398 
ROTTBOELLIA. . 
flourished about 1546, was a native of Thorpe Malsor, a 
village between Rothwell and Kettering. He was the friend 
and associate of Leland, and both Camden and Burton seem 
to have made considerable use of his annotations on the Itine¬ 
rary of Antoninus.—History, &c. of Northamptonshire, by 
Bridges and Whalley, 2 vols. folio. 
ROTHWELL, a township of England, West Riding of 
Yorkshire; 6 miles north-by-east of Wakefield. Population 
5004. 
ROTOLO, an Egyptian weight of twelve ounces, each 
ounce consisting of twelve drachms, and each drachm of 
sixteen carats. 
ROTONDO, Monte, a very high moutain of the island 
of Corsica. 
ROTROU (John de), a French dramatic poet, was born, 
in 1609, of an ancient family at Dreux. He distinguished 
himself by a great facility in composing dramatic pieces, 
both in tragedy and comedy, in which he improved so 
much upon his predecessors, that he is termed by Voltaire 
“ the founder of the theatre.” Cardinal Richelieu esteemed 
and patronized him, and the great Corneille used to call him 
his father. He was expensive in his habits of life, and wrote 
most of his works under the pressure of immediate necessity, 
whence he could allot but a short time for their correction. 
At length he purchased the office of lieutenant-particular of 
his native place, where he took up his residence. The oc¬ 
casion of his death was truly honourable to him. Dreux 
was visited by a very fatal pestilential disease, and during 
the height of it, Rotrou was strongly urged by his brother 
to quit the place and come to Paris. In his answer he 
expressed his full resolution to remain on the spot where 
his duty placed him. “ At the moment of my writing 
(said he), the bells are tolling for the 22d death this day; 
my turn will come when it pleases God,” This event took 
place soon after, in 1650, when he was in his 41st year. 
Of his numerous plays, “ Chosroes,” “ Antigone,” and 
“ Wenceslaus,” are reckoned the best. The latter was re¬ 
vived by Marmontel, and several times represented with 
success. Voltaire speaks of some parts of it as excellent. 
Moreri. Nouv. Diet. Hist. 
ROTSELAR, a large village of the Netherlands, in the 
province of South Brabant. Population 1600; 9 miles north- 
by-west of Louvain. 
ROTT, a river of Lower Bavaria, which rises near Muhl- 
dorf, and flows into the Inn, near Griesbach. 
ROTTA, a small river in the north-west of Italy, in 
Piedmont, which falls into the gulf of Genoa, near Vin- 
timiglia. 
ROTTBOELLIA, in Botany, a genus of the class 
iriandria, order digynia, natural order of gramina, graminese 
or grasses.—Generic Character. Receptacle common, elon¬ 
gated into the jointed rachisof a cylindrical spike; the joints 
alternately hollowed out to receive flowers of a two-fold 
structure; some (in the calyx) one-glumed, placed on a 
thicker tooth, hermaphrodite; others two-glumed, each 
inserted (alternately) on either side of the former, a little 
lower down, and a little smaller than the former, female 
hermaphrodites ? in some species only one of each sort. 
I. Hermaphrodites one-glumed. 
Calyx; glume one-flowered, one-valved; valve cartilagi¬ 
nous, ovate-oblong, truncate at the base, often emarginate, 
striated, closing the sinus of the joint (which is in place of a 
second valve) like a lid. Corolla; glume two-valved, paral¬ 
lel to and shorter than the calycine glume; valves lanceo¬ 
late, acute, concave, membranaceous, hyaline; outer longer, 
inner with the edges bent in: nectary one-leaved, lanceolate, 
blunt, membranaceous, hyaline, longer than the germ. Sta¬ 
mina : filaments three, capillary; anthers oblong, bifid at 
each end. Pistils: germ oblong; styles two, filiform; 
stigmas oblong, feathered, spreading, standing out. Peri¬ 
carp none: the sinuses of the joints of the spike closed by the 
glume of the calyx contain the seed, until the rachis sepa¬ 
rates in joints. Seed single, oblong. 
II. Hermaphrodites two-glumed. 
Calyx : glume one-flowered, two-valved, transverse; valves 
cartilaginous, oblong, mucronate, striated; outer a little 
shorter, with a shorter dagger-point. Corolla : glume two- 
valved, transverse; valves lanceolate, membranaceous, shorter 
than the calyx ; outer concave, longer, inner with the edges 
folded together: nectary as in the other; or two-leaved, 
with the leaflets lanceolate, acuminate. Stamina: filaments 
three, capillary; anthers oblong, bifid at each end. Pistils; 
germ oblong or ovate ; styles two, capillary; stigmas oblong, 
feathered, spreading, standing out. Pericarp none; calyx 
and corolla cherish the seed, fastened to the rachis.which 
separates in joints. Seed single, ovate or oblong.—Flowers 
of both structures are found in Rottboellia exaltata, corymb- 
osa, and others: one-glumed only in Rottboellia cylin- 
drica and compressa; two-glumed only in Rottboellia 
incurvata. Where both are present, both seem to be herma¬ 
phrodite; unless perhaps in these, the two-glumed flowers 
may have the anthers barren, for there does not seem to be 
any defect in the styles and stigmas. If flowers of either sort 
only be present, they are hermaphrodites. This genus there¬ 
fore, in other respects very nearly allied to iEgilops, might 
have been put with the other grasses in the second order of 
the third class, triandria digynia. Schreber observed a two¬ 
leaved nectary in Rottboellia incurvata alone .—Essential 
Character. Rachis jointed, roundish in most species fili¬ 
form. Calyx ovate-lanceolate, flat, one or two-valved. 
Florets alternate on a flexuose rachis. 
1. Rottboellia incurvata.—Spike round, awl-shaped, cur¬ 
ved inwards, calycine glume two-valved, awl-shaped, pressed 
close.—Native of many parts of Europe, on the sea coast, 
and in salt-marshes. In Englaud, near Yarmouth and Sher- 
ingham in Norfolk. Wisbech in Cambridgeshire. Near 
Seaton in Durham. Below King’s Weston, near Bristol. 
At Exmouth, in Devonshire.—It flowers in July and Au¬ 
gust. 
2. Rottboellia filiformis,—Spike round-awl-shaped, sub¬ 
compressed, erect, calycine glume two-valved, ensiform, 
spreading.—Native of the south of Europe. Perennial. 
3. Rottboellia cylindrica. — Spike round, awl-shaped, 
erect, calycine glume one-valved.—Native of the south of 
Europe, and of Barbary. Perennial. 
4. Rottboellia Thomaea.—Spike solitary, erect, awl-shaped, 
imbricate two ways, rachis waved, excavated but not. jointed. 
—Found by Koenig in Tranquebar. at St. Thomas’s Mount; 
on old walls, 
5. Rottboellia repens.—Spike round, awl-shaped, calycine 
glume one-valved, undivided,—Native of the islands in the 
south seas within the tropic. 
6. Rottboellia Isevis.—Peduncles very long, spike with 
flowers in pairs,lateral, calyxes ovate, undotted, even.—Sent 
by Koenig from Tranquebar. 
7. Rottboellia compressa.—Spike compressed, awl-shaped, 
calycine glume lanceolate, flat, undivided.—Tranchel found 
it in China.—Native both of the East and West Indies. 
8. Rottboellia hirsuta.—Spike awl-shaped, hirsute, her¬ 
maphrodite florets spreading, barren florets pedicelled, pressed 
close.—Native of Egypt. Perennial. A beautiful grass. 
9. Rottboellia Cymbachne.—Spikes twin halved, sheathes 
of the leaves ciliate,—Native of Bengal, where it was observed 
by Koenig. 
10. Rottboellia Coeloraehis. — Spike round, one-sided, 
florets twin, one of them pedicelled, calyx two-valved.— 
Native of the island of Tanna. 
11. Rottboellia dimidiata.—Spike half compressed, linear, 
outer side aggregate-floscular, inner even, naked.—Native of 
the East Indies, in sandy soils, and of the Cape of Good 
Hope. 
12. Rottboellia exaltata.—Spike round-filiform, floscular 
every way, glumes ovate, blunt, sheaths dotted and hirsute. 
—-This is a fall grass, with a solid culm. Sheaths of the 
leaves grooved, dotted with raised dots, ending in a bristle, 
hispid all over. Spikes solitary, lateral, a hand long or more. 
13. Rottbcelha 
