Meliga uniflora. Single-floweredMelic-grass. 



MELICA Lin. Gen. PL Triandria Digynia. 



Cal. bivalvis, biflorus, rudirnentUm Boris inter flofculos. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 27. Herbje ^raminiFoli^ flore imperfect o culmife.rje. 



MELICA uniflora panicula rara, calycibus bifloris, fiofculo altero hermaphrodito, altera neutro k Reizii 

 Fafc. Obfi. Bot. 1. p. 10. 11. 9. 



GRAMEN avenaceum locufUs rarioribus. Bank. Pin. p. 10. 



GRAMEN avenaceum fpica rnutica rariore gluma. Hifl. Ox. III. t. 7. f. 4.9. 



GRAMEN avenaceum nemo renfe, glumis rarioribus ex fufco xerampelinis. Rail Syn, -p. 403, 



GRAMEN avenaceum rariore grano neraorenfe danicum. Lob. Ad. P. Alt. p. 465. ic 1. B. p. 434. 



MELICA nutans petalis imberbibus, panicula fecunda nutante, gluma uniflora, Hiidfion. Fl. Angl. ed. 2> 

 p. 37. Light foot FL Scot. p. 95. 



RADIX perennis, fibrofa. | ROOT perennial and fibrous. 



CULMUS fimplex, fef quipedalis et ultra, foliofus, ubi| STALK, fimple, a foot and a half or more in height, 

 v agin is. foliorum tegitur fubangulofus, fcaber, % leafy, where it is covered with the iheaths of 



ftriatus, ad bafin fordidepurpureus. | the leaves fomewhat angular^ rough and itria- 



¥ ted, at bottom of a dull purple colour. 



FOLIA caulina quinque circiter, e flavo viridia, plana, | LEAVES of the (talk about five in number, of a yel- 

 lineam unam cum dimidia aut duas fere lata, y lowiflvgreen colour, flat, a line and a halt or 



in acutum mucronem fenfim attenuata, fi di- 1 almoff, two lines broad, terminating gradually 



giti deorfum ducantur afpera, fuperne ftibpi- % in a point, rough if drawn backwards betwixt 



lofa, marginibus ad lentem minutiffime ferru- 1 the fingers, on the upper fide fomewhat hairy, 



latis, membrana breviffima, vix ulla, at quod | the edges of the leaves when magnified finely 



valde fmgulare, et notatii dignum, foliolum % ferrated, the membrane very fhort, fcarce any ; 



ovato-acuminatum, ereclum, coloratura, ex| but what is very remarkable and worthy no- 



anteriore parte oris vaginae oritur, nemine ante- y tice, a fmall ovate leaf with a Jong point, up- - 



hac, ne cl. Retzio obiervatum, Jig. 8. right, and coloured, rifes from the fore-part 



I of the mouth of the Iheath, till now unob- 



i ferved even by the celebrated Retzilts, Jig. 8* 



FLORES paniculati. f FLOWERS growing in a panicle. 



PANICUJLA rara, pedunculis inferioribus geminis altero f PANICLE loofe, the lowermoft flower- ftalks growing 



breviore, trifloris, etiam feptem aut oclo floris | two together, the one fhorter than the other, 



in hortis culta, fuperioribus folitariis. $ bearing three flowers*, and even {even or eight 



I when cultivated in gardens, the uppermofr. 



I growing fingly. 



SPICULE pedicellate, primo atro-purpureab, muticae, t SPICULE ftanding on little foot-ftalks, at firft of a 

 biflorae. „ 1 dark purple colour, beardlefs, each containing 



t two flowers. 



CALYX: Gluma bivalvis, biflorus, coloratus, nitidus, | CALYX : a Glume of two valves* containing two 



valvula exteriore majore, ovata, concava, quia- | flowers, coloured and mining, the outermoft 



quenervi, fubmucronata, interiore minore, | valve ovate, hollow, having five ribs, and ter- 



ovato-lanceolata, trinervi, fig. 1. y minated by a fhort point, the innermoif. leaft, 



I ovato-lanceolate, and threes-ribbed, fig. 1. 



FLOS hermaphrod. fefhTis, valvula exterior magna, ven- | FLOWER : the hermaphrodite one femle, the .outer 



tricofa, marginibus in terioremampleclens, quae % , valve large, bellying out, with its edges em- 



planiufcula, marginibus membranaceis re- 1 bracing the inner one, which is flattifh, the 



flexis, prsecipue prope bafin, fig. 2, 3. | edges membranous and turned back, efpecially 



I near the bafe, fig. 2,3. 



Jlerilis pedunculatus, imperfectus, fig. 9. ; idem ^ the fierile flower fbnding on a foot-ftalk, and 



evolutus, fig. 10. I imperfect, fig. 9. ; the fame unfolded, fig. 10. 



STAMINA: Filament a tria, capillaria, brevia. An- | STAMINA: three Filaments, capillary and fhort. 



THERiE flavefcentes utrinque bifurcatae, fig. 4. % Anthers yellowim and forked at each end. 



I M 4. 



PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum, glabrum, mtidum, | PISTILLUM : Germen ovate, fmooth, mining, and 

 flavefcens. Styli duo bafi difcreta, divari- 1 yellowifh. Styles two, feparate at bottom 



cata. Stigmata villofa, fig. 5. f and fpreading out. Stigmata villous, fig. 5, 



NECTARIUM : Squamula minima, integra, ad bafin | NECTARY : a very minute, entire fcale, at the bale of 

 germinis, fig. 6. % the germen, fig. 6. 



SEMEN ovatum, nitidum, majufculum, nigricans, | SEED ovate, mining, rather large and blackifh, fig. 7. 



, A- r • 



This elegant fpecies, long fince noticed and defcribed by many of the old Botanifts, particularly Ray, has been 

 overlooked by Linnaeus. Profellbr RetZius*, in the firft fafciculus of his botanical obfervations, defcribes it" 

 anew, and gives it the name of uniflora, having found each fpicula to contain only one perfect flower. This name 

 we therefore raoft readily adopt. Mr. Hudson, in his Flora Anglic a ^ has miftaken this plant for the nutans of 

 LrNNiEUs ; and to the nutans has given the name of montana. 



Tte delicacy and ftriking colour of its panicle, joined to its place of growth, readily difiinguiihes it from all our 

 other gtaffes. 



It grows plentifully in moft of the woods near London, and flowers in May and the beginning of June. 



* Andr. Joh. Retzii Fafciculus Obfervationum Botanjcarum primus, cum fignris reneis, Lipfix, 1779. 



