IRA PRECOX. LARLY flAIR-URASS. 



AIRA Linnai, Gen. PL Triandria Digynia. 



Cat. 2-valvis, 2-florus. Flo/cull abfque interjeclo rudimento. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 27» Herbte graminifoli^ flore imperfecto culmifer;e. 

 AIRA pracox foliis fetaceis ; vaginis angulatis, floribus paniculato fpicatis, flofculis ban* ariftatis* 



Llnmel Syfi. Vegetab. p. 96. 



GRAMEN paniculatum minimum molle. Bot. Monfp. App. 



GRAMEN parvnm precox panicula (potius fpica) laxa canefcente. Rail ■ Syn. ed. 3. p„ 408. tab. xxii.j?h l* 



GRAMEN avenaceum, capillaceum, minimis glumis minimum. Breynll. 



GRAMEN phalaroicles, fparfa panicula minimum anguftifolium. Barrel Ic. 44. 1. tab, iv. $<?. 1 c. 



JJghtfoot. FL Scot. p. 95. 



Hudfon. FL Angl. 31. ed. 2. p. 36. 



Oeder. FL Dan. 383. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa. % ROOT annual, and fibrous. 



CULMI plures, fimplices, bi aut triunciales, femipe- ■% STALKS feveral, fimple, from two to three inches, 



dales etiam occurrunt, teretes, Iseves, erecti. | fometimes even to fix inches high, round^ 



I imooth, and upright. 

 t 



FOLIA radicalia fiepius linearia, convoluta, marcida ; | LEAVES, near the root generally linear, rolled up, 



caulina vagina breviora, fuberecla, paululum y and withered ; thofe of the ftalk morter than 



recurvata, obtufiufcula ; Membrana pro ratione | the fheath, nearly upright, but bendino- alit- 



folii longa, alba, culmum circumvolvens, in | tie back, and fomewhat blunt ; the Membrane, 



'plantis adhuc tenellis notatii digna ; Vagina % for the fize of the leaf, long, white, furround- 



ftriata, fubventricofa. | ing the ftem, ftrikingly confpicuous in the 



plant while young; the Sheath finely grooved, 



I and bellying a little in the middle. 



t 

 PANICULA coar&ata, fpiciformis, mollis, femiunci- $ PANICLE clofed together, and refembling a fpike, 



alis, aut imcialis. | foft, half an inch or an inch in length. 



SPICULE biflorae, bianftatas, fig. 1. aud. | SPICULE containing two flowers, each of which has 



I an arifta, fig. 1, magnified. 

 % 



CALYX : Gluma bivalvis, valvulae fubaequales, ovato- | CALYX : a Glume of two valves, the valves nearly 



acutae, fubmembranacese, carina ad lentem ^ equal, oval, and pointed, fomewhat mem* 



fcabra, fig. 2. | branous, the keel appearing rough when 



I magnified, /3.. 2 . ( 

 % 



COROLLA: Gluma bivalvis, valvular fubasquales, | COROLLA: a Glume of two valves, nearly equal, 



longitudine calycis, altera majori, bicufpida- | of the length of the calyx, one of which is 



ta, ariftata ; arifta infra medium glumae po- % larger than the other, terminated by two long 



fita, corolla duplo longior, plerumque re£ta, | points, and furnimed with an arifta ; the a- 



fig. 3, 5. % rifta growing out from below the middle of 



I the glume, twice the length of the corolla, 



y and generally ftrait, fig. 3, 5. 

 % 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria, breviffima : | STAMINA: three Filaments, fine, and very (hort : 



Anthers minima, flavefcentes, fig. 4. y Antherje very minute, and yellowiin,j^-. 4. 



% 



PISTILLUM : Germen oblongum : Styli duo, ad | PISTILLUM: Germen oblong: Styles two, and 



bafin ufque ramoli. % branched to the bottom. 



*i % 



SEMEN oblongum, hinc convexum inde concavum, y SEED oblong, convex on one fide, and hollow on the 

 bicufpidatum, ariftatum, bafi pilofum,^. 6, 7. % other, having two points, with an arifta, 



* hairy at bottom, fig. 6, 7. 



THE Air a precox is very common on moft of our heaths about town, particularly on Black-heath. 



It flowers in April and May, and ripens its feed in June. 



Scheuchzer mentions its growing fometimes to the height of fourteen inches, a height it rarely attains with us. 



