( 288 .) 
P O' A*. 
Linnean Class and Order. TiUA'NDRiAf, Digy'nia. 
Natural Order. Grami'ne.e, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gram, 
of Bot. p. 86. ; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71. — Lindl. Syn. p. 293. ; Introd. 
to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 292. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 393. — Loud. 
Hort. Brit. p. 542. — Mack. FI. Hibern. p. 294. — Gramina, Linn. — 
Graminales; sect. Festucin^e ; type, AvenacEjE ; Burn. Outl. 
of Bot. v. i. pp. 359 & 369. 
Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Spikelets (fig. 1.) egg-shaped, im- 
bricated. Calyx (fig. 2.) of 2 equal, awnless, pointed, egg-shaped, 
folded, keeled glumes, containing several awnless, alternate, 2- 
ranked, perfect florets (see fig. 3.), which are often connected at 
their base by a condensed web, of long, white, cottony filaments. 
Corolla (see fig. 3.) of 2 unequal paleae ; the outer egg-shaped, 
pointed, strongly keeled, compressed, sometimes ribbed, entire, 
more or less membranous at the summit, as well as at the edges, 
which are flat, not reflexed ; inner narrower, with 2 nearly marginal 
ribs, the edges membranous, indexed, the summit cloven. Nectary 
a deeply cloven scale. Filaments (see fig. 3.) 3, hair-like, longer 
than the corolla. Anthers pendulous, oblong, cloven at each end. 
Germen (see fig. 4.) egg-shaped. Styles (see fig. 4.) very short. 
Stigmas (see fig. 4.) spreading, feathery, in several species re- 
peatedly branched. Seed (fig. 5.) elliptic-oblong, pointed, some- 
what angular, loose, covered with the unchanged corolla, and some- 
times woolly at the base with the permanent web above described. 
The loose panicle ; the egg-shaped, compressed, many-flowered 
spikelets ; the calyx of 2 glumes, shorter than the florets ; the corolla 
of 2, egg-shaped, awnless paleae ; and the loose, elliptic-oblong 
seed ; will distinguish this from other genera in the same class and 
order. 
Nine species British. (Smith’s Engl. FI.) 
PO'A A'NNUA. Annual Meadow-grass. Suflfolk-grass. 
Spec. Char. Panicle somewhat unilateral, widely spreading. 
Spikelets oblong-egg-shaped, of about 5 florets, which are a little 
remote, 5-ribbed, without a web. Culm ascending, compressed. 
Root fibrous. 
Engl. Bot. t. 1141. — Curt. FI. Lond. t. 6. — Knapp’s Gram. Brit. t. 52. — Mart. 
FI. Rust. t. 98. — Host. Gram. Austr. v. ii. p. 46. t. 64. — Grav. Brit. Grass, t. 
67. — Sincl. Ilort. Gram. Wob. p. 400, with a plate. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 99. — 
Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 42.— Leers’ (2nd ed.) p.29. t. 6. f. 1. — Stillingfleet’s 
Miscell. Tr. p. 383. t. 7. — Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. pt. i. p. 390. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i_ 
p. 105.; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 127. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 168. — Gray’s Nat. Arr. 
v. ii. p. 104. — Lindl. Syn. p. 317. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 43. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. 
p. 97. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 42.— Abb. FI. Bedf. p. 18. — Davies’ Wesh Bot. p. 
10.— Purt. Midi. FI. v. i. p. 79.— Relh. FI. Cant. (3rd ed.) p. 37.— Hook. FI. 
Fig. 1. A Floret. — Fig. 2. Calyx. — Fig. 3. Three Florets. — Fig. 4. Germen and 
Pistils. — Fig. 5. A Seed . — All more or less magnified. 
From Poa, Gr. meaning an herb fit for the use of cattle. Dr. Withering. 
t See fob 56, note t. 
