Reflexed Meadow-Grass 
Poa Retroflexa. 
POA Lin. Gen. PL Triandria Digynia. 
Cal. 2-valvis, multiflorus. Spicula ovata: valvulis margine fcariofls acutiufculis. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 27. Herbae graminif olia: flore imperfecto culmifeR/e. 
POA retroflexa panicula diffufa. ramis poli florefeentiam retroflexis, Apiculis fublicearibus fubquin- 
quefloris. 
POA diftans panicula ramis fubdivilis, floribus quinquefloris : flofculij diftantibts obtufis. Lin. 
Syjl. Vegetab. p. 115. ? 
AIR A aquatica var B. Hudfon FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 34. 
1 ROOT perennial, and fibrous. 
STALKS feveral, a fpan, a foot oi a foot and a half 
in length, oblique, leafy, flightly elbowed 
' below, round and fmooth 
’ LEAVES glaucous, fmooth, poined, radical leaves 
> fomewhat rolled up, ftalk-baves flat, betwixt 
\ upright and fpreading ; Membrane fhort, 
l obtufe, fomewhat truncattd, now and then 
■ bifid ; Sheath fmooth. 
} FLOWERS growing in a panicle, : hand’s breadth or 
\ half a foot in length, fpretding, the branches 
1 unequal, ramified, fomewlat crooked, finally 
> much fwelled at the bafe, and ftretched out 
^ backwards, the lowermdl about five in 
> number. 
't 
l SPICULyE fomewhat linear, containing five flowers, 
> more or lefs, fometimes entirely green, but 
* more often prettily varegated with white 
} and purple, Jig. 1, 2, 3. 
i CALYX : a Glume of two valve;, the valves ovate, 
> obtufe, hollow, unequal one of them not 
{ more than half the lengtl of the other. Jig. 4. 
magnified. 
i COROLLA : compofed of twe valves, . the valves 
nearly equal, the outer >ne largeft, concave, 
I a little blunt. Jig. 5, tk inner one ufually 
\ bifid, and, if magnified edged on each fide 
with hairs, Jig. 6 . 
STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria; Anthers $ STAMINA: three capillary Filaments ; Anther.*: 
RADIX perennis, fibro fa. 
CULMI plures, fpithamsei, pedales, aut fefquipedales, 
obliqui, foliofi, inferne fubinfrafti, teretes, 
laeves. 
FOLIA glauca, laevia, acuta, radicalia fubconvoluta, 
caulina plana, ere&o-patentia ; Ligula brevis, 
obtufa, fubtruncata, fubinde bifida ; Vagina 
laevis. 
FLORES paniculati, panicula palmaris aut fefquipe- 
dalis, diffufa, ramis inaequalibus, ramofis, 
fubflexuofis, tandem ad bafin pertumidis et 
retro porre&is, inferioribus fubquinis. 
SPICULyE fublineares, fubquinqueflorae,nonnunquam 
penitus virides, at faepius albo et purpureo 
pulchre variegatas, Jig. 1, 2, 3. 
CALYX: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis ovatis, obtufis, 
concavis, inaequalibus, altero duplo breviore, 
fg. 4. auft. 
COROLLA: bivalvis, valvulis fubaequalibus, exte- 
riore majore, concava, obtufiufcula, jig. 5, 
interiore plerumque bifida, ad lentem utrin- 
que ciliata, jig. 6 . 
parvas, luteae, jig. 7. 
fmall and yellow, jig. 7 
PISTILLUM: Germen obovatum, jig. 8 ; Styli f PISTILLUM: Germen inverfely ovate, jig. 8: 
nilfl. TlfltPntPS P n nafln ! 1 ICI 1 1 K ranlrtH fin. n I Qmvi T' I. J — ... . .. 
duo, patentes, ad bafin ufque ramofi, jig. g. 
Styles two, fpreadinj, branched down to 
the bottom, jig. g. 
NECT ARIUM : Glumulat duae, 
bafin germinis, jig. xo. 
ovato-acutae, ad $ NECTARY : compofed of tw< fmall Glumes , ovate 
I and pointed, at the baf of the germen, jig. xo. 
Fig. 11 exhibet fpiculam fpeciminis ficcati in qua I* Fig. 11 exhibits the fpicula of a dried fpecimen, in 
ilolculi remotiores et fubtruncati. | which theflowers are'urther apart, and ap- 
$ pear fomewhat truncaed at top. 
It is rather matter of admiration, that this Grafs fhould have efcaped the notice o Mr. Ray, fince it is 
common in paltures and by road fides on all our fea-coafts, at leaft where we have travded ; like the Plantago 
maritima and lome other plants, it is not confined to maritime fituations ; for, to nr great aftonilhment, I 
found it July 1786, among the grafl'y herbage on the right-hand fide of the horfe-oad leading up the hill 
to Hampitead in tolerable plenty. 0 r 
Though, at firft fight it bears a near refemblance to the Poa annua , and for wh:h I have no doubt but 
11 .“ °.f en mi ‘taken, a difcernmg eye will readily perceive a difference at a diftance, nd a clofe examination 
will difeover abundant matter to confirm it. 
As it ufually grows, it is confiderably taller than the Poa annua, its leaves are narnwer in proportion, and 
much more glaucous, its fpicula: alfo are much narrower as well as longer, and, c courfe, contain many 
more florets ; thefe are for the molt part prettily variegated with pale green and purple; but the grand 
character which diftmguifhes it from the Poa annua, and, as far as we have obfervedVom all the other Poas, 
is to be drawn from the branches of the panicle ; thefe, as the plant goes out ofbloom, are refleaed or 
Itretched out backwards, fo as fometimes to touch the culmus or main ftem. On «camming into the caufe 
of this I found it was effedled by little tubercles at the bafe of the branches on theirupper fides only, which 
mcreafing in fize as the plant advanced in its flowering, forced them backwards. 
The peculiarity of this changer induced us to adopt a name expreflive of it, notwhftanding we had ftrong 
oTthe S plant PPOfe ^ P ^ ^ Po * of Lin n^us, a term exprefling very diftatly indeed any charade? 
Mr. Hudson gives a particular description of this Grafs, but confiders it as a ariety only of the Aira 
aquatica, what could induce him to form fuch an opinion, is difficult to fay, we caraffure our readers that 
lix years culture has made no alteration in the appearance of the Poa retroflexa. 
n flowe^r lEo S% b . e Itr nt raerit in thiS GrafS *° reCOmmend * fbra S n “ Uural p-por- 
