FEsTUCA LOLIACEA. DARNEL FESCUE-GRASS. 
FESTUCA. Linn. Gen. Pl. Trianpria Dreynta. 
Cal. 2-valvis. Spicula oblonga, teretiufcula, glumis acuminatis. 
Rak Sym. Gen. 97. HERBA S RAIVEPUETA FLORE IMPERFECTO CULMIFER E; 
FESTUCA /bwicez fpicata, fpiculis alternis feffilibus, compreffis muticis. | Hud/: F7. Angi. 5 1; 5. 38. 
POA locuftis diftichis, fpicatis, muticis. Hall Hif. 1.1452; 
PHCENIX longius fpicata, Park. Theat. p. 1146. fig. to the left ? 

From the various appearances which this plant affumes, it may be ftyled the very Proteus of Grafles ; in its 
molt ufual form it bears a refemblance to the Lo/um perenne, and hence it has been confidered by fome as a 
variety of that plant, and as fuch it is figured by Morison; when branched, which it frequently is, it ap- 
proaches near to, and has been taken for the Fe/twca pratenfis, but it indifputably is a diftiné plant from both. 
With us it grows fpontaneoufly, and plentifully in moift fertile meadows. 
In root, ftalk, leaves, and habit, it comes fo near to the Lo/um perenne as {carcely to be diftinguifhed from 
it, but ufually exceeds it in height by about one third; the flowers in general grow in a fimple fpike, from eight 
inches to a foot in length, bending a little towards the top ; the {picule are feffile, nearly-an inch long, diverg- 
ing from and for the moft part placed obliquely to the rachis, fometimes ftanding on foot-ftalks of different 
lengths, the lowermoft ones about an inch long, nearly round, flattened a little on the fides, running out to a 
oint ; the uppermolt ones fhorter and fomewhat broader, containing from ten to fifteen flowers; the calyx 
ufually confifts of two valves uneaual in fize, the innermoft frequently fmall, lateral, and fometimes wanting s« 
the other parts of the fruétification are very fimilar to thofe of the pratenfis and elatior. 
The flowers, as we before obferved, ufually grow in a fimple fpike: this fpike not unfrequently occurs 
branched ; then its appearance is greatly altered, and it approaches nearer to the feftuca pratenfis; but in that 
tate it is diftinguifhed from it by the length of its fpiked panicle; moft commonly the branches grow from the 
_ bafe of the fpike, fometimes from the middle; in Batterfea meadows, where this grafs 1s found abundantly, I 
have obferved a variety, in which the fpiculae were fhorter than ufual, and two or three of them grew together 
from the fame point ; but the grand difficulty which the ftudent has to encounter in relation to this grafs is, 
when he meets with that variety of it, which having fhorter and broader fpicule than ufual, refembles Lolium 
perenne fo much, as to make him ready to exclaim, “ they are the fame :” in this dilemma there are three cha- 
ra&ters, fome one of which I have never yet known to fail: firft, the fituation of the fpicule with refpe& to the 
rachis; the edge of thefe in the Lolium is always parallel with the rachis, which gives the fpike a flat appear- 
ance; in the loliacea they are placed more or lefs obliquely: fecondly, in the Lolium perenne there is never more 
than one valve to the calyx, which is a flrong one, ufually two thirds as long as the fpicula; in the Feft. lol. 
there is for the moft part two, though it often happens that the inner one 1s very fmall, imperfe&, and fometimes 
wanting altogether: but it happens very rarely indeed that the inner valve is wanting in all the {picule of a {pike 
from the fame root; fhould this chara€ter fail, our dependance muft be, thirdly, on the length of the outer valve 
of the calyx, which rarely is more than one third as bos as the fpicula. 
. We have dwelt thus. minutely, tedioufly we fear fome may think, on thefe citcumftances, from a wifh to remove 
all doubts refpe&ting this plant, and fave fuch as may honour the Flora Lond. with their perufal, from expe- 
riencing the difficulties and perplexities in which it has frequently involved us. | 
The Feftuca loliacea comes into bloom about the fame time as the pratenfis, it is therefore not fo early as 
fome other graffes; we have found it from many years culture a hardy perennial of very quick growth, producing 
a larger but fomewhat fimilar crop to ray grafs, fucceeding beft in a moift foil; it is however rather harfh and 
ftalky; thofe qualities excepted it would appear to be equal in goodnefs to fome of the beft of our pafture 
graffes, and as fuch we recommend it to the notice of the Agriculturifl: there is one circumftance attends this 
gra{fs which we muft not omit to make known, as it highly concerns its culture, and affords a fomewhat unufual 
inflance of vegetable oeconomy : the cultivated plant has produced me no perfeét feeds, either at Lambeth- 
Maríh or Brompton; the fame nearly may be faid of the elatior, while the pratenfis has conftantly produced 
_ good feeds in abundance. 
In the firft edition of Mr. Hupson’s Fl. Angl. we find this Feftuca under the name of loliacea, a name 
‘highly proper, whether we confider it as referring to the Lolium perenne, which it fo much refembles, or to 
the affinity it bears to the genus Lolium; for it certainly is the connetting link of the Feftuca and Loliun ; we 
have to regret, however, that the ingenious author fhould derogate from the merit of making it a fpecies, by 
confidering it in the fecond edition of the fame work as a variety of the Feftuca fluitans. i 
Partes Fructificationis. Parts of Fructification. 
Fig. 1. Spicula. DF ig. 1. One of the Spicule. 
2. Glumes of the Calyx. 
2. Glume calycine. 
C EU 

3, 4. ————— Corolla. 
5. The Neétaries. 
6. The Stamina. 
7. The Piftillum. 

9: as 
5. Neélaria. 
6. Stamina. 
7. Piftillum. 

