730 
P O A 
64. Foa plumofa, or plumofe meadow-grafs: panicle 
dift'ufed ; calyxes lix-flowered ; inner valves of the co¬ 
rollas linear, recurved, ciliated at the back. Culms 
ieveral, crowded, from fix inches to a foot in height, 
filiform, leafy. Leaves from one to two inches long, 
linear, even, the opening of the (heaths terminating 
in long white hairs. Flowers numerous minute ; 
calyx acute, keeled, the outer valve appearing with 
a magnifying glafs very minutely ciliate at the back, 
five or fix flowered. The flowers and feeds, in a mag¬ 
nifier, appear pellucid. This grafs differs from P. 
ciliaris in the form of the panicle; and the flowers, as 
well as the cilias, are Analler. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
Koenig Cent it from Tranquebar. 
65. Poa flexuofa, or zig-zag meadow-grafs: panicle 
flexuofe; fpikelets three-flowered; glumes ovate, con- 
nedled by a villus at the bafe j all the ftipules lanceolate. 
Culms feveral, a fpan high, afcending, knee-jointed, 
with about three knots, leafy, fomewhat angular at top, 
ftriated, glaucefcenr. 
It is diftinft from P. alpina in its glaucous colour, 
more leafy culm, narrower (harper leaves, rugged above, 
with longer (heaths, all the ftipules of the fame fltape, 
the peduncles flexuofe, the glumes narrower and con- 
nefted, and the keel and edge not briftly and filky. 
Native of the Highlands of Scotland : Mr. Mackay found 
it on pen Nevis. It is a perennial grafs ; and flowers in J illy. 
66. Poa crefta, or fea-green meadow-grafs : panicle dif- 
fufed; lpikelets ovate, five-flowered; glumes lanceolate, 
fomewhat filky, free; ftipules very fhort, blunt. Root 
perennial. Culm a foot high, ereft, round, ltriated, 
fmoothifli, towards the bafe leafy and having two knots; 
above Ample, ftraight, naked. Leaves lanceolate, blunt- 
ifli, flat, levigated oh the back next the bafe, but in other 
parts rugged. It feems to be very different from P. 
glauca of Vahlin the Flora Danica, t. 964. that approaches 
nearer to P. nemoralis ( 3 , which fee. It is probably P. 
glauca of Withering, though he refers to Vahl. He de- 
Icribes it as ten inches high, the ftem fmoothifli, the 
leaves rough at the edges, the panicle two inches long, 
hardly one broad, few-flowered, but little branched, 
three or four florets in each fpikelet. Mr. Fairbairn 
had it from Scotland. Mr. Mackay found it in the 
mountains of Breadalbane. It flowers in June and July. 
67. Poa cinerea, or afli-coloured meadow-grafs: ftera- 
leaves eredl involuted, fpikelets three-flowered, ciliate at 
the bafe, acute. Height of P. anguitifoiia; the leaves 
much longer, but involuted, ftriated and afh-coioured 
within; panicle of a pleafant purple colour; corolla lan¬ 
ceolate, ciliate at the bafe; fpikelets comprefled. Pe¬ 
rennial. Perhaps a variety of P. anguftifolia. 
68. Poa brizaides, or briza-like meadow-grafs : panicle 
contracted; fpikelets round, four-flowered, awnlefs. 
Height about a foot. Leaves narrow, often dry at the 
time of fructification; panicles whitifh and purple mixed, 
compofed of fpikes which grow in pairs, on waved or 
flexuofe peduncles, one fhorter than the other and nearer 
to the axis; corollas purple at the bafe. The fpikelets, 
in fliape, refemble thofe of Feftuca fluitans. it is pe¬ 
rennial. 
69. Poa divaricata, or ftraddling-fpiked meadow-grafs : 
leaves plane, ftriated, fpikelets lix-flowered, acuminate, 
panicle divaricate. Height two feet. The leaves are 
not involuted, and are wider; the panicles more bran¬ 
ched and open ; the fpikelets oblong, fmooth, but a 
little rugged. It is perennial, and is found in Dauphine, 
with the two preceding, in ftony places. 
70. Poa inontana, or mountain rneadow-grafs : panicle 
ftriCt, fpikelets two-flowered, glumes villofe at the bafe. 
Culms ftraight, hard, with black knots. Leaves ftraight, 
not more than a line wide. Panicie thin, not much dif- 
fufed ; violet-colour mixed with green, and of a golden 
colour on the upper glume. All parts of this grafs 
are hard. The fpikelets are four times fmaller than 
thofe of P. alpina. Native of Swifierland and Piedmont. 
P O B 
71. Poa Sabauda, or Savoy meadow-grafs: panicie 
loofe ; lpikelets two-flowered ; flowers twice as long as 
the calyx, very fmooth. Culm three feet high, ereCf. 
Leaves fmooth, not more than three lines wide. All 
parts are green and fmooth. The fpikelets are much 
larger than in the other Poas, and this grafs has the ap¬ 
pearance of an Avena, but there are no awns. Found by 
Monf. de Sauffure in Savoy, between Chaler.che and 
Chamouny. 
The extra-european fpecies of Poa afford a wide range 
for the botanift, too extenfive for our prefent purpofe. 
They require a more general inveftigation than they have 
yet received, though abundance of particular fpecies 
have been defcribed with fufficient care. Thofe of 
American growth agree beft, as might be expedited, with 
ours. Some tropical ones have l'o different an afpedt, 
that it is to be wiflied they poffeffed fame generic dif- 
tiinftion. Many of them are Angularly elegant when mi¬ 
nutely examined. We apprehend that a great number 
Hill remain undefcribed. 
Propagation and Culture. See Grass, vcl. viii. and 
the article Husbandry, vcl. x. p. 548-51. alfo Agrostis, 
Aira, Briza, Bromus, Cynosurus, Dactylus, Fes- 
tuca, Holcus, Melica, and Triticum. 
To POACH, v. a. [ pochcr , Fr.] To boil (lightly.—The 
yolks of eggs are fo well prepared for nourifhment, that, 
fo tney b e poached or rare boiled, they need no other pre¬ 
paration. Bacon's Nat. Hijl. —To begin without com¬ 
pleting : from the practice of boiling eggs (lightly. Not 
in «/«. —Of later times, they have rather poached and of¬ 
fered at a number of enterprizes, than maintained any 
conftantly. Bacon. —To flab; to pierce.—The flowk, foie, 
and piaice, follow the tide up into the frefh rivers, where, 
at low water, the country people poche them with an in- 
ftrument fomewhat like a falmon-fpear. Carew. — [From 
poche, a pocket.] To plunder by Health: 
So (hamelefs, fo abandoned, are their ways, 
They poach Parnaffus, and lay claim for praife. Garth. 
To POACH, v. n. [from poche, a bag, Fr.] To (leal 
game; to carry off game privately in a bag.-—He hunts 
too much in the purines; would he would leave oft' 
poaching. Beaum. and FI. Philajler. 
In the fchools 
They poach for fenfe, and hunt for idle rules. Oldham. 
To be damp ; to be fwampy ; [a ftate of moifture making 
grounds the more liable to be pierced by the tread of 
cattle. Majbn.-] — Chalky and clay lands burn in hot 
weather, chap in Cummer, and poach in winter. Morti¬ 
mer. . 
PO'ACHARD, or Pocherd,/. A kind of water-fowl3 
the Anas terina. 
PO'ACHER,/! One that deals game.—You old poach¬ 
ers have fuch a way with you, that all at once the buli- 
nefs is done. More’s Foundling. 
PO'ACHINESS,y! Marftiinefs ; dampnefs.—-The val- 
lies, becaufe of the puachinejs. they keep for grafs. Mw- 
timer. 
PO'ACHING,^/.' Takinggame in an unlawful manner. 
See Game-laws, vol. viii. 
PO'ACHY, adj. Damp; marfliy. Mr. Pegge, in the 
late Supplement to Grofe’s Provincial Gloffary, obferves, 
that “ ground made wet by much rain is (aid to be poc/uj, 
fwampy.’'—Wh3t uplands you defire for mowing, (hut up 
the beginning of February ; but marfh-lands lay not up 
till April, except your marches be very pochp. Mor¬ 
timer. 
POBASSOO'’S ISLAND, a fmall and moderately-high 
iftand on the north coaft of New Holland, forming, with 
Cotton’s ifland, a fecure (belter for (hipping, which cap¬ 
tain Flinder’s called Malay-road. Lat. 11.535. S. Ion. of 
this road 136. 27. E. 
POBE'DA, (La,) a town of Spain, in Old Caftile : thir¬ 
teen miles north of Soria. 
POBET'TEN, 
