﻿(99.) 



ANTHOXA-'NTHUM *. 



Linnean Class and Order. Di.Vn dri A f, Digv'nia. 



Natural Order. Grami'nejE, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gram, 

 of Bot. p. 68.— Lindl. Syn. p. 293. Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. 

 p. 292.— Loud. Hort. Brit, p.542 . — Gra'mina, Rich. byMacgilliv. 

 p. 393. — Sm. Eng. FI. v. i. p. 71. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) single-flowered, of 2 egg-shaped, 

 pointed, concave glumes (valves) ; the inner glume the largest. 

 Corolla (fig. 2.) of 2 equal paleae (valves), shorter than the calyx, 

 awned at the back ; the longer awn jointed. Nectary (see fig. 3.) 

 of 2 egg-shaped, thin, minute scales, clasping the base of the 

 germen. Stamens (see fig. 3.) hair-like, longer than the corolla. 

 Anthers oblong, forked at each end. Germen (fig. 4.) superior, 

 oblong. Styles (fig. 4.) short. Stigmas (fig. 4.) upright, long, 

 downy. Seed (fig. 5.) solitary, roundish, acute at each end, naked, 

 unconnected with the glumes (fig. 2.) 



Distinguished from other genera in the same class and order, by 

 the calyx of 2 glumes, containing 1 flower ; the corolla of 2 awned 

 paleae, and the solitary seed. And from other British Gramineae, by 

 having only 2 stamens instead of 3, the usual number in that order. 



One species British. 



ANTHOXA'NTHUM ODORA'TUM. Sweet-scented Vernal- 

 Grass. 



Spec. Char. Panicle spiked, oblong. Flowers longer than 

 their awns, on short stalks. 



Engl. Bot. t. 647. — Curt. FI. Lond. t. 4. — Host’s Gram. Aust. v. i. p. 5. t 5. — 

 Knapp's Gram. Brit. p. 1. t. 1. — Sclireb. Besch. der Griiser, t. 5. — Linn. Sp. 

 PI. p. 40. — Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 11.— Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 31. Engl. 

 FI. v. i. p. 37. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 82. — Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 135. — 

 Lindl. Syn. p. 306. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 14. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 81.— Leers’ 

 F’l. Herb. p. 6. t. 2. f. 1. — Martyn’s FI. Rustica, t. 23. — Sibtli. FI .Oxon. p. 18. — 

 Abbot s FI. Bedf. p. 8. — Putt. Midi. FI. v. i. p. 58.— Relh. FI. Cant. (3rd ed.) 

 p. 13. — Graves’ Brit. Grasses, t. 16. — Curt. Observ. on the Brit. Grasses, (5th 

 edit.) p. 7. t. 1. — Sincl. Hort. Gram. Woburn, p. 18. f. 1. and p. 134, with a 

 plate. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 11. — Grev. FI. Edin. p. 7. — FI. Devon, pp. 10 6c 119. 

 — Johnst. FI. of Berw. v. i. p. 9. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p.9. — Baxter’s Library of 

 Agiicul. and Horticul. Knowledge, (2nd edit.) p.294, with a figure. — Bab. FI. 

 Bath. p. 56. — Mack. Catal. of PI. of lrel. p. 10. — Gramen vernum spica brevi 

 laxa, Ray’s Syn. p. 398. 



Locai.ities. — In meadows and pastures. Common. 



Perennial. — Flowers in April and May. 



Root fibrous. Culms [stems] at first growing obliquely, after- 

 wards becoming upright, cylindrical, smooth, from 6 inches to a 

 foot or more high, with 1 or 2 joints. Leaves flat, bright green, a 

 little hairy ; each with a white, membranous, sheathing Stipula. 

 Spike or rather spike-like panicle oblong, loose ; the fiowerstalks in 



Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. The two palex of the Corolla. — Fig. 3. The Stamens 

 and Pistils, with the Germen inclosed in the Nectary. — Fig. 4. Germen, Styles, 

 and Stigmas. — Fig. 5. A Seed. — Figs. 2 & 3 magnified. 



4 From anthos. Gr. a flower, and xanthos, Gr. yellow ; from the yellowish 

 hue of the spikes, especially in age. Dr. Hooter n. 



t See Veronica Chamcedrys, folio 50, note f. 



