PoA TRIVIALIS. 
Rough-stalk’d Meadow Grass. 
POA Linneei Gen. PI. TriAndria Digynia. 
Cal. 2 -valvis, multiflorus. Spicula ovata : valvulis margine fcariofls acutiufculis. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 27. Herbje graminifolia: flore imperfecto culmifer.®. 
POA trivialis panicula diffufa, fpiculis fubtrifloris, culmo ere&o fcabro, membrana foliorum acuminata. 
POA trivialis panicula diffufa, fpiculis trifloris bafi pubefcentibus, culmo eretto tereti. Linneei Syjl. 
Veget ab. p. 97. 
GRAMEN pratenfe paniculatum medium* Bauhin pin. 5. Raii Syn. p. 409. n. 2* 
POA trivialis. Scopoli FI. Camiol. p. 69. n. 39. Diagn. Lanugo ad bafin petali exterioris* 
POA panicula diffufa locuflis trifloris villofis. Haller hijl. n. 1562. fecundum Scopoli. 
GRAMEN pratenfe minus. Parkinfon 1156. Gerard emac. 2. Hudfon FI. Angi. p. 33. 
RADIX fibrofa, capillacea. 
CULMUS erectus, pedalis ad bipedalem, bafi repens, 
unde perenne evadit hoe gramen, ftriatus, 
fcabriufculus, fiepe purpureus. 
FOLIA: Vagina fubcomprefla, ftriata, fcabriufcula : 
Membrana ad bafin foliorum longa , acuminata , 
ftg. 1 ; folia ipfa longa, fcabriufcula, fubtus 
nitida, tenera. 
PANICULA eredta, diffufa. 
SPICULzE parvae, btfloras, aut triflorae, (fig. 2. 2. magn. 
nat. fig. 3. 3. lente au£t,) nonnunquam etiam 
quadriflora;, ovato-acuminatze, fubcompreffe. 
GLUMAE calycina; bivalves, valvulis inaequalibus, a- 
cuminatis, carinatis, carina fcabrS, fig. 4. 'Si 
glumie corollacete ex calycinis glumis extra- 
hantur, lanugo (fig . 9 ,) confpiciatur, huic et 
Poc e pratenfi quoufque obiervavi propria. 
GLUMzE corollaceje bivalves, valvulis fubaequalibus, ■; 
acutis. ■ i ; 
STAMINA: Filamenta tria capillaria, glumis paulo ;; 
longiora, fig. 6 : Anther.® flavae aut purpu- 
rafcentes, demum utrinque furcatae, fig. 6. • j 
PISTILLUM: Germen minimum, ovatum : Styli | 
duo ad bafin fere plumofi, fig. 7. | 
% 
•NECTARIUM : GlumuL’Je duae tenera; ad bafin ger- | 
minis., fig. 8. $ 
% 
SEMEN oblongo acuminatum, angulofum, bafi lanu- | 
gine- inifrudtum, fig. 10. ¥ 
ROOT fibrous and capillary. 
STALK upright, from one to two feet high, creeping 
at bottom, whence this grafs becomes peren- 
nial, flriated, rough, and often purple. 
LEAVES : the Sheath flattifh, flriated, rough i fh ; 
the Membrane at the bale of the leaf Png, 
and pointed, fig. 1 : the leaves themfelves long, 
fomewhat rough, Alining underneath, and ten- 
der. 
PANICLE upright and fpreading. 
SPICULjE fmall, containing two or three flowers, 
(fig. 2. 2. of their natural fize, fig. 3. 3. mag- 
nified) and fometimes even four flowers, of an 
oval pointed fhape, and flattifh. 
GLUMES of the Calyx compofed of two valves, which 
are unequal, pointed, and have the keel, or 
rib on the back, rough, fig. 4. If the glumes 
of the corolla are drawn out of the glumes of 
the calyx, a wooly fubflance (fig. 9,) is ob- 
fervable, and which, as far as I have hitherto 
noticed, is peculiar to this Grafs and the 
Poa pratenjis. 
GLUMES of the corolla of two valves, the valves nearly 
equal and pointed, fig. 3. 
STAMINA : three capillary Filaments a little longer 
than the glumes, fig. 6: Ant her je yellow 
or purplifh, ' finally becoming forked at each 
end, fig. 6. 
PISTILLUM : Germen very fmall and oval : Styles 
two, feathered almoft to the bottom, fig. 7. 
NECTARY : two little tender Glumes at the bottom 
of the germen, fig. 8. 
SEED oblong and pointed, angular, and furnifhed with 
a woolly fubflance at bottom, fig. 10. 
THE means of difhnguifhing this Grafs from the Poa pratenjis, (for which it is the moft liable to be miftaken) 
with many other particulars relative to it, we have already given under the latter : confidered in an agricultural 
light, it is certainly one of our heft grafles, both for hay and pafturage ; indeed a good meadow can fcarcely be 
formed without it. Its chief qualities are, that it produces a large quantity of fweet tender leaves, whicli are 
preferred by cattle to nroft others, and which are convertible into exceeding fine hay. It is an early grafs, 
flowering about the beginning of June. It does not bear the frofts of the Winter fo well, nor does it ihoot 
10 early in the Spring as the Poa pratenjis', but when the weather comes to be fo warm as to make the grafles 
in general fhoot, this grows fafter, and produces a greater crop of bottom leaves, (the moft definable parts of grafles, - ) 
than moft others. v r 6 
It grows beft in meadows that are tolerably moift : in dry paftures it is often found, but much fmaller 
Hints relative to the Culture of the GraJJes. 
When the advantages refulting to the community from the introdu«ftIon of Wheat, Barley, Rye , Clover, Fares, 
t. oin, lrejoil, &c. many of which are natives of our own country, daily occur to us: when neither pains 
nor expence are fpared to improve our arable lands, it feems ftrange that fo little care fhould be taken of the 
improvement of our meadows and. paftures, which might doubtlefs be made to produce double or treble the crops 
they already do, by the judicious introdudlion of proper grafles. 
If 
