P H L 
(harpifti, crenulate. Ne&aries ovate, acuminate, fur- 
rounding the germ at the bafe. Antheras firft violet, then 
alh-coloured. 
C. This grafs varies much in iize, and in the length of 
the fpike: it has alfo a leafy fpike, in common with many 
other grafles, occafioned by the feeds germinating in wet 
weather without falling. Profefior John Martyn ob- 
ferved it in this ftate, during the month of October, on 
the banks of the river Wandle near Wandfworth. 
y. A variety with abulboferoot is fet down for a dif- 
tin£i fpecies. This fwelling of the root is a very equi¬ 
vocal chara&er among grafles, and P. pratenfe is much 
given to it} but Linnaeus’s P. nodofum may probably be 
a diflin< 5 t fpecies. ' Johnfon, in his edition of Gerard’s 
Herbal, fays, that “it may be found with a bulbous root 
by the bridge entering into Chelfey-field, as one goeth 
from S. James to Little Chelfey.” 
Meadow cat’s-tail grafs was much recommended about 
thirty years ago, under the name of Timothy grafs: it re¬ 
ceived this quaint appellation froTn Mr. Timothy Hanfon, 
who is faid firft to have brought the feeds of it from New 
York to Carolina. It had then a great character in North 
America, where it is called herd-grafs. Its reputation 
here was fhort-lived, and it has no one good property in 
which it is not excelled by fox-tail grafs j but befides this 
it is harfti, and late in its appearance. It is proper only 
for moift lands; in a dry foil it makes a pitiful appear¬ 
ance. Some foreign writers fpeak well of this grafs; 
Leers fays it is very grateful to horfes; Krocker, that both 
horfes and kine are fond of it green and in hay ; Villars, 
that it affords excellent forage. Our writers are of a dif¬ 
ferent opinion : Dr. Pulteney fays, that, notwithftanding 
the charafter which this grafs acquired from the recom¬ 
mendation ofRocque, fheep diflike it, and cows or horfes 
are not fond of it; Mr. Swayne, that it is a hard coarfe 
grafs, of little value for cattle ; Mr. Curtis, that it is pro¬ 
ductive, but coarfe and late, and that it has no excellence 
which fox-tail grafs does not pofiefs in an equal degree. 
This is the grafs ufually cultivated in Sweden ; and the 
Swedifh farmers extol it as much fofter, and more agree¬ 
able to the tafte of cattle, than rye-grafs. Its latenefs, 
however, is an obftacle to its being introduced into this 
country as an artificial grafs, as from it no fecond crop 
could be expeCted. Perhaps in Sweden, where the fum- 
mer is fhorter than in England, this objection may not be 
of fo much confequence ; but in England it inuft be fatal 
to the introduction of the grafs as an objeCt of general 
culture. See the article Grass, vol. viii. p. 799. and a 
reprefentation of this fpecies on Plate II. fig. 13. 
a. Phleum alpinum, or alpine cat’s-tail grafs: fpike 
ovate-cylindrical; awns about as long as the glumes. 
Root perennial, inclined to creeping, and a little tube¬ 
rous. $tem moftly folitary, Ample, afcending, a foot or 
more in height; leafy below; naked, fmooth, ftriated, 
and very ftraight above. Leaves broadifh, (harp-pointed, 
rough in the margin. Spikes fcarcely an inch long, ovate 
or nearly cylindrical, obtufe, tinged with dull purple, of 
which hue the ftraw and fneaths of the leaves moftly par¬ 
take. Glumes of the calyx ciliated with long hairs, and 
a little divaricated ; keel green : the awns which termi¬ 
nate them beingalmoft, if not quite,as longas the’glumes, 
diftinguifh this fpecies from pratenfe, in which they are 
very lhort. Corolla of two unequal valves, of which the 
largeft is ribbed and bearded. Native of the mountains 
of Lapland, Swiflerland, 8cc. In Britain it was firft difco- 
vered near Garway Moor in Scotland ; and probably may 
be found in fimilar fituations in other parts of our ifland, 
since it makes the principal part of the turf in the moft 
elevated paftures of Swiflerland. It flowers with us at 
the end of July. 
3. Phleum Gerardi, or Gerard’s cat’s-tail grafs: fpike 
roundiih; glumes ciliate; culms Ample ; (heaths of the 
leaves ventricofe. Root perennial, with an oblong bulb, 
tranfverfe and woody as it grows old, rooting deeply 
Vol. XX. No. 1366. . 
E U M. 269 
with blackifti fibres (bringing from the lower part of the 
tranfverfe tuber. Culm a foot high, Ample, ftraight, or 
procumbent at bottom, above almoft naked. This grafs 
might be referred to Alopecurus, one valve of the corolla 
being fcarcely difcernible ; the other convoluted and in¬ 
volving the genitals ; but the truncate calyx determines it 
to be a fpecies of Phleum, of which it has alfo the habit. 
Native of the high mountains of Provence, Italy, Carni- 
ola, Styria, and of the Pyrenees. 
4. Phleum nodofum, or knobbed-rooted cat’s-tail grafs: 
fpike cylindrical; culm afcending ; leaves oblique ; root 
bulbofe. According to Linnaeus this refembles Ph. pra¬ 
tenfe, but the root is bulbofe, the culm not upright, but 
afcending, and covered by the (heaths of the leaves ; 
which point in oppofite direftions, and are fmooth, ex¬ 
cept at the edges; the fpike is fmooth, and the antherae 
are white. Mr. Swayne remarks, that the lower joints of 
the culm fwell into tubers, but the root is not bulbofe. 
According to Dr.Withering, there are three or four bulbs 
on tile culm, half an inch afunder; and two lanceolate 
fcales to each bulbous joint; the culm is not only afcend¬ 
ing, but knee-bent; and the leaves are narrower than in 
the common cat’s-tail grafs. 
“ Notwithftanding we are told by Hudfon and Leers 
that this in a rich foil becomes Ph. pratenfe, I am not 
quite fatisfied,” fays Dr. Withering, “ that thefe refpec- 
table authors may not have fallen into a miftake from 
having conftdered variety y of the firft fpecies as the Ph. 
nodolum of Linnaeus ; but that is a very common plant 
in England, whilft the true Linnajan nodofum is rare. 
The only fpecimen I have feen of Ph. nodofum” adds 
Dr. Withering, “ was fent by the Rev. Mr. Swayne, au¬ 
thor of the Gramina pafcua, a work extremely well calcu¬ 
lated to fpread a ufeful knowledge of the grafles amongft 
the farmers, as well as to inftruft the country gentlemen 
in the belt means of ameliorating our pafture-lands. If 
my approbation could add any weight to fo refpedtable a 
teftimony to the ufefulnefs of Mr. Svvayne’s work, I fliould 
be happy to give it. He found this grafs on the top of a 
wall, about fix miles from Bath, on the Warminlter 
road. 
5. Phleum felinum, or briftly cat’s-tail grafs; fpike 
ovate; valves of the calyx abrupt, fringed at the lower 
part of the keel; awns longer than the calyx, divaricated, 
angular, rough ; root fibrous. Native of Zante, where it 
is known by the name of y.ov$-a.xicc tov xa.r^ov'Kiov, or cat’s 
whilkers. The root is fibrous and annual. Stem from one 
to two feet high, ereft, fmooth, leafy, branched in the 
lower part. Leaves light green, nearly fmooth ; the 
(heath of the upper one inflated, ftrongly ribbed. Smith's 
FI. Graca. 
6. Phleum Michelii, or Michelian cat’s-tail grafs: 
panicle nearly cylindrical, fpike-fhaped ; valves of the 
calyx lanceolate, taper-pointed, ribbed, with (hortawns; 
the keel ftrongly fringed ; corolla ribbed, hairy; ftem 
Ample. Native of lofty mountains in Germany, Swifier- 
land, Savoy, and Scotland; flowering in July. Mr. G. 
Don difcovered it on rocky parts of the hills of Clova, 
Anguslhire. The root is perennial, tufted, fcarcely 
creeping. Stems a foot or more in height, Ample, fmooth, 
ereft, leafy more than half way up. Leaves broadiftr, 
flat, pointed, rough-edged ; their (heaths fmooth, the 
upper ones long, and rather tumid. Panicle from one 
and a half to three inches long, ere< 5 t, purplifli except 
when it grows under bulhes, by which it becomes pale 
green and white. The long denfe fringes of the calyx- 
keels give the whole a hairy afpeCt. Their taper-pointed 
figure, without any abrupt termination of the inner edge, 
diltinguillies this fpecies from all the foregoing, and indeed 
has induced fome perfons to refer it to Piialaris. The 
corolla is larger, and has more of the habit of the calyx, 
than ufual in this genus, being ribbed and more or lefs 
hairy, refembling the corolla of a Feftuca, though more 
obtufe. 
3 Z 7. Phleum 
