HOLCUS MOLLIS. CREEPING SoFT-GrASS. 



HOLCUS Lh* Gen. PL. Polygamia Monoecia. 



Hermaphrod. Cal. Gluma i-f! a-fiora. Cor. Gluma ariftata. Stam. ?. 

 Styh 2. Sem. i. ° 



Masc. Cal. Gluma 2-valvis. Cor. o. Stam. 3. 

 HOLCUS mollis radice repente, geniculis villofis, arifta extra fpiculam producta. 

 HOLCUS mollis glumis bifloris nudiufculis : flofculo hermaphrodito mutico ; mafculo arifta eeniculata 



Lin. Syfi. Veget. p. 760. Sp. PL p. 1485. 

 GRAMEN caninum longius radicatum majus et minus. Bauh. Pin. 1. 

 GRAMEN panicuiatum molle, radice graminis canini repente. Mori/. Hijl. 3. p. 202. 

 GRAMEN caninum panicuiatum molle. Raii Hifi, 1285. Scheuchz. Agrofi.p. 235. ' Vaill. Parif.p 8~ 

 GRAMEN mili-aceum ariftatatum molle. Raii Syn. p. 404. Hudfon. Fl. Jngl. ed. 2. p. 440. LiSfoot 

 F/. Scot. p. 631. Schreb. Agrojl. t. 20. 6 



RADIX perenms, tntici canini inftar repens. | ROOT perennial, creeping like the garden couch-grafs 



CULMI fefquipedales et ultra, facpius eredti, foliofi, | STALKS a foot and a half or more in height, moft 

 nodofi, genicuhs albis, lanatis, culmi etiamj commonly upright, leafy, jointed, the' joints 



fteriles occurrunt ad terram magis reclinati, | white and woolly, ftems alfo arife producing 



foliis crebnoiibus, alternis, lanceolatis, veftiti. I no fpikes, inclined more to the ground, and 



I covered with more numerous, alternate, lan- 



% ceolate leaves. 



FOLIA ad tr.es vel quatuor lineas lata, molli villo pu-| LEAVES three or four lines in breadth, covered with 

 befcentia, membrana ad bafin foiii alba, obtufa, \ foft fliort hairs, the membrane at the bafe of 



vagina ftriata, fubcarinata, villofa. | the leaf white and obtufe, the fheath filiated, 



% fomevvhat keeled and villous. 



PANICULA biuncialis, ere&a, inftante anthefi diffufa, f PANICLE two inches in length, upright, during the 

 demum coarctata. | flowering fpread out, afterwards clofed up. 



RAMULI paniculae purpurafcentes, pilofi. % BRANCHES of the panicle purplifh and hairy. 



SPICULE biflone etiam trifbraE:, fig. 3, 4. albidae feu | SPICULE containing two, fometimes three flowers, 

 parum purpurafcentes, flofculis omnibus her- % fig. 3, 4. whitifh, or flightly tinged with pur- 



maphroditis. ^ | p ie , all the florets hermaphrodite. 



CALYX: gluma bivalvis, utrinque ciliata, ceteroquin| CALYX: a glume of two valves, edged on both fides 

 nuda, valvula altera majore et paulo longiore, | with hairs, otherwife naked, one of the valves 



trinerve, nervis obfcure viridibus, fig. i, 2. | larger and a little longer than the other, hav- 



ing three ribs, of an obfcure green colour, 

 I fig. 1, 2. 



COROLLA : bivalvis, valvulis longitudine fuba?quali- ■% COROLLA of two valves, the valves nearly equal in 

 bus, bafi pilofis, viridibus, exteriore majore, | length, hairy at bottom, of a green colour, 



glabra, gibbofa, interiore plana ad lentem fub- $ the outermofc largeft, fmooth, and gibbous' 



nervofa, hifpidula, e dorfo majoris valvulae| the innermoft flat, fomewhat ribbed when 



fuperioris flofculi exfurgit arifta fpicula longior | magnified, and a little hifpid, from the back 



primo reda, demum tortilis, geniculata, fig. | of the largeil valve of the uppermoft flower 



3> 4* I arifes an awn, longer than the fpicula, at firit 



ftraight, laftly twifted and bent, fig. 3, 4. 



STAMINA: Filament a tria, capillaria. Anthers | STAMINA : three capillary Filaments. Antherje 

 oblongae, flavas, utrinque bifurcae, fig. 5. % oblong, yellow, forked at each end, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM : Germen fubrotundum, nitidum, mini- 1 PISTILLUM : Germen roundifli, mining, vtry fmall. 

 mum. Styli duo, plumofi, fig. 6. Styles two, feathery,^. 6. 



NECTAR1UM: glumulae duae, lanceolatae, ad bafin ger-| NECTARY : two, fmall, lanceolate glumes at the bafe 

 minis, fig. 7. I of the germen, fig. 7. 



SEMINA duo, nitida, ovato-acuta, altera ariftata, altera t SEEDS two, mining, ovate, pointed, the one bearded, 

 mutica, glumis calycinis inclufa, fig. 8. | the other naked, inclofed within the glumes 



% of the calyx, fig. 8 . 



Notwithffanding this grafs has been well named and defcribed by fome of the older Botanifts, particularly 

 Morison and Ray, its characters do not appear to be generally well underftood. Baron Haller confiders it as 

 too nearly related to the lanatus, to be with propriety confidered as a diitinc~t fpecies ; and Mr. Lightfoot, in his 

 Flora Scotica, entertains fimilar doubts. 



We have cultivated the two in feparate beds, clofe to each other, for feveral years ; have noticed them with a 

 marked attention, where they have grown wild; and, from a variety of characters, are led to confider them as 

 perfectly diftinct. 



The moft linking of thefe characters we mall here enumerate. In the firfr. place they differ widely in their 

 natural places of growth : while the lanatus is moft commonly found in meadows and paftures, the mollis rarely 

 occurs but in woods and its environs. We have, indeed, frequently found the lanatus, which is by far the moft 

 general grafs of the two, in a wood ; but we never recollect feeing the mollis in meadows or paftures, and but rarely 

 in corn-fields, where it has been faid chiefly to grow. Coomb Wood in particular affords a ftrong inftance of 

 its attachment to fhady iituations. Contrary to what fome authors affert, we have ever found the mollis the leaft 

 plant ; or, if it has been obferved equally tall as the other, it has produced by far the moft fcanty panicle ; nor do 

 the fpiculie, in general, afliime that brilliant colour which fo eminently diftinguifhes thofe of the lanatus on their 

 iirft coming out. But the character which puts its being a fpecies out of all doubt, is its root ; that of the Lanatus 

 does not creep, while the mollis poiTefles that property in a degree equal to the ftrongeft couch-grafs. The other 

 characters which ftrikingly diftinguifh this fpecies are its woolly joints and its large pointed ipicula?, in which the 

 beard, or awn, is invariably much longer than the glumes of the calyx. 



In fpeaking of the lanatus we took notice of the impropriety of feparating that grafs from the general mafs, 

 becaufe one of the flowers in each fpiculae was imperfect*. The fructification of the prefent fpecies argues more 

 ftrongiy for its union with the others : here both flowers are hermaphrodite, both have ftamina and feathery ftyles, 

 and both produce apparently perfect feeds. Indeed we can perceive no character to diftinguifh it from an aira, to 

 which genus it perhaps with propriety belongs. 



Schreber's figure gives a good reprefentation of the panicle when clofed, but neither reprefents the joints or 

 root. well. 



As we confider the Holcus lanatus, which is much to be preferred to the prefent fpecies, as a very indifferent 

 grafs for cattle, fo we cannot but look on the mollis as one of the worft fpecies of couch ; and, if it fho.uld ever 

 become a practice to fow certain woods with grafs feeds, this fpecies ought furely to be eradicated. 



It flowers in July. 



* Scopou, from a circumftance of this fort, has in our opinion abfurdly enough placed the Avsna elatior with the Hokw. 



