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ME'LICA* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. TiuA'NDRiAf, Digy'nia. 



Natural Order. Grami'ne.e, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gr. 

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

 p. 292. — Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 542. — Gra'min^e, Linn. — Rich, by 

 Macgilliv. p.393. — Sm. Eng. FI. v. i. p.71. — Gramina'les, Bum. 

 Outl. of Bot. p. 359. 



Gen. Char. Panicle loose. Calyx (fig. 1.) of 2 unequal, 

 spreading, concave, ribbed, membranous, awnless glumes, contain- 

 ing 1 or 2 perfect florets, with the rudiments of 1 or 2 more (see 

 fig. 2, b.). Corolla (see fig. 2.) of 2 unequal, oblong, awnless pa- 

 le® ; the outer one largest, concave ribbed ; the inner flat, with 

 2 marginal ribs. Nectary (see fig. 4.) cup-shaped, at the base of 

 the germen. Filaments (see fig. 2, a.) 3, hair-like. Anthers pro- 

 truded, pendulous. Germen (see fig. 4.) roundish. Styles (see 

 fig. 4.) 2, elongated, distant. Stigmas oblong, woolly. Seed egg- 

 shaped, loose, covered with the loose hardened corolla. 



Distinguished from other genera, with a loose panicle, in the 

 same class and order, by the calyx of 2 glumes containing 1 or 2 

 perfect florets, with the rudiments of 1 or 2 intermediate ones (see 

 fig. 3.) ; and the seed coated with the hardened corolla. 



Three species British. 



ME'LICA NU'TANS. Mountain Melic-grass. 



Spec. Char. Panicle close, nearly simple, drooping. Flowers 

 pendulous. Spikelet with 2 perfect florets. 



Engl. Bot. t. 1059. — Curt. FI. Fond. t. . — Knapp’s Gram. Brit. t. 42. — 



Graves’ Brit. Grasses, t. 50. — Mart. FI. Rust. t. 65. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 98. — 

 Muds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 37. — Sm. FI. Brit. v. i. p. 92. Engl. FI. v. i. p. 1 12. 

 — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 163. — Giay’s Nat. Arr. of Brit. PI. v. ii. p 111. — 

 Lindl. Syn. p. 307. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 37. — Leers’ FI. Herb. (2nd ed.) p. 25. 

 t. 3. f. 4. — Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 95. — Purt. Midi. FI. v. iii. p. 9. — Hook. FI. 

 Scot. p. 30. — Grev. FI. Edin. p. 20. — FI. Devon, pp. 15 & 122. — Johnston’s FI. 

 of Berw. v. ii. p. 274. — Gramen avenaceum, locustris rubris, montanum, Bay’s 

 Syn. p. 403. 



Localities. — In mountainous woods in the North of England, and in Scot- 

 land. Rare. — Cheshire; Frequent in woods; as Early Banks- wood, &cc. : Mr. 

 Biiadbuby. — Derbyshire ; Between Matlock and Newhaven : Mrs. Acland. — 

 Devon ; In a wood near Dolton : Dr. Waveli.. — Durham; Castle Eden Dean: 

 N. J. W inch, Esq. — Herts; Puckeridge : Dr. Maiityn. — Kent; In Charlton 

 Wood: Dr. Martyn. — Northumberland ; Teckel Wood at Simonburn : N.J. 

 Winch, Esq. — Somersetshire ; In Leigh Wood : Mr. Dyer. — Suffolk ; Woods 

 at Swefling, and North Glemham ; and elsewhere in this county : Hev. G. 

 Crabbe. — Westmoreland ; Near Kendal : Hudson. — Worcestersh In Bewd- 

 ley Wood, near Kidderminster : Rev. A. Bloxham .-—Yorkshire ; Mackershaw, 

 and Studley Woods: Mr. Brunton. Byland Wood near Coxwold: Rev. 

 Archdeacon Pierson. Woods between Thorp Arch and Wetherby : Rev. W. 



F’ig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2. Three perfect Florets, with one neuter one, b. — Fig. 3. 

 A neuter Floret. — Fig. 4. Nectary, Germen, Styles, and Stigmas. — All more or 

 less magnified ; fig. 3, highly so. 



* From meli, Gr. honey : the seed being somewhat sweet. Withering. 

 t See Phalaris cauamensis, folio 56, note f. 



