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P O A. 
and three-nerved glumes, the lower of which gradually 
fall. Native of the Eaft Indies. 
25. Poa eragroftis, or fpreading meadow-grafs: panicle 
Spreading j pedicles flexuofe ; fpikelets ferrate, ten-flower¬ 
ed ; glumes three-nerved. This is an annual grafs. The 
outer glumes keeled, hyaline, with green nerves on both 
fides, by which it is eafily drftinguilhed. Flowers Ovate, 
fliarpifh, fix to nine-flowered, without a fcariofe margin. 
Panicle waved. Though annual, this grafs throws out 
feveral inclined culms on a fibrous root, thus forming a 
dark-green turf. They are from fix to ten inches in 
height, and divide by furnilhing feveral lateral branches, 
which bear panicles at their lower part. Leaves open, flat, 
dark-green, having a pencil of hairs at their bafe on each 
fide. Terminating panicle oval, upright, two or three 
inches long, compofed of a great number of filiform 
flraight branches, and an infinity of fpikelets, which are 
linear, reddifh, very narrow, almolt cylindrical, each com¬ 
pofed of from eight to ten flowers. Glumes fmooth, 
reddifh or brown, with a whitifh margin. When the fpike¬ 
lets of the upper panicle are ripe, the feeds fall immedi¬ 
ately, and fucceflively thofe of the middle and bafe of the 
culm. This quick falling of the feeds, is the reafon why 
we may often obferve the young flowers withering at the 
bafe, whilft thofe in the middle are in a date of full expan- 
fion, and the upper ones falling prefent ripe feeds, of an 
uncommon finenefs, though accompanied by the inner 
glume, and often by both. 
Lamarck and Cavanilles infill that Poa and Briza era¬ 
groftis are one and the fame plant. Native of Swifferland, 
Dauphine, Spain, and Italy, on walls; alfo of Barbary 
and Siberia. Introduced in 1776, by Mr. Thouin. 
/ 3 . P. elegantifiima, or elegant meadow-grafs : panicle 
erefl, branched, capillary, fpreading ; fpikelets lanceolate, 
fcarcely ten-flowered ; florets comprefied, keeled, three- 
ribbed ; ftipule briitly. Native of Swifferland, France, 
and Italy. About one third the fize of the foregoing, 
with fharper leaves, dark purple tapering fpikelets, and 
about a quarter of the number of florets, which are com- 
prefied and keeled, with one obfolete rib at each fide, near 
the edge. 
26. Poa Badenfis, or Baden meadow-grafs: panicle 
crowded, ovate; fpikelets*eleven-flow'ered, diftich, ovate, 
pubefcent at the bafe. This grafs forms a tnrf. Root- 
leaves two inches long, linear, fmooth ; culm-leaves only 
half an inch in length. Native of Baden, on the rocks 
by the hot baths in Lower Auftria and Mansfield. Pe¬ 
rennial. 
27. Poa cynofuroides, orbipinnate meadow-grafs: pan¬ 
icle ftridf, pyramidal; peduncles fpreading very much; 
fpikelets hanging down, diftich. This is an extremely- 
liandfome grafs. Culms two feet high of the fame fize 
with thofe of wheat, Ample. Flowers fefiile, approxima¬ 
ting, comprefied, equal, flatted as in Cyperus. Glumes 
comprefled, keeled, fharpifti, ovate. Native of Egypt, and 
of the Eaft Indies; for this is th ecufa, orfacred grafs of the 
Hindoos. (See Hindoostan, vol. x. p. 130.) Among 
this race of fabulifts fome poetical legend exifts, account¬ 
ing, in their way, for every fubjeft and allufion in their 
complex mythology and theogony. Of the cufa-grafs 
this is related in the Hindoo Pantheon. “ Some legends 
make Garuda the offspring of Kafyapa and Diti. This 
all-prolific dame laid an egg, which, it was predicted, 
would produce her deliverer from fome great afflidlion : 
after a lapfe of five hundred years, Garuda or Superna, 
fprang from the egg, flew to the abode of Indra, exfin- 
guifhed the fire that furrounded it, conquered its guards, 
and bore off the amrita, (fee ICurmavatara, vol. x ) 
which enabled him to liberate his mother, at that time 
afflifted in captivity. A few drops of this immortal 
Beverage falling on the cufa, it became a grafs eternally 
confecrated ; and fome fnakes, greedily licking up the 
ambrofia, fo lacerated their tongues with the (harp blades 
of the grafs, that they have ever fince remained forked: 
hut the boon of eternity wasinfured to them alfo by their 
thus partaking of the immortality-conferring fluid. This 
caufe of fnakes having forked tongues is ftill popularly, 
in the tales of India, attributed to the above greedinefs. 
28. Poa unioloides, or uniola-like meadow-grafs : pa¬ 
nicle almoft erefl; fpikelets ten-flowered or thereabouts, 
ovate; lower calyxes many-valved. Spikelets (hort, like 
thofe of Briza ; but the valves acute and keeled. Calyx 
of the lower flowers of the panicle four-valved, of the 
upper two-valved. The lower are four-flowered, the 
upper eight, ten, or twelve, flowered. This is a middle 
grafs between Poa, Briza, and Uniola. It was found in 
the Eaft Indies by Koenig. * 
29. Poa racemofa, or racemed meadow-grafs: panicle 
fqueezed clofe ; fpikelets ovate, one-flo wered ; peduncles 
very ftiorf. 30. Poa cyperoides, or cyperus-like meadow- 
grafs: panicles fpike-glomerate; fpikelets eleven-flow¬ 
ered ; culm branched; leaves awl-fliaped. Thefe were 
found at the Cape of Good Hope byThunberg. 
31. Poa verticillata, or whorled meadow-grafs : panicle 
fpreading, capillary, flexuofe; fpikelets eleven-flowered, 
linear-fubulate. Branches of the panicle in whorls, 
branched, much longer than in Poa (Briza) eragroftis. 
Spikelets very numerous and narrow: the calyx and 
lower glumes often falling. Culms proftrate, and more 
than a foot in length. This grafs refembles Poa (Briza) 
eragroftis in every thing except the panicle and fpikelets. 
It is annual, and native of Spain, flowering there in July. 
32. Poa atrovirens, or Barbary meadow-grafs: fmooth ; 
culm erefl ; leaves fomewhat rigid ; (heath (barter than 
the internodes : panicle fpreading; fpikelets flat, linear. 
It is allied to P. verticillata ; but the fpikelets are twice 
as wide, the culms are erefl, and the (heaths have no 
ligule or ftipule. Root perennial. Native of Barbary, 
near La Calle. 
33. Poa Abyflinica, fmooth upright meadow-grafs, or 
te(F: panicle capillary, loofe, erefl; fpikelets four-flow¬ 
ered, even, linear-lanceolate ; leaves fmooth, fomewhat 
convoluted. Root annual. Culm (lender, a little com- 
prefled, branched, procumbent at bottom, bent in at the 
knots. Leaves fublinear, acuminate, (heathing, roughifli 
at the edges, with very minute toothlets. Spikelets ob¬ 
long, blunt, from four to fix flowered. It is from the 
grain of this plant that the common bread in Abyffinia 
is prepared; that made from wheat being ufed only by 
the fuperior ranks. The flour of the beft kind of tefF is, 
according to Mr. Bruce, as white as that of wheat, and 
is very light and eafily digefted ; other kinds are of a 
browner and coarfer quality: that which grows on light 
ground is accounted the beft. The manner of making 
the tefF-bread is by taking a broad earthen jar, and, 
having made the flour into a lump with water, they put 
it into the jar, and let it (land at (ome diftance from the 
fire till it begins to foment or turn four, and then bake 
it into cakes of a circular form, and about two feet in 
diameter: it is of a fpongy foft quality, and a hot dila- 
greeable fourifh tafte. From the fame bread, by being 
well toafted, and infufed in water for foine days, is pre¬ 
pared the common beer of that country, which is called 
by the name of bouza. Cultivated in Abyflinia; intro¬ 
duced here in 1775, by James Bruce, efq. It flowers in. 
Auguft and September. 
34. Poa capillaris, or hair-panicled meadow-grafs : pa¬ 
nicle loofe, fpreading very much, capillary; leaves hairy; 
culm very much branched. Culm from fix inches to two 
feet in length, decumbent at the bafe, proftrate, filiform. 
Leaves long, very narrow, erefl, with the (heaths fome¬ 
what hairy. Common in the Weft Indies, Virginia, and 
Canada. Introduced, according to the Kew Catalogue, 
by Monf. Thouin, in 1781. 
The grafs in the meadows round Montreal, fays Kalm, 
is chiefly the Poa capillaris. It is very (lender, grows 
very clofe, and fucceeds even on the dried - hills. It is 
however not rich in foliage, and the (lender (talk is 
chiefly ufed for hay. 
35. Poa Jagonica, or Japanefe meadow-grafs: panicle 
fpreading. 
