430 B R O 
Salwarp, which falls into the Severn at Hawford, near 
Worcefter ; and another which falls into the Trent. The 
Lickey is generally efteemed the higheft land in the king¬ 
dom. It contain* about zoco acres, and the fheep thereon 
are remarkable for fine wool. Af*Barnet-green in this pa- 
rifli is a fine chalybeate ; and, near Hollwood is a molt fur- 
prifing petrifying water. 
Near this town is Grafton-moor, the ancient feat.of the 
earl of Shrewfbury, one mile and a half fouth-wefi. Hew- 
ell-grange, the feat of the earl of Plymouth, four miles 
fouth-eafi. Doaford Priory, and Stoke Priory, are alfo in 
the vicinity. 
BRO'MUS,/ - . Gr. r/oz, Lat. food. ] Brome- 
grass. In botany, a genus of the cilafs triandria, order 
digynia, natural Order of grammas or grades. The gene¬ 
ric charaflers are—Calyx : glume many-dowered, bivalve, 
Spreading, collecting the flofcules into a fpikc ; valve ovate- 
oblong, acuminate, awnlefs, the lowed (mailed. Corolla : 
bivalve ; lower valve larger, the fize and form of the ca¬ 
lyx, concave, obtufe, bifid, putting out a drait awn be¬ 
low the top ; upper valve lanceolate, (mall, awnlefs. 
Nectary two-leaved ; leaflets ovate, acute, gibbous at the 
bafe. Stamina: filaments three, capillary, fhorter than 
the corolla ; antheras oblong. Piftillum : germ turbinate. 
Styles two, fbort, reflex, villofe ; digmas fimple. Pefi- 
carpium : corolla very draitly clofed, adhering, not gap¬ 
ing. Seed : one, oblong, covered, convex on one fide, 
furrowed on the other. — EJJ'ehtial CharaEla . Calyx, two- 
valved', fpikelet oblong, columnar, diltich ; awn below 
the tot'. 
Defcripticn. The fpecies of this genus of graffes are 
numerous and not well diftinguifhed. Some authors have 
made feveral fpecies out of one, w’hild others have united 
under one feveral which are reputed different. They have 
a loofe panicle, like the oat ; whence old writers called 
them oat-grajfes ; the awn or beard proceeds from the 
back of the glume or chaff, or is an elongation of the keel 
or midrib, as-in the genus avena ; but in that the awn is 
commonly twifted, whereas in this it is draight; modern 
.writers therefore diftinguifh them by the name of brome- 
grajfes. The feduca is fcarcely different from the bromus 
as a natural genus ; in that however the chaff is either 
very much pointed, or terminates in an awn ; whereas 
that of bronnts always comes out below the tip. The 
genus triticum or wheat agrees with it in this refpeft; 
and therefore Scopoli cannot difcoverany mark of diftinc- 
tion between them : it is however didjndt enough from 
them all, in the inflorefcence or manner of flowering, in 
a fpike ; whereas bromus, feduca, and avena, bear their 
-flowers in a panicle'. Amidd this variety of opinion, in 
confulting different authors, we fha 11 meet with fpecies of 
bromus under all tiiefq genera. 
Spe(ies. i. Bronuis fecalinus, or field brome-grafs : 
panicle expanding, fpikelets ovate ; awns draight; feeds 
diffinm.. Field brome-grafs has an annual root. Culm 
from one to two feet in height; in padnres ; among Corn 
three and even four feet high, upright, diff, leafy, fmooth, 
with from four to fix fubglobiil.a'r naked knots. Leaves 
lialf»a foot in length, above two lines broad, flat and 
■ftrSng, having a few (heft-hairs, and being roughifh, efpe- 
cially round the edge. The feeds when ripe are diftinft, 
by the elongation of the rachis. There is a variety, ac¬ 
cording to Linnaeus, ariling.only from drynef's of foil; and 
cultivated in a garden becomes the fame with the other. 
The culm is from nine to thirty-fix inches long; the 
leaves pubefeent on both (ides, with foft longer hairs on 
the upper furface. Field brome-grafs is wild among corn, 
and among that only, according to foreign authors, and 
Dillenius in Ray’s Synopfis. It abounds particularly in 
rye, whence its' trivial name ; and is a dellnnRive weed 
to that crop in wet feafons. When ground among flour, 
it is faid to render the rye-bread bitter and unpleafant, 
and to have the fame narcotic qualify with annual ray- 
T.rufs or darnel. In Scania they life the panicles for dying 
-green-; and Linux us informs us it is a vulgar error there, 
B K* O 
that rye degenerates into this grafs; which is the more re¬ 
markable, becaufe they have no refemblance to each 
other. It lias been a popular notion in England, that the 
feveral fpecies of corn degenerate into grades which bear 
fome refemblance to them ; and that they are only thefe 
graffes improved by cultivation. 
2. Bromus Japonicus, or Japan brome-grafs: panicle 
fpreadmg, branching ; fpikelets oblong, fmooth ; awns 
divaricate. Root annual; (tern round, fimple, upright, 
jointed at the bafe, almoft decumbent, from feven to 
twelve inches in length ;. leaves acute, entire, flreaked, 
villofe, efpecially the (heaths, fhorter than the ftem. Na¬ 
tive of Japan. 
3. Bromus mollis, or foft brome-grafs: panicle rather 
erect; fpikelets ovate, pubefeent ;' awns draight ; leaves 
very foftly villofe. Soft brome-grafs refetnbles the firft 
fort,, but is white with downy hairs. The joints are 
thicker, cylindrical, very hairy, efpecially on the lower 
part. The leaves are extremely foft on both fides, and 
the (heaths are_ftt=eaked. The root-in corn-fields annual, 
in uncultivated places biennial. Culms from one to two 
feet in height, upright, leafy, thickened at the joints, 
which are three in number, fubeylindric, and villofe. 
Our Englifh writers obferve, that the (calk is from one to 
three fleet in height, with five or .fix joints; the panicle 
fometimes clofe, fometimes fpreading, in meadows becom¬ 
ing perfectly fmooth ; the fpikelets from four to eight 
lines long, and from one and a- half to two'and a half 
broad -; the iilner valve of the calyx three or four lines 
long, the outer narrower, and about,a line fhorter ; the 
outer valve of the corolla broad, holIqw,.ftriated, awned, 
the inner flattifb, fringed at the edge with briftly hairs-; 
t(ie awn from three to five lines long, inferteddialf a line 
below the point of the- valve ; the filaments very (mail ; 
the germ ovate, with a flight depreftion at top: the ityles 
leathered quite to the bottom, and (.ro.ceeding from one 
fide of the germ. There are certainly many varieties of 
this grafs, both in degrees of pubefcence from univerfal 
hoarinefs to almoft perfett fmoothnefs, and in fize from, 
three and even four feet in height, to that of a few inches, 
not to mention other concomitant and lefs ftriking circnm- 
fiances. Soft brome-grafs is a native of mod parts of Eu¬ 
rope, by way-fides, on banks, in uncultivated places, on 
walls, in corn-fields, particularly among barley, in mea¬ 
dows and palhtres, efpecially in a dry fandy foil ; flower¬ 
ing in May and June. With 11s it forms a principal part 
of many mowing-grounds. Mr. Curtis affirms, that it 
abounds in mod of our beft meadows; lie remarks very 
jiiftly that it fprings early, and ripens its feeds about the 
time of hay-making ; that the feed is large, each panicle 
containing nearly as much as a common oat ; hence he 
obferves, that although cattle may not be fond of the 
leaves and green panicle, yet that it may perhaps contri¬ 
bute to render the hay more nutritive. It has however a 
bad property, for the panicle is fo heavy, that it is very 
apt to be laid, by rain; it is alfo fo much earlier than 
many other graffes, that by the ordinary time of mowing 
it is in a manner withered away, and what feeds have not 
fallen are loft in the making and carting ; finally, the 
feeds are faid ,to bring on a temporary- giddinefs. in (he 
human fpecies and in quadrupeds, and even to be fatal to 
poultry; if this be in any degree true, it is an objection 
to the cultivation of this grafs, which in.other refpeCts 
does not rank among the beft kinds.' ft is recommended 
for fubdning or confolidating ((lifting fands ; but finely a 
perennial grafs with creeping roots would anfwer this'p'ur- 
pofe much better. Dr. Withering affirms, that it is known 
by .the name of oat-grafs among the farmers, and that they 
fow it with clover. It comes up abundantly among arti¬ 
ficial graffes, as they are called, particularly among faint- 
foin ; hut in this latter crop it.wears out in two or three 
years, being an annual grafs, and not fpreading by the root. 
4. Bromus fquarrolus, or open-awned .brome-grajs r 
panicle nodding, fpikelets ovate, awns divaricate. T his 
is an annual grafs, but more robuft than the foregoing 
forts. 
