PoA PROCUMBENS. PROCUMBENT MEADOW-GRAsSS. 
POA. Linn, Gen. Pl. Trianprid Dicynia. . "c A. 6 DM Jt 
— Cal, 2-valvis multiflorus. Sprcule ovate, valvis margine fcariofis acutiufculis, 
__, Rai Sym. Gen. 97.. HERBA GRAMINIFOLIA, FLORE IMPERFECTO CULMIFERA, 
POA procumbens cülmis inflexo:procumbentibus, panicula fecunda rigida; {piculis fublinearibüs; 
fubquinquefloris ; flofculis obtufis bafi pilofis. | 
RADIX perennis, fibrofa. § ROOT perennial, and fibrous. 
CULMI plures, palmares, femipedales et ultra, bi, Q STEMS many, from four to fix inches or more in 
trinodes, plerumque procumbentes, foliofi, Q length, having two or three joints, for the 
leves, fuperne compreffi, 3 moft part procumbent, leafy, {mooth, flattened 
: . | | towards the panicle. j 
LEAVES glaucous, fhort, two lines broad, fcored, 
when viewed with a magnifier appearing to 
be thickly covered with roughifh tranfparent 
FOLIA glauca, brevia, lineas duas lata, lineata, ad 
lentem punti diaphanis fubafperis confertis 
utrinque adfperfa, margine minutiffime fer- 
rulata; Ligu/a brevis, amplexicaulis, alba, 
acutiufcula; Vagina foliorum intus nitida, 
extus fuperficies eadeni ut in foliis; 
dots, the edge very minutely fawed ; Mem- 
2d  érane {hort, embracing the flalk, white, fome- 
what pointed ; Sheath of the leaves gloffy on 
the infide, the furface on the outfide the 
fame as that of the leaves, " 
FLOWERS in a panicle. 
PANICLE about two inches long, rigid, fomewhat 
ovate, and now and then bent a little back- 
wards, turning chiefly to one fide, branched, 
the branches growing in pairs, unequal, the 
outer one largeft, in the lower branches a 
fingle fpicula is moft commonly placed in the 
middle betwixt them, in impoverifhed fpeci- 
mensafpicula often holds the placeof a branch. 
PEDUNCLES: the common peduncles round, naked, 
crooked, marked at the bafe on the upper 
fide with a glandular kind of fubflance. 
RACHIS round, fmooth, with two grooves on the 
| 
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; 
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à infide. 
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: 
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à 
FLORES paniculati. . 
PANICULA fubbiuncialis, rigida, fubovata, deorfum 
fubinde flexa, fubfecunda, ramofa, ramis bi- 
natis ingequalibus, exteriore majore, fpicula 
fimplici in ramis inferioribus plerumque me- 
dio inter ramos pofita, in fpeciminibus minus 
luxuriantibus fpicula locum ramuli obtinet. 
PEDUNCULI communes, teretes, nudi, flexuofi, fub- 
ftantia glandulofa ad bafin fuperne notata. 
RACHIS teres, lavis, interne bifulca. 
SPICUL E in the larger branches about fix in number, 
in the fmaller ones four, feflile, containing 
about five flowers, fomewhat linear, roundifh, 
flightly flattened, placed at equal diftances 
from each other. 
SPICULZE in ramis majoribus fex circiter, in minori- 
bus quatuor, feffiles, fubquinqueflore, fub- 
lineares, compreflo-teretiu{culz, aequidiftantes. 
FLOSCULI obtufi, ad bafin pilofi. 
CALYX: G/uma bivalvis, valvulis inzequalibus, viridi- 
bus, albo marginatis, obtufiufculis, fg. 1. 
FLORETS obtufe, hairy at the bafe. 
CALYX: a G/ume of two valves, the valves unequal, 
green, edged with white, and fomewhat 
blunt, jg. 1. | 
COROLLA: a G/ume of two valves, the valves fome- 
what equal, the outer one largeft and five- 
ribbed, the inner one narroweft and two- 
ribbed, the ribs edged with hairs, fig. 2. 
STAMINA: three capillary FILAMENTS; ANTHERA 
oblong, and yellow, jg. 9. 
PISTILLUM: Geren obovate, of a pale green 
colour; Sry Les two, fpreading and ramified 
^ 
COROLLA : G/uma bivalvis, valvis fubzqualibus, ex- 
terlore majore quinquenervi, interiore angul- 
tiore binerve, nervis ciliatis, jig. 2. 
STAMINA: FiLAMENTA tria capillaria; ANTHERA 
| oblonge, flave, fig. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germen obovatum, pallide virens ; 
STYLI duo, patentes ad bafin ufque ramofi, 
| quite to the bafe, jig. 5. 
NECTARY : two {mall tranfparent G/umer, tumid and 
' dlefhy at the bafe, a little longer than the 
germen, jig. 
' Hd A 4. A 
SEMEN oblongum, leve, glumis inclufum, fg. 6. Ü'SEED oblong, fmooth, enclofed in the glumes, fg. 6. 
Jo dft 5. 
NECTARIUM: Glumule due, diaphanz, bafi tumi- 
dz carnofe, germine paulo longiores, jig. 4. 
On 
In the Autumn of 1793, having occafion to be at Briftol, I fpent great part of a day in examining the plants 
of the famous St. Vincents Rock, adjoining Clifton- Wells; and at the foot of the rock, on the edge of the 
river Severn, I obferved a tuft of grafs, with a few panicles of ripe feed on it, afluming a different appearance 
to any grafs I had been accuftomed to fee: I fought for more of it about the fame fpot, but without fuccefs ; 
flattering myfelf that it might turn out to be a new fpecies, I took up the only root there was, and gathered the 
feeds, planting the one, and fowing the other, in my garden at Brompton; the next feafon it flowered with me, 
and gave me an opportunity of difcovering that it was a fpecies of Poa, perfeétly diftin& from all our others. 
In its general habit it comes near to Poa annua, it bears an affinity allo to Poa rigida ; but from both thofe 
as well as from all our other Poa’s, it is diftinguifhed by many curious and interefting particulars. 
One of the moft ftriking characters of this grafs is to have its ftalks for the moft part procumbent; but this 
procumbence, if we may be allowed the expreffion, does not appear to originate in the ufual way, from the 
weaknels of the flalk, but from its being bent downward at a joint near its bafe; as every ftem is not thus aCted 
on, fome of them are frequently found nearly upright: the foliage of this plant 1s of a glaucous hue, and, if 
examined with a magnifier, is found to be covered with numerous rough particles of a filvery hue; the panicle 
has a greater degree of rigidity than that of Poa annua, the fpicule are much longer, lefs flat, and more regularly 
diftant from each other, and each floret is c///aed at its bafe ; {uch are the moft obvious differences ; many others 
may be difcovered from an attention to the defcription.: 
Not fatisfied with having found a fingle fpecimen of this plant, we delayed publifhing this account, hoping 
that it might be found more abundantly elfewhere ; in the beginning of Auguft an opportunity of making this 
difcovery fortunately prefented itfelf. , 
Sir THomas FRANKLAND, an early and warm encourager of the F/ora Londinenfis, which in many points has 
been improved by his friendly and judicious obfervations, fent me, from Clifton (where he then was on a vifit) 
fome feeds and {pecimens of plants gathered near that fpot; I immediately wrote to him, and enclófing a 
fpecimen of my Poa, requefted him to fearch for it; on the 7th of the fame month I received a letter from him, 
containing fpecimens of the fame grafs, with the following defirable information: * I had fortunately noticed 
* the grafs you enclofed in your letter, which grows in fome plenty in the inundated parts of the wafte 
* ground weft of the wet dock, below Clifton; it feemed moft like Pog rigida, its habit was new to me, and I 
* {uppofed it a variety of that grafs.” Ina letter afterwards, Sir Tuomas informs me, that he had found the 
fame grafs abundantly on the Pier at Scarborough ; and we have lately been informed, that it has been found 
on the Effex Coalt. 
Culture produces little alteration in its appearance; it grows readily from feed, and flowers during moft of the 
Summer: from the fame root, which is clearly perennial, we have, as in Poa annua, young fhoots and ripe feeds, 
> 
