M E L 1 C A. 
6. Mellca nutans, or mountain melic-grafs: petals 
beardlefs ; panicle nodding, Ample. Root perennial, 
fomewhat creeping. Culms a foot or a foot and a half 
high, fimple, upright, rugged, ftriated, fomewhat angular, 
below purplilh. Leaves at the bafe of the culm (hort fcale- 
like, brownifti, as they afcend becoming longer and nar¬ 
rower, a line and a half broad, and (lightly rugged. Na¬ 
tive of many parts of Europe, particularly the northern 
countries, in rocky and fhady fituations ; with us in York- 
fliire, Weftmoreland, and Cumberland ; alfo in Scotland. 
It flowers in July and Auguft. This.plant, as Mr. Curtis 
obferves, accords fo ill with Gramen montanum fpicatum 
of Clufius, which is referred to it by Schreber, Haller, and 
Scheuchzer, that he probably intended fome other fpecies. 
7. Melica uniflora, or fingle-flowered wood melic-grafs : 
panicle thin ; calyxes two-flowered; one floret herma¬ 
phrodite, the other neuter. Root perennial. Culm Am¬ 
ple, a foot and a half ormore in height, where itis covered 
with the (heaths of the leaves, fomewhat angular, rugged 
and ftriated, at bottom of a dull purple colour. Stem- 
leaves about five, yellowi(h green, flat, a line and a half or 
almoft two lines broad, terminating gradually in a point, 
feeling rough when drawn backwards between the fingers, 
on the upper fide fomewhat hairy, the edges when magni¬ 
fied appearing finely ferrate; ligule fcarcely any ; but, 
what is very remarkable, a fmall ovate leaf with a long 
point, upright and coloured, rifes from the fore-part of 
the mouth of the (heath. Flowers in a loofe panicle ; the 
lowermoft flower-ftalks growing two together, the one 
fhorter than the other, bearing three flowers, and even 
fevert or eight when cultivated in a garden ; the uppermoft 
growing fingly. Spikelets pedicelled, at fir ft of a dark 
purple colour, beardlefs, each containing two flowers. Ca- 
Jycine valves coloured and Alining ; the outer ovate, con¬ 
cave, five-ribbed, ending in a (hort point; the inner lefs, 
ovate-lanceolate, three-ribbed. Hermaphrodite flower 
feflile, the outer-valve large, bellying, with its edges em¬ 
bracing the inner, which is flattifli, with membranaceous 
edges turned back, efpecially near the bafe ; fterile flower 
pedicelled. Germ fmooth, finning, yellowilh; ftyles fe- 
parate at bottom and fpreading out; ftigmas villofe. 
Neftary a very minute entire fcale, at the bafe of the germ. 
Seed ovate, rather large and blackilh. The delicacy and 
ftriking colour of the panicle, joined to its place of growth, 
in woods, readily diftinguifti this from all our other grades. 
Native of Sweden, Germany, Swifferland, France, and 
England; in moft of the woods near London ; Mungewell, 
Ardley, and Stokenchurch, woods in Oxford(hire, &c. 
8. Melica ramofa, or branching melic-grafs : corollas 
fmooth, awpjefs ; panicle contradted; culm branched. 
9. Melica Capenfis, or Cape melic-grafs : corollas fmooth, 
awnlefs 5 panicle fpreading very much; leaves fubfiliform. 
Natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 
10. Melica minuta, or fmall melic-grafs : culm branched 5 
leaves briftle-fliaped ; petals beardlefs. Culms filiform, 
very narrow, half a foot high, very much branched, co¬ 
vered wish the (heaths of the leaves. Leaves very narrow, 
rolled inwards, fpreading a little at the bafe. Found in 
Italy, by Scopoli. 
11. Melica ccemlea, purple melic-grafs, or rope-grafs : 
panicle contradted ; flowers cylindrical. Root perennial, 
thick, whitifti or brownilh, flexuofe and villofe. Culm 
from a foot to two feet in height, fomewhat bulbous at the 
bafe, upright, having only one knot, and that near the 
bafe 5 above naked and fmooth. Leaves for the moft part 
three or four, about a hand’s breadth in length, bluifh- 
green, rather broad, acuminate, ftifihh, the lower ones flat, 
the upper ones fomewhat rolled up, hairy at the edges. 
Ligule none. Sheath (hort, ftriated. Flowers in a branched 
panicle, a hand’s breadth or more in length ; the branches 
clofing together fo as to form a kind of fpike. Spikelets 
containing two, three, or four, flowers, but moft com¬ 
monly three, with the rudiment of a flower in moft of 
them ; the young ones flattened, the full-grown ones 
rcundilh, obtufe, (lightly diverging. 
55 
Linnssus at different periods placed this grafs in different 
enera : in his Flora Lapponica it appears as a Poa ; in 
is Species Plantarum and Flora Suecica as an Aira; in 
his Syftema Vegetabilium as a Melica. If the (pikelets 
be examined when the plant is young, they are very like 
thole of Poa, being pointed, flattened, and containing 
ufually from three to five flowers ; as they advance, their 
form alters, they become rounder, and more like the flow¬ 
ers of Aira aquatica ; fo that, if the rudiment were want¬ 
ing, it might be difficult to determine in which genus it 
(liould be placed; but, that being prefent, we are under no 
difficulty in clafling it with Melica. It is eafily known by 
its having only one knot, and that near the bafe 5 and by 
the ftamens and ftigmas being of a deep purple colour. 
Merret’s name of GramenJ'picit luvendulce is very expreflive 
of its appearance when in flower. It is common on wet 
moors and heaths, flowering from July to the end of Sep¬ 
tember. Being harfli and late, it does not feem adapted 
to agricultural purpofes. It varies greatly in fize. The 
fiftiermen in the Hie of Skye make ropes for their nets of 
this grafs, which they find by experience will bear the 
water well without rotting. 
12. Melica papilionacea, or pea-flowered melic-grafs : 
lower valve of the calyx very large, coloured ; outer petal 
fubciliate. This has the ftature of the next fpecies. Pa¬ 
nicle rod-like, with (lender peduncles longer than the 
flower, branched efpecially below. Flowers two, alter¬ 
nate, befides the rudiment. Native of Brafil, Arduini. 
Jamaica, Sloane. 
13. Melica altiflima, or tall melic-grafs: petals beard¬ 
lefs ; panicle contrafted, directed one way. Leaves two 
lines and a half wide. Panicle often half a foot long, 
thick and branched, the branchlets prefled clofe to the 
culm. Spikelets three or four flowered. Florets alter¬ 
nate, not very remote, fmaller the higher they are ; the 
outer glume embraces the other and the next floret above3 
the extreme floret is pitcher-fhaped, one-valved, perma¬ 
nent, containing the rudiment of a germ with a (hort 
llyle ; it is therefore a female or neuter floret. Native of 
Siberia. 
#. M. glabra, or fmooth American melic-grafs: panicle 
widely fpreading, with branches in pairs ; flowers eredt 3 
calyx-glumes elliptical, nearly equal, rather (liorter than 
the florets ; petal fmooth, beardlefs ; leaves linear. Na¬ 
tive of North America, from Virginia to Florida. Michaux. 
This variety, or fpecies, differs in its narrower leaves, 
fpreading panicle, and fmooth flowers. The Item is two 
or three feet high. Willdenow, who cites this as a va¬ 
riety, (till expreffes his opinion of its being undoubtedly 
a different fpecies. 
14. Melica falx, or lickle-ftiaped melic-grafs: fpike di¬ 
rected one way, comprefl'ed, imbricate. Leaves on the 
culm two, alternate. Culm a foot and a half in height, 
even, with two joints. Spike a finger’s length, imbricate, 
with lateral, lanceolate, acuminate, three-nerved leaflets, 
a little longer than the flowers, one to each. Flowers 
pubefcent, with a white edge. Native of the Cape of Good 
Hope, where it was found by Sparrmann. Thunberg, 
who alfo found it at the Cape, has with reafon removed 
this fpecies into the genus Cynofurus; but, not havingbeen 
noticed in this work under that genus, it is inferted here. 
15. Melica faxatilis, or rock melic-grafs : Item fimple ; 
petals beardlefs ; panicle clofe, directed one way; flowers 
drooping; ftipule elongated. Frequent on riling ground 
in the iflands of the Archipelago. It has the habit of 
M. minuta, but is much larger in every part, and the pa¬ 
nicle of a much greater number of flowers, with (harper 
glumes. The panicle agrees with that of M. nutans ; but 
the foliage is narrower, and the ftipule more elongated. 
16. Melica major,or greater melic-grafs: petals beardlefs; 
panicle fpreading, with branches in pairs ; flowers droop¬ 
ing ; ftem Ample ; leaves involute and pungent. Native 
of Greece, France, and Siberia, in mountainous places. 
There is fome reafon to fufpeft this fpecies to be what 
pr. Sibthorp took for M. nutans, and put down as fuch 
