetab.p. 104. Sp. PL p. 117. FL Suec. N. 102. 

 AVENA diantha folliculis bafi villofis, majoris arifta geniculata. Haller H'ifl. n. 1402. 

 GRAMEN nodofum avenacea panicula. Bauh. pin. 2. Scheuchz. Agroji p. 2-9. ' 

 GRAMEN caninum nodofum. Ger. em. 23. 

 GRAMEN caninum bulbofum vulgare. Park. 1075. 

 GRAMEN avenaceum elatius, juba longa fplendente Rati, Meth. 170. Syn p. 406 a. 



Hudfon. FL Angl. ed. 2. p. $3. Iy J ' 1 ' **' 



Lightfoct FL Scot. p. 105. 



Oeder FL Dan. t. 165. 



Schreber Gram, t, 1. 



RADIX perennis, fihrofa, fibris plurimis, flexuofis, | ROOT perennial, fibrous, the fibres numerous, crooked, 

 . rT , ... , . licis ' Jntertextis. _ * " * of a brown colour, and matted together. 



CULMI bi aut tripedales, _ etiam ultra, erefti^ tnbus $ STALKS from two to three feet high, of even more 



quatuorve geniculis purpurafcentibus diftindri, | 

 teretes, laeves, bail in bulbillos faspe excref- | 



cente. 



FOLIA caulina, fpithamea, etiam pedalia, duas trefve 

 lineas lata, una cum vagina ftriata, laevia. 



PANICULA longa, etiam pedalis, ere&a, fplendens, 

 laxe coarctata, ramulis plurimis, inaequalibus, 

 fubfecundis. 



SPICULiE bifloras, altero flofculo hermaphrodito, 

 altero mafculo. Jig. 1. 



upright, having four or five joints of a pur- 

 plifh colour, round, fmooth, the bafe often 

 growing out and forming fmall bulbs. 



LEAVES of the ftalk fix or feven inches or even a 

 foot in length, from two to three lines in 

 breadth, together with the fheath filiated and 

 fmooth. 



PANICLE long, even the length of a foot, upright, 

 mining, loofely clofmg together, branches 

 numerous, unequal, growing in fome degree 

 to one fide. 



SPICULE containing two flowers, the one male and 

 the other hermaphrodite, jig. 1. 



CALYX, Gluma bivalvis, valvulis inaequalibus, I CALYX : a Glume of two valve?, the valves unequal 

 ~;~~,k.-„~„,»~:„ „„,,«.:„ „iu:j:„ ™„; ,„_„- * 1 • , ^ i-.-n 1 . L J 



membranaceis, acutis, albidis, majore nervis t 

 tribus viridibus, minore unico infignit.is.72g-. 2. I 



COROLLA maris : valvulae duae, longitudine aequales, 

 altera majore, concava, nervis fex viridibus 

 notata,apicibus faepius purpurafcentibus, acuta, 

 ariftata, Arijla infra medium exferta, fpicula 

 longiore, geniculata, inferne Ipiraliter contorta, 

 fuperne ietacea ; altera planiufcula, apice | 

 bicufpidata ; valvulae hermaphroditi quoad for- | 

 mam vix difcrepant, at nervus medius prope % 

 apicem valvulae exterioris, in ariftam brevem I 

 excurrit, et bafis ejufdem valvulae pilis plu- % 



rimis obtegitur. fig. 3. 4. 



NECTARIUM Glumulce duae lanceolatae, bafi fubglo- 



bofae. fig. 6. 

 STAMINA : Filamenta tria, capillaria ; Anthers 



oblongae, flavae, bifurcatas. 

 PISTILLUM: Germen fubovatum, villofum; Styli 



duo, magni, ramoliffimi, reflexi. fig. 7. 



SEMEN oblongum, laeve, intra glumas calycinas bafi 

 pilofas, liberum fig. 8. 9. 10. 



membranous, pointed, whitiih, the largeft 

 marked with three and the fmalleft with one 

 green nerve, fig, 2. 



COROLLA of the male flower ; compofed of two 

 valves, equal in length, the larger!; hollow, 

 and marked with fix ribs, generally purple 

 at top, pointed and bearded ; Beard or awn 

 growing out from below the middle of the 

 valves, longer than the fpicula, and jointed, 

 on the lower part fpirally twifted, en the upper 

 brittle fharped,_ the leaft flattifh and termina- 

 ing in two points ; the valves of the herma- 

 phrodite flofcule differ but little from the 

 male one as to fhape but the midrib in the 

 outer valve runs out into a fhort awn and the 

 bottom of the fame valve is covered with 

 numerous \12ivs. jig. 3. 4. 



NECTARY: two fmall Glumes t lanceolate, fome- 

 what globular at bottom. 



STAMINx\ : three Filaments very fine, Anthers 

 oblong, yellow, and forked. 



PISTILLUM : Germen fomewhat ovate, villous ; 

 Styles two, large, very much branched and 

 hanging down. fig. 7. 



SEED oblong, fmooth, contained loofely within the 

 glumes of the calyx which are hairy at bot- 

 tom, jig. 8. 9. 10. 



Experience muft determine how far this Grafs deferves the attention of the Farmer, thus much I may inform 

 him, that it is one of the earlieft Granes in the Spring, that it produces a great crop, and when cut down after 

 feeding, it has flower' d afrefh in the autumn, thefe are certainly fome of the neceffary requifites in a good Grafs, 

 yet it does not often occur in meadows but is rather fond of growing on banks, in hedges and on the borders of 

 fields, where it is very confpicuoufly in bloflbm in June and September, nevertheless 1 have occafionally feen it 

 growing inPaftures ; the only objection to it perhaps is its coarfenefs, which however mould not prevent the Farmer 

 from giving it a fair trial. 



In particular fituations the upper part of the root or rather bafe of the ftalk becomes knobby, and it then forms 

 the Gramen caninum nodofum of Gerard, this in fome arable Land, I have been informed is very troublefome, and 

 eradicated as Couch ; inftances often occur in which a valuable plant in one fituation is a perfect weed in another. 



It is the moft common of ail our Oat-graffes and is therefore not liable to be miftaken for any other of the 



fame genus. 



As it varies with refpecl to its root, fo does it alfo with regard to its arifta;, of which in general there is only 

 one to each fpicula, but fbmetimes each flofcule contained in the fpicula has an arifta, in which cafe one is ufually 

 longer than the other. 



In the granes no character is more inconftant than that of the awn, arifta, or beard, in fome granes whofe character 

 it is to be muttea it is prefent as in the Lolium perenne, Agrofiis capillaris, and alba ; and in others whofe character it 

 is to be arijiaice it is wanting, as in the Agrofiis canina, the ftriking alteration in the appearance of the grafs from, 

 this circumftance has often been the caufe of multiplying fpecies unnecenarily. 



