p 
O A. 
reflex, villofe; ftigmas fimilar. Pericarpium none; the 
corolla cleaves to the feed, and does not open. Seed 
fingle, oblong, acuminate, comprelTed on both Tides, co¬ 
vered .—EJfentinl Character. Calyx two-valved, onany- 
flowered ; fpikelet ovate; valves fcariofe at the edge and 
(harpifh. There are feventy-one fpecies. 
i. Poa aquatica, water or reed meadow-grafs; panicle 
ereft, branched,loofe; fpikelets fix-flowered,linear; florets 
blunt, feven-nerved. Root perennial, creeping. Culms 
from three to fix feet high, upright, leafy, the thicknefs 
of a reed-ftraw, two-edged, flriated, fmooth, the joints 
yellowifh, the lower joints rooting all round. Leaves 
enfiform, from half an inch to almoft an inch in breadth, 
acute, ftraight, fmooth on both Tides except that the keel 
and edges are rugged, very finely flriated, the bafe of the 
leaf on each fide marked with a yellow triangular fpot; 
(heath fmooth and flriated, the keel prominent, the mem¬ 
brane fliort and obtufe. Panicle very large, from fix 
inches to a foot in length, very much branched, branches 
in half-whorls, rugged; branchlets alternate, flexuofe. 
Florets from five or fix to eight, feldom more, fubcylin- 
dric, remote, purple on the outfide, rugged. Calyx 
nearly equal, whitifh, fliining. Neftary, a fmall trunca¬ 
ted fcale at the bafe of it. Seed of a pale brown colour. 
Water meadow-grafs is one of the largeft of our grades. 
In the fens of Cambridgefhire, Lincolnfhire, &c. iinmenfe 
trails that ufed to be overflowed and produce ufelefs 
aquatic plants, and ftill retain much moifttire, though 
drained by mills, are covered with this grafs, which not 
only affords rich palturagein fummer, but forms the chief 
part of their winter fodder. It has a powerfully-creeping 
root, and bears frequent mowing well. It is fometimes 
cut thrice in one feafon, near the Thames. It grows not 
only in very moift ground, but in the water itfelf; and 
with cat’s-tail, burr-reed, See. Toon fills up ditches, and 
occafions them to require frequent cleanfing. In this 
refpe£l it is a formidable plant, even in flow rivers. In 
the Ifle of Ely they cleanfe thefe by an inftrument called 
a lear ; which is an iron roller, with a number of pieces 
of iron, like fmall fpades, fixed in it; this is drawn up 
and down the river by horfes walking along the bank, 
and tears up the plants by the roots, which float, and are 
carried down the ftream. Poa aquatica is a native of moft 
parts of Europe, and flowers from July to September. 
Like feveral other fpecies of Poa, it varies with viviparous 
flowers. It is reprefented on the annexed Engraving at fig. i. 
2. Poa alpina, or alpine meadow-grafs : panicle diffufed; 
fpikelets four-flowered, cordate; glumes ovate, fubfalcate, 
free; lower ftipules very fliort. Root perennial, with 
Ample elongated fmooth fibres. Root-leaves very many, 
fpreading, flat, widifli, nerved, fmoothifli efpecially under¬ 
neath, bluntifh at the end with a little dagger-point, 
rugged at the edge ; with fliort eredt comprefled flieaths, 
and a fliort blunt ftipule : ftem-leaves two, very fliort, 
with very long (heaths, and lanceolate acute ftipules. 
Culm a foot high, afeending, having two joints, naked 
at top, round, purple, fliining. Panicle fliort, roundifti 
or ovate, branches in pairs alternately fubdivided, angular, 
fmoothifli, fometimes rugged. Spikelets cordate or broad- 
ovate, comprefled, fliining with purple and bay-colour, 
three or four-flowered, in gardens fix-flowered. Florets 
ovate, fliarpifh, fcariofe on the edge and commonly filky, 
briftly at the bafe, but free and not connected by com¬ 
plicated hairs; the inner valves emarginate and ciliate. 
Alpine meadow-grafs grows wild in Lapland, Swifferland, 
Silefia, Dauphine, the highlands of Scotland, and Wales. 
It flowers in June and July. 
( 3 . P. vivipara. This fpecies, in common with many 
alpine grades, which live almoft conftantly in a moift 
vapour, is frequently viviparous. Linnaeus fays, it is often 
found in this (fate in the Lapland alps, and that it con¬ 
tinues To in gardens; and that it is not the calyx or 
petals growing out into the leaves, but the rudiment of 
the germ, like Lycopodium felago, leafing, falling, and 
grow ing. Dr. Smith’s account is, that the glumes change 
728 
into leaves, and at length the fruftification into a bud, 
Mr. Lightfoot informs us, that the fpecimen he faw in 
Scotland was viviparous : the leaves fmooth, comprefled, 
and a little recurved; the (talk five inches high, (lender, 
and purple; the panicle open, and thinly fet with flowers ; 
the calyxes of a purple colour; and the germs viviparous. 
See “ Framlingham and its Agriculture.” 
3. Poa laxa, or loofe meadow-grafs : panicle contracted, 
fubracemed ; fpikelets three-flowered, pubefeent at the 
bafe, and on the back. Panicle fmall, with the branches 
preffed clofe, two-flowered or three-flowered. Spikelets 
three-flowered or four-flowered. Glumes of the corolla 
acute, of a dufky violet colour, with a membranaceous 
white margin. Native of the mountains of Swifferland, 
Bohemia, and Silefia. 
4. Poa biflora, or two-flowered meadow-grafs : panicle 
denfe; calyxes fubiflorous, fmooth; culm afeending. 
Culm afoot high, afeending, leafy. Upper leaves fcarcely 
fhorter than the culm, naked, linear, acute. Flowers 
numerous, minute. Native of the Eaft Indies, whence it 
w'as fent by Koenig. 
5. Poa hirta, or rough-haired meadow-grafs: panicle 
. fpreading, rod-like; calyxes fubtriflorous, angular, 
(heaths dotted - ciliate. Culm round, Ample, upright, 
fmooth, three feet high. Leaves enfiform, entire, flriated, 
dotted-ciliate, as is the whole of the (heath, which is very 
long. Native of Japan.. 
6. Poa trivialis, or roughilh meadow-grafs: panicle 
diffufed ; fpikelets three-flowered ; glumes lanceolate, 
five-nerved; connected by a villus at the bafe; ftipule 
elongated. Root fibrous. Culms one to two feet high, 
decumbent at the bafe, and rooting ; then eredt, about 
a foot and a half high, Ample, round, flriated, fome- 
what rugged, leafy, frequently purple. Leaves almoft 
ereCt, flaccid, fharpifh, keeled, rugged, efpecially un¬ 
derneath and round the edge. Sheaths almoft the length 
of the leaves, fomewhat comprefled, flriated, a little 
rugged. Panicle elongated, upright, very much branch¬ 
ed, rugged; branches alternately decompounded, when 
in flower fpreading horizontally. Spikelets ovate, gene¬ 
rally three-flowered, purple and green. Florets blunt¬ 
ifh, five-nerved, fcariofe at the tip, fomewhat filky at 
the edge and on the back : theinner valves have a thick¬ 
ened, green, and fcarcely-pubefcent, margin. Antheras 
yellow or purplifh, finally becoming forked at each end. 
Germ very fmall, ovate; ftyles feathered almoft to the 
bottom. Nedtary, two little tender glumes, at the bot¬ 
tom of the germ. Seed oblong, pointed, having a woolly 
fubftance at bottom. Its creeping root, and the great 
roughnefs of the culm and leaves, fufficiently diftinguifh 
this from P. pratenfis, to which it has otherwife Tome 
refemblance. Willdenow fays it is fufficiently diftin- 
guiflied by its very branching diffufed panicle, and efpe¬ 
cially by the great length of the ligule or ftipule, which 
character Curtis firft pointed out. See P. pratenfis. 
P. trivialis is certainly one of our bell grades, both for 
hay and paflurage ; indeed a good meadow can fcarcely 
be formed without it. Its chief qualities are, that it pro¬ 
duces a large quantity of fweet tender leaves, preferred 
by cattle to moft others, and convertible into exceeding 
fine hay. It is an early grafs, flowering about the begin¬ 
ning of June. It does not bear froft lo well, nor does it 
(hoot fo early in the fpring, as P. pratenfis; but, when 
the weather becomes warm enough to make graffes in 
general (hoot, this grows fader, and produces a greater 
crop of bottom-leaves, than moft others. See the article 
Grass, vol. viii. p. 798. and Plate I. fig. 4. 
( 3 . Dr. Smith regards the Poa fetacea of Hudfon’s firft 
edition as a variety of this ; for it cannot be referred to 
P. pratenfis, on account of its lanceolate acute ftipule. 
The lower leaves are involute-fetaceous. 
7. Poa auguftifolia, or narrow-leaved meadow-grafs : 
panicle diffufed ; fpikelets four-flowered, pubefeent; culm 
eredt, round. Panicle oblong, crowded, fo as to feem 
almoft imbricate, with four-flowered florets, when ripe 
x often 
