PoA RETROFLEXA. REFLEXED MEADOW-GRASs. 
POA Lin. Gen. Pl. Trtanpria Dicynia. | 
Cal. 2-valvis, multiflorus. Spicula ovata: valvulis margine fcariofis acutiufculis, 
Raw Syn. Gen. 97. YERBA GRAMINIFOLIZ FLORE IMPERFECTO CULMIFER E. 
POA cer panicula diffufa, ramis poft flote(centiam retroflexis, fpiculis fublinearibus fubquin- 
quefloris. | 
POA d»fans panicula ramis fubdivifis, floribus quinquefloris: flofculis diftantibus obtufis. Lin. 
Syft. Vegetab. 5. 115. ? 
AIRA aquatica var B.. Hud/on Fl. Angl. ed. 2. 5. 34. 
| ! 
RADIX perennis, fibrofa. ROOT perennial, and fibrous. 
CULMI plures, fpithamzi, pedales, aut fefquipedales, : 
obliqui, foliofi, inferne fubinfra&i, teretes, * 
leves. 
STALKS feveral, afpan, a foot or a foot and a half 
in length, oblique, leafy, flightly elbowed 
below, round and fmooth. 
A as EE S Ae 
FOLIA. glauca, levia, acuta, radicalia fubconvoluta, 2 LEAVES glaucous, fmooth, pointed, . radical leaves 
. caulina plana, erecto-patentia; Ligula brevis, : fomewhat rolled up, ftalk-leaves flat, betwixt 
obtufa, fubtruncata, fubinde bifida; Vagina upright and fpreading; Membrane {hort, 
levis. obtufe, fomewhat truncated, now and then 
bifid ; Sheath fmooth. 
FLORES paniculati, panicula palmaris aut fefquipe- à FLOWERS growing ina panicle, a hand’s breadth or 
dalis, diffufa, ramis inequalibus, ramofis, half a foot in length, fpreading, the branches 
fubflexuofis, tandem ad bafin pertumidis et : unequal, ramified, fomewhat crooked, finall 
retro porrectis, inferioribus fubquinis. * much {welled at the bafe, and ftretched out 
backwards, the lowermoft about five in 
number. 
a A EAE NS ELA BM ELA RES Oe ast SES WTS BEE BH AE SIR 
SPICUL fublineares, fubquinqueflorz, nonnunquam 
penitus virides, at fzpius albo et purpureo 
pulchre variegate, jig. 1, 2, 9. 
SPICULZ&E fomewhat linear, containing five flowers, 
more or lefs, fometimes entirely green, but 
more often prettily variegated with white 
and purple, fig. 1, 2, 3. 
CALYX: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis ovatis, obtufis, 
concavis, inzqualibus, altero duplo breviore, : 
Jig. 4. au&t. 
CALYX: a Glume of two valves, the valves ovate, 
obtufe, hollow, unequal, one of them not 
more than half the length of the other, jig. 4. 
magnified. 
5 ' A v, 2 Vg glee site tthe atl) V 
Ye te aene e e t e e e EL EL A BG tae ERE ONE RI t 
COROLLA: bivalvis, valvulis fubequalibus, exte- 4 COROLLA: compofed of two valves, the valves 
riore majore, concava, obtufiufcula, SiS: 5, nearly equal, the outer one largeft, concave, © 
interiore plerumque bifida, ad lentem utrin- a little blunt, fig. 5, the inner one ufually . 
que ciliata, fig. 6. bifid, and, if magnified, edged on each fide 
with hairs, fig. 6. 
Se Tee ate Ee e e tet 
STAMINA: FILAMENTA tria, capillaria; ANTHERA 
STAMINA: three capillary FILAMENTS ; ANTHER.E 
parva, lutez, jig. 7. 
{mall and yellow, fg. 7. 
Leda media pene 
PISTILLUM: Germewn obovatum, fj. 8; Sryi1 $ PISTILLUM: Germewn inverefely ovate, fig. 8: 
duo, patentes, ad bafin ufque ramofi, fig.g. 4 STYLES two, fpreading, branched down to 
5 the bottom, jig. 9. 
NECTARIUM: Glumule duse, ovato-acute, ad i NECTARY : compofed of two fmall G/umes, ovate 
: bafin germinis, fig. 10. di and pointed, at the bafe of the germen, iz. 10. 
Fig.i1 exhibet fpiculam fpeciminis ficcati in qua & Fig. 11 exhibits the fpicula of a dried fpecimen, in 
flofculi remotiores et fubtruncati. * which the.flowers are further apart, and ap- 
: pear fomewhat truncated at top. 
It is rather matter of admiration, that this Grafs fhould have efcaped the notice of Mr. Rav, fince it is | 
. common in paftures and by road fides on all our fea-coafts, at leaft where we have travelled; like the Plantago 
maritima and fome other plants, it is not confined to maritime fituations: for, to my great aftonifhment, I 
found it, July 1786, among the graffy herbage on the right-hand fide of the horfe-road leading up the hill 
to Hampftead in tolerable plenty. 
Though, at firft fight, it bears a near refemblance to the Poa annua, and for which I have no doubt but 
it is often miftaken, a difcerning eye will readily perceive a difference at a diftance, and a clofe examination 
will difcover abundant matter to confirm it. A | 
As it ufually grows, it is confiderably taller than the Poa annua, its leaves are narrower in proportion, and 
much more glaucous, its fpicule alfo are much narrower as well as longer, and, of courfe, contain many 
more florets; thefe are for the moft part prettily variegated with pale green and purple; but the grand 
character which diflinguifhes?it from the Poa annua, and, as far as we have obferved from all the other Poas, 
is to be drawn from the branches of the panicle ; thefe, as the plant goes out. of bloom, are reflected or 
ftretched out backwards, fo as fometimes to touch the culmus or main ítem. On examining into the caufe 
of this, I found it was effected by little tubercles at the bafe of the branches on their upper fides only, which 
increafing in fize as the plant advanced in its flowering; forced them backwards. 
The peculiarity of this character induced us to adopt a name expreflive of it, notwithftanding we had ftrong 
reafons to fuppofe our plant the Poa diftans of Linn aus, a term expreffing very diftantly indeed any character 
of the plant. ; 
Mr. Hupson gives a particular defcription of this Grafs, but confiders it as a variety only of the Azra 
aquatica: what could induce him to form fuch an opinion, is difficult to fay, we can affure our readers, that 
» fix years culture has made no alteration in the appearance of the Poa retroflexa. — . 
There does not appear to be fufficient merit in this Grafs to recommend it for agricultural purpofes. 
It flowers from June to September, 
