Holcus mollis. Creeping Soft-Grass. 
HOLCUS Lin. Gen. PI. Polygamia Monoeci a. 
Hermaphrod. Cal. Gluma i-f. 2-flora. Cor. Gluma ariftata. Siam. 3. 
Styli 2. Sent. 1. 
Masc. Cal. Gluma z-valvis. Cor. o. Stam. 3. 
HOLCUS mollis radice repente, geniculis villofis, arifta extra fpiculam produftd. 
HOLCUS mollis glumis bifloris nudiufculis : flofculo hermaphrodito mutico; mafculo arifta geniculata. 
Lin. Syfi. Veget, p. 760. Sp. PI. p. 1485. 
GRAMEN caninum longius radicatum majus et minus. Bauh. Pin. 1. 
GRAMEN paniculatum molle, radice graminis canini repente. Morif. Hijl. 3. p. 202. 
GRAMEN caninum paniculatum molle. Raii Hijl. 1285. Scheuchz. Agrofi.p. 235. Vaill. Parif.p. 87. 
GRAMEN miliaceum ariftatatum molle. Raii Syn. p. 404. Hudfon. FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 440. Lightfoot 
FI. Scot. p. 631. Schreb. Agrojl. t. 20. 
RADIX perennis, tritici canini inftar repens. ¥ 
CULMI fefquipedales et ultra, ftepius erefti, foliofi, | 
nodofi, geniculis albis, lanatis, culmi etiam ¥ 
fteriles occurrunt ad terram magis reclinati, | 
foliis.crebrioribus, alternis, lanceolatis, veftiti. ¥ 
FOLIA ad tres vel quatuor lineas lata, molli villo pu 
befcentia, membranft ad bafin folii alba, obtufa, 
vagina ftriata, fubcarinata, villofa. 
PANICULA biuncialis, erefta, inftante antheft diffufa, 
demum coarftata. 
RAMULI panicula: purpurafcentes, pilofi. 
SPICUL-rE biflora: etiam triflorre, fig. 3, 4. albidae feu 
parum purpurafcentes, flofculis omnibus her- 
maphroditis. 
CALYX : gluma bivalvis, utrinque ciliata, ceteroquin 
nuda, valvula altera majore et paulo longiore ; 
trinerve, nervis obfcure viridibus, fig. 1, 2. 
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COROLLA : bivalvis, valvulis longitudine fubasquali- f 
bus, baft pilofis, viridibus, exteriore majore, | 
glabra, gibbofa, 'interiore plana ad lentem fub- 4 
nervofa, hifpidula, e dorfo majoris valvulae ¥ 
fuperioris flofouli exfurgit arifta fpicula longior | 
primo reda, demum tortilis, geniculata, fig. ¥ 
3> 4- | 
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STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria. Antherje| 
oblongae, flavae, utrinque bifurcae, fig. 5. 4 
PISTILLUM : Germen fubrotundum, nitidum, mini - 1 
mum.. Styli duo, plumofi, fig. 6. 4 
NECTARIUM : glumulae duae, lanceolatae, ad bafin ger-¥ 
minis, Jig. 7. 4 
SEMINA duo, nitida, ovato-acuta, altera ariftata, altera ¥ 
mutica, glumis calycinis inclufa, fig. 8. | 
¥ 
ROOT perennial, creeping like the garden couch-grafs, 
STALKS a foot and a half or more in height, moft 
commonly upright, leafy, jointed, the joints 
white and woolly, ftems alfo ariie producing 
no fpikes, inclined more to the ground, and 
covered with more numerous, alternate, lan- 
ceolate leaves. 
LEAVES three or four lines in breadth, covered with 
foft ftiort hairs, the membrane at the bafe of 
the leaf white and obtufe, the (heath ftriated, 
fomewhat keeled and villous. 
PANICLE two inches in length, upright, during the 
flowering fpread out, afterwards doled up. 
BRANCHES of the panicle purplifti and hairy. 
SPICULtE containing two, fometimes three flowers, 
fig. 3, 4. whitilh, or (lightly tinged with pur- 
ple, all the florets hermaphrodite. 
CALYX : a glume of two valves, edged on both fides 
with hairs, otherwife naked, one of the valves 
larger and a little longer than the other, hav- 
ing three ribs, of an obfcure green colour, 
fig- I, 2- 
COROLLA of two valves, the valves nearly equal in 
length, hairy at bottom, of a green colour, 
the outermoft largeft, fmooth, and gibbous, 
the innermoft fiat, fomewhat ribbed when 
magnified, and a little hifpid, from the back 
of the largeft valve of the uppermoft flower 
arifes an awn, longer than the lpicula, at firit 
ftraight, laftly twilled and bent, fig. 3, 4. 
STAMINA: three capillary Filaments. Anthers 
oblong, yellow, forked at each end, fig. 5. 
PISTILLUM : Germen roundilh, (hilling, very fmall. 
Styles two, feathery, fig. 6. 
NECTARY : two, fmall, lanceolate glumes at the bafe 
of the germen, fig.. 7. 
SEEDS two, fhiuing, ovate, pointed, the one bearded, 
the other naked, inclofed within the glumes 
of the calyx, fig. 8. 
Notwithftanding this grafs has been well named and defcribed by fome of the older Botanifts, particularly 
Morison and Ray, its charafters do not appear to be generally well underftood. Baron Haller confiders it as 
too nearly related to the lanatus , to be with propriety confidered as a diftinft fpecies ; and Mr. Lightfoot, in his 
Flora Scotica , entertains limilar doubts. 
We have cultivated the two in leparate beds, clofe to each other, for feveral years ; have noticed them with a 
marked attention, where they halve grown wild; and, from a variety of charafters, are led to confider them as 
perfectly diftinft. 
The moft ftriking of thefe charafters we (hall here enumerate. I11 the firft place they differ widely in their 
natural places of growth : while the lanatus is moft commonly found in meadows and paftures, the mollis rarely 
occurs but in woods and its environs. We have, indeed, frequently found the lanatus , which is by far the moft 
general grafs of the two, in a wood ; but we never recollect feeing the mollis in meadows or paftures, and but rarely 
in corn-fields, where.it has been (aid chiefly to grow. Cocmb JVood in particular affords a ftrong inftance of 
its attachment to (hady fituations. Contrary to what fome authors affert, we have ever found the mollis the lead 
plant ; or, if it has been obferved equally tall as the other, it has produced by far the moft fcanty panicle ; nor do 
the fpicula:, in general, afl'ume that brilliant colour which fo eminently diftinguifhes thofe of the lanatus on their 
firft coming out. But the charafter which puts its being a fpecies out of all doubt, is its root ; that of the lanatus 
does not creep, while the mollis pofleffes that property in a degree equal to the ftrongeft couch-grafs. The other 
charafters which ftrikingly diftinguilh this fpecies are its woolly joints and its large pointed fpicula:, in which the 
beard, or awn, is invariably much longer than the glumes of the calyx. 
In fpeaking of the lanatus we took notice of the impropriety of feparating that grafs from the general mafs, 
becaufe one of the flowers in each fpicula: was imperfeft*. The fruftification of the prelent fpecies argues more 
ftrongly for its union with the others; here both flowers are hermaphrodite, both have ftamina and feathery ftyles, 
and both produce apparently perfedt feeds. Indeed we can perceive no charafter to diftinguilh it from an air a, to 
which genus it perhaps with propriety belongs. _ ... 
Schreber’s figure gives a good reprefcntation of the panicle when clofed, but neither reprefents the joints or 
root well. , , r . . . 
As we confider the Holcus lanatus , which is much to be preferred to the prelent lpecies, as a very inditferent 
grafs for cattle, fo we cannot but look on the mollis as one of the worft fpecies of couch ; and, if it ftiould ever 
become a praftice to low certain woods with grafs feeds, this fpecies ought lurely to be eradicated. 
It flowers in July. 
* Scopoli, from a circum fiance of this fort, has in our opinion abfardly enough placed the Avena cLtfir with the HeLm. 
