( 208 .) 
POLYPO'GON* *. 
Linnean Class and Order. Tria'ndria f, Digy'nia. 
Natural Order. Grami'nEpE, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 28. — Sm. Gram, 
of Bot. p. 68. ; Engl. FI. v. i. p. 71. — Lndl. Syn. p. 293. ; Introd. 
to Nat. Syst of Bot. p. 292. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 393. — Loud. 
Hort. Brit. p. 542. — Gramina, Linn. — Gramina'les ; sect. Fes- 
tucinas; type, Agrostida'ce^e ; Burn. Outl. of Bot. pp. 359, 
369, and 371. 
Gen. Char. Patrick compact, somewhat spiked. Calyx (fig. l.j 
single flowered, of 2 nearly equal, folded, keeled glumes (valves), 
cloven at the summit (see fig. 1, a.) ; each with a terminal, straight, 
rough awn (see fig. 1, b.) proceeding from the keel. Corolla (f. 3.) 
of 2 somewhat unequal, egg-shaped, concave paleae, much shorter 
than the glumes, and inclosed within them ; the outer keeled, ob- 
tuse, and awned at the very extremity ; the inner smallest, awnless, 
with 2 ribs, cloven at the summit. Filaments (see fig. 3.) 3, hair- 
like, about the length of the corolla. Anthers terminal, oblong, 
cloven at each end. Germen (see fig. 4.) oval. Styles (see fig. 4.) 
short, distinct. Stigmas (see fig. 4.) feathery. Seeds loose, egg- 
shaped, polished, covered by the corolla. 
The contracted panicle ; the single-flowered calyx of 2 nearly 
equal glumes, larger than the corolla, and awned at the extremity; 
and the corolla of 2 unequal paleae, the outer terminated by a rough 
awn ; will distinguish this from other genera in the same class 
and order. 
Two species British. 
POLYPO'GON MONSPELIE'NSIS. Annual Beard-grass. 
Spec. Char. Awns thrice as long as the rather blunt, rough 
glumes of the calyx. Root annual. 
Defontains FI. Atlantica, v. i. p. 67. — Schrader’s FI. Germ. v. i. p. 192.— Sm. 
Engl. FI. v. i. p. 85. — With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 152. — Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 
152. — Lindl. Syn. p. 302. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 31. — Winch’s FI. of Northumb. and 
Durham, p. 5. — Alopecurus monspeliensis, Linn. Sp. PI. p. 89. — With. (5th 
edit.) v. ii. p. 164. — Alopecurus aristatus, Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd edit.) p. 28. — 
Alopecuros maxima anglica, Ray’s Syn. p.396 .—Phleum crinitum, Slireb. 
Gram. v. i. p. 151. t. 20. f.3. — Sm. FI. Brit. v.i. p. 71. — Sibth. FI. Graec. v.i. 
p. 46. t. 62. — Agrostis panicea. Host’s Gram. A ustr. v. iii. p 32. t. 46. — Engl. 
Bot. 1. 1704. — Ait. Hort. Kevv. 1st. ed. v. i. p. 94. ; 2nd ed. v. i. p. 148. — Willd. 
Sp. PI. v. i. p. 363.— Agrostis tri-aristata, Knapp’s Gram. Brit. t. 23. 
Loca cities. — I n moist pastures, near the sea ; rare. — Durham ; On Sunder- 
land Ballast Hills: N.J. Winch, Esq. — Essex; Ditches on the coast ; at Pur- 
fleet, over against the Mill towards Rainham on the other side the great ditch : 
Ray Gloucester sh. Near Bristol: Miss Woksley, in New Bot. Guide. — 
Hants ; Old Salt Pans at Drayton, about two miles from Portsmouth : Dr. Pul- 
teney. — Kent; In a salt marsh by Erith : Merrett. — Norfolk; At Cley, 
south of the town, among the short grass near the sea : Mr. Humphrey. 
Fig. 1. The two Glumes of the Calyx, with their long rough awns; a. the 
glumes; b. the awns. — Fig. 2. Two of the Flowers. — Fig. 3. The two Pale® of 
the Corolla, with the Stamens and Pistils. — Fig. 4. The Germen, Styles, and 
long feathery Stigmas . — All magnified. 
* From poly, Gr. many ; and pogon, Gr. a beard ; fiom the bearded ap- 
pearance of the panicle. Hooker. 
t See Phalaris canariensis, folio 56, note f. 
