﻿( 104 ) 



BRI'ZA* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. Tria'ndria f, Dicy'nia. 



Natural Order. Grami'nE/E, Juss. Gen. PL 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, by Macgilliv. 

 p, 393. — Sm. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71. 



Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Calyx (see fig. 1 .) of 2 nearly equal, 

 avvnless, inversely egg-shaped, blunt, expanded, concave, slightly 

 keeled glumes (valves), containing a broad egg-shaped, or triangu- 

 lar, blunt, compressed spikelet (fig. 1.) of many, awnless, 2-ranked 

 imbricated, perfect florets. Corolla (fig. 2.) of 2 unequal, awnless, 

 obtuse paleae (valves) ; the outer nearly orbicular, or inversely egg- 

 shaped, expanded, concave, sometimes gibbous, contracted or in- 

 flexed at the edges, without rib or prominent keel ; inner much 

 smaller, flatter, oval, or inversely egg-shaped, entire or notched, 

 inflexed at the edges ; both permanent, embracing the seed. Nectary 

 a cloven scale. Filaments (see fig. 2.) hair-like, longer than the 

 glumes. Anthers oblong, cloven at each end, pendulous. Germen 

 (fig. 3.) egg-shaped. Styles (fig. 3.) very short. Stigmas (fig. 3.) 

 feathery, long, cylindrical. Seed nearly orbicular, flat, pressed 

 closely between the valves of the corolla, and coated with the outer 

 one, to which it is firmly united. 



Distinguished from other genera, with a loose spreading panicle, 

 in the same class and order, by the many-flowered, egg-shaped 

 spikelets ; the awnless paleee ; and the depressed seed, united to 

 the palete. 



Two species British. 



BRFZA ME'DIA. Common Quaking-grass. Lady’s-hair. 

 Shaker.. 



Spec. Char. Panicle spreading, tremulous. Spikelets broadly 

 egg-shaped, about 7-flowered. Calyx shorter than the florets. 



Engl. Bot. t. 340. — Knapp’s Gram. Brit. t. 60.— Host’s Gr. Aust. v. ii. p. 

 22. t.29. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 103. — Muds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p.38.— Sm. FI. 

 Brit. v. i. p. 109. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 133. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 175. — Gray’s 

 Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 109. — Lindl. Syn. p. 315. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 44. — Lightf. FI. 

 Scot. v. i. p.99. — Leers’ FI. Herb. (2nd ed.) p. 26 t 7. f. 2. — Martyn’s FI. 

 ltust. t. 39. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 43. — Abbot’s Ft. Bedf. p. 19. — Purl. Midi. FI. 

 v. i. p. 86.— Relh. FI. Cant. (3rded.) p. 38. — Sincl. Hort. Gram. Woburn, p.23. 

 fig. 14. and p.205, with a plate. — Curt. Brit. Etr tom. v. iv. 1. 186. — Hook. FI. Scot. 

 p.37. — Grev. Fl.Edin. p. 24. — FI. Devon, pp. 18 & 124. — Johnst. F’l. Berw. v. i. 

 p. 25. — Walk. FI of Oxf. p. 24. — Bab. FI. Bath . p. 59. — Mack. Catal. of PI. of 

 Ireland, p. 14. — Grarnen ■tremulum, Ray’s Syn. p. 412. 



Localities. — In meadows and pastures. F’requent. 



Perennial. — Flowers from May to July. 



Fig. 1. A Spikelet. — Fig. 2. A Floret, with the three Stamens. — Fig. 3. The 

 Germen, Styles, and Stigmas.— All magnified. 



* From brizo, Gr. to nod ; alluding to the pendulous or nutant position of 

 the blossoms. Withering. 

 f Sec Alopecurus pratensis, folio 45, note f. 



