F E S T U C A. .139 
moift meadows and woods, but moft frequently in wet 
filiations,'as by river (idds and in ofier grounds; flower¬ 
ing in June and July, and is perennial. 
9. Feftuca myurus, or wall fefcue-grafs : panicle 
fpilced ; calyxes extremely minute, awnlefs; flowers fca- 
brous; awns long. Culms aggregate, cylindric, afoot 
or eighteen inches in height. Found on walls and in 
barren places; flowering in June. It is annual, and is 
called capon's~tail grafs. Firft obferved by Mr. Goodyer 
on the walls of Winchefter. 
■ 10. Feftuca fpadicea, or bronze-flowered fefcue-grafs: 
panicle ere£t; fpikelets ovate, four-flowered ; glumes 
acuminate, awnlefs; leaves briftle-fhaped, fmooth, pun¬ 
gent. Root perennial ; culms three feet high, erect, 
ftrift, round, ftriated, very fmooth, with one or two pur¬ 
ple joints. Linnaeus feems to have referred this grafs to 
the genus anthoxanthum, merely from the habit and the 
colour of its flowers; but they are clearly triandrous. 
Dr. Smith, whofe fagacity and attention in developing 
this fpecies are eminently confpicuous, informs us that 
lie has learnt from Savoy, that this grafs is likely to be¬ 
come of confiderable ufe, and that large quantities of it 
are now in cultivation- Native of the fouth of France, 
Swiflerland, &c. Found on Mont Cenis by Dr. Smith 
in 1787, and cultivated from the feeds which he brought 
over, by Mr. Fairbairn, in the botanic garden at Chelf'ea, 
in 1788. 
11. Feftuca phoenicoides : raceme undivided; fpike¬ 
lets alternate, almoft feflile, cylindric; leaves involute, 
mucronate, and pungent. Root creeping; culms two 
feet high and upwards, ftraight, branched at the bale. 
Perennial. Native of the fandy fhores of Provence. 
12. Feftuca fufca: panicle ereCf, branched; fpikelets 
feflile, keeled, awnlefs. Native of Paleftine. 
13. Feftuca decumbens, or decumbent fefcue-grafs: 
panicle upright; fpikelets fubovate, awnlefs; calyx larger 
than the flofcules; culm decumbent. This is allied to 
the genus melica. Grows on barren paftures, both dry 
and wet; frequent on moorifh ground; flowers in July 
and Auguft. 
14. Feftuca pauciflora : panicle effufe ; fpikelets with 
about four flowers, awned, and fcabrous; leaves villofe. 
Native of Japan. 
15. Feftuca fluitans, or flote fefcue-grafs : panicle 
branched, ereft ; fpikelets fubfeffile, cylindric, awnlefs. 
Root perennial, ftriking deep into mud; culm from one 
to three feet in length, (or even much ionger in water,) 
creeping at the bottom, and fending forth young (hoots, 
afterwards nearly upright; covered with the (heaths of 
the leaves as far as the panicle. When it has nearly 
done flowering, the branches of the panicle generally 
project from the main (talk in an acute angle. In every 
fttuation the fpikelets are always prefled dole to the (talk 
or branches of the panicle; this circumftance, joined to 
the length and roundnefs of the fpikelets, fufiiciently 
characterizes this fpecies; which being common in ditches, 
watery places, and flow ftreams; flowering all the fum- 
mer; and having the parts’of fructification beautiful and 
large enough to be diftinCtly difcerned by the naked eye, 
without the trouble of difleCtion, is peculiarly proper for 
the inveftigation of the ftudent. 
It appears that hcrfes, kine, and hogs, are fond of 
this grafs. Mr. Stillingfleet informs us, that having 
been told of a field of four acres, always under water, 
maintaining five farm horfes in good heart, from April 
to the end of harveft, without any other food ; he ob¬ 
tained fome of the grafs, and found it to be the flote- 
fefcue, with a mixture of mar(h-bent. Cows in fpring 
are frequently enticed into bogs, by endeavouring to get 
at the fweet young (hoots of this grafs, which appear 
earlier than thofe of moft other grades. Profeffor Kalm, 
obferving that fwine go a great way into the water after 
the flote-fefcue, and that they eat the leaves with great 
eagernefs; had fmall bundles of it gathered and dried 
for hay, which they devoured with great eagernefs; 
hence he concludes that wet and fwampy places might 
be rendered ufeful by cultivating this grafs. It has been 
recommended to be (owed on meadows that admit flood¬ 
ing: but Mr. Curtis juftly remarks, that the flote-fefcue 
will not flourilh, except on land that is conftantly under 
water, or converted into a bog or fwamp. The feeds 
are fmall, but very fweet and nourifhing. They are col¬ 
lected in feveral parts of Germany and Poland, under the 
name of manna-feeds, (Jchiuaden,) and are efteemed a de¬ 
licacy in foups and gruels. When ground to meal, they 
make bread very little inferior to that from wheat. The 
bran is given to horfes that have the worms ; but they 
muft be kept from water for. fome hours afterwards. 
Geefe, and other water-fowl, are very fond of the feeds. 
So alfo are fiflt : trout in particular thrive in thofe rivers 
where this grafs grows in plenty. 
Schreber informs us, that the feeds are collected nor 
only from this grafs, but alfo from panicumjanguinale, or 
cock’s-foot panic grafs, which is cultivated in feveral 
parts of Germany for this purpofe. The common me¬ 
thod of gathering and preparing them is as follows : At 
fun-rife they are gathered or beaten from the dewy grafs 
into a horfe-hair fieve, fpread on a (fleet, and are dried 
for a fortnight in the fun ; they are then beaten gently 
with a wooden peftle in a wooden trough or mortar, with 
draw laid between them and the peftle, till the chaff 
comes off, and then they are winnowed. After this, they 
are again put into the mortar or trough, in rows,' with 
dried marygold-flowers, apple, and hazel leaves, and 
pounded till they appear bright; they are then w innowed 
again, and being made perfectly clean by this laft pro- 
cefs are fit for ufe. The marygolds are added to give 
the feeds a finer colour. The moft proper time for col¬ 
lecting this feed is in July. A bufhel of feed, with the 
chaff, yields only about two quarts of clean feed. 
16. Feftuca pratenfis, or meadow fefcue-grafs : panicle 
directed one way oblique ; fpikelets without awns, almoft 
linear ; leaves flat. Meadow fefcue-grafs differs from 
elatior , No. 8. with which it has frequently been con¬ 
founded, in having only half the height or little more, 
the leaves only half the breadth, the panicle fliorter and 
containing about half the number of flowers ; the panicle 
is but once branched, droops but (lightly, leans to one 
fide when in flower, and the flowers all grow one way ; 
in the elatior the panicle branches twice, it droops greatly 
at firft, and the flowers grow much more loofely; the 
fpikelets are more round, ovate, and pointed; whereas 
in pratenfis they are fomewhat 'flat, linear, and obtufe. 
This alfo is more common and lefs local than the elatior, 
is found more difperfed in open meadows, and docs not 
form fuch large tufts. They differ a fortnight or three 
weeks in their time of flowering. 
Mr. Hudfon who, in the firft edition of his Flora An- 
glica, gave this as a diftinCt fpecies, affirmed afterwards 
that the flote-fefcue fown in a garden, and becoming F. 
loliacea, or darnel-fefcue, the firft year, will, in the fe- 
cond, become this grafs ; than which nothing can be 
much more improbable. Mr. Curtis, who has cultivated 
it, recommends it among the fix grades, which he prefers 
before all others, and particularly for land either moift 
or moderately dry. This, he fays, comes neareft in its 
appearance to ray-grafs, (lolium perenne,J to which, how¬ 
ever, it feems in many refpeCts greatly (uperior, or at 
leaft for the purpofe of forming or improving meadows ; 
it is larger, and more productive of foliage ; is ftriCtly 
perennial, very hardy ; is found in all fituations, from 
the land-pits at Charlton to the ofier-grounds at Batter- 
fea, and abounds in the very beft meadows about London : 
in fliort, there is no grafs more likely to fupply the.defi¬ 
ciencies complained of in ray-grafs. One quality it has, 
which bids fair to introduce it quickly into general ufe ; 
it produces more feeds than any of the others, which are 
eafily gathered, and readily grow. 
17. Feftuca crilfata: panicle fpikcd, lobed; fpikelets 
ovate, broad, fix-flowered, hirfute. Culms many, fierce¬ 
ly 
