Pa n i c u m s a n g u i n a l e . C o c k ’ s - f o o t Panic-Grass.
PANICUM Lin. Gen. PI. T riandria D igyniA;
Cal. 2-valvi-s : valvula tertia minima.
PANICUM /anguinale Ipîcîs digitatis bafi inferiore nodofis, flofcUlis geminis rtiutlcis, vaginis folio rum
pun&atis. Lin. Syß. Vegetab: p. 90. Sp. PI. 84.
DIG1TARIA foliis fubhirfutis, caule debiji, (picis vertiçillatis. Haller Hiß. n. 1526.
DIGITARIA fanguinalh. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 72.
GRAMEN daCtylon latiore folio. Bauhin Pin. 8. 1SÇHÆMON fylveftre latiore folio. Parkin/. 1178. 1SCHÆMON vulgare. Ger. emac. 27. Cock’s-fpot-grafs. Raii Syn. p. 399. Scheuch. A groß. 101.
Schreb. Agroß. t. 16. Hud/on FI. Angl. ed. 2. p. 25.
RADIX annua, fibrofa.
CULMI ex una radicé plures, (pithamæi, pedales, fub- i
ROOT annual and fibrous.
STALKS feveral from one root, a fpa-n Or a foot in
:: height, of a reddifh colour, fometimes branched,
rubentes, fubinde ramofi, adfcendentes, in- '
fraCti, tenues valde et debiles, quatuor p'lerum- ;
que geniculis didinCti. :
FOLIA uncialia, (elquiuncialia, et biuncialia, lineas :duas aut duas cum dimidia lata, acuta, ad ;
unum latus fæpe undulata, fuperne et inferne ;
raris pilis hirfuta, marginibus ad lentem minu- :
tiflime (errulatis ; vagina ftriata, valde pilofa, ;
pilis e punCtis prominulis prodeuntibus.
SPICÆ ternæ, quaternæ, et quinæ plerumque, in cultis •
fæpe plures, digitatim fummo culmo infidentes, ;
feiquiunciam ad quatuor uncias longæ, fili- ;
formes, vel eodem loco oriundæ omnes, vel '
alternatim e fummo culmo prodeuntes, et exi- i
,guo ab invicem (patio difcretæ, purpureæ, aut '
ex purpureo et viridante mixtæ.
SPICULÆ fecundæ, binæ, rachi adprefîæ, pedicellatæ, •
pedicello altero longiore, longitudine (piculæ, >
ovato-lanceolatæ, acutæ, nunc purpurafcentes, ;
nunc virides. ßg. 1, 2, 3, 4. auSl. \
CALYX trivalvis, perfidens, infima minima, brèviffima, ;
nudo oculo vix conlpicua, ßg. 2. fecunda et \
tertia oppofitis, inæqualibus, acutis, nervofis, ;
margine (cabris, fuperiore longitudine corollæ ■
quam margine fuo ample&itur, inferiore dimi-
dio breviore. ßg. 3, 4.
COROLLA : bivalvis, valvulis æqualibus, glabris, al-
terâ alteram recipient te, ßg. 8. ubi membra-
nula ad bafîn earum pingitur, ßg. 6, 7. dif-
junCtæ apparent.
! STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria, .corolla paulo
longiora ; A nther« breves, parvæ, purpuraf-
centes, utrinque bifurcæ. ßg. 9.
PISTILLUM : Germen oblongum ; St y l i duo, filiformes,
longitudine daminum; Stigmata
plumofa, purpurea, ßg. 10.
SEMEN minimum, oblongum glumis calycinis æque
ac corollaceis inclufum, ßg. 11, 12. denuda-
tum, ßg. 13. magnit. nat. fig. 14, 15. auSl.
bending upward, crooked, very (lender
:: and weak, and generally furnifhed with four
;; joints.
•
LEAVES an inch, an inch and a half, or two inches '
in length, and from two to two lines and a
• half in breadth, pointed, often waved on one
fide, on both fides befet with a few hairs, the
;; edges when magnified very finely fawed; the
:: (heath driated, very hairy, the hairs proceed-
; ing from little prominent points.
•: SPIKES fitting on the top of the (lem, generally three,
four or five together, often more in cultivated
places, branching out like fingers, from one
inch and a half to four inches in length, fili-
;; form, all of them proceeding from the fame
:: point, or growing alternately, leaving a fmalL
;; (pace betwixt them, of a dark purple colour,
:; or purple • and green mixed together. ‘
•; SPICULjE growing one way, prefled to the rachis,
h Handing on foot-ftalks, the longed of which
• is of the length of one of the fpiculae, ovato-
«; lanceolate and pointed, fometimes purplifh,
and (ometimes green, jig. 1, 2, 3, 4. magnijied.
CA L YX compofed of three valves, and permanent, the
•: lowermofi: very minute and (hort, fcarcely per-
;; ceptible by the naked eye, jig. ,2. the (econd
i and third oppofite, unequal, . pointed, rib’d,
': rough on the edges, the upper one the length
;: of the corolla, which it enfolds with its mart
gin, the lower one half its length, jig. 3, 4.
I COROLLA: compofed of two valves which are equal
$ and fmooth, the one receiving the other., jig. 8.
I where a fmall membrane is painted at their
• bale ; aty%\ 6. and 7. they appear disjoin’d.
t STAMINA: three Filaments, very (lender, a little
| longer than the corolla; Antherjb fmall,
$ (hort, purplifh, forked at each end. jig. 9.
? PISTILLUM: Germen oblong; Styles two, fili-
| liform, the length of the (lamina; Stigm a ta
f feather’d and purple. Jig. 10.
| SEED very fmall, oblong, inclofed by the glumes of
• , the calyx, as well as of the corolla, jig. ir ,
12. dripped of thefe, jig. 13. of its natural
$ -fize, and magnified at jig. 14, 15.
Modern Botanifls are divided in their opinions refpe&ing the genus of this plant, L innjeus, Schreber, and
others confidering it as a Panicum; A danson, Heister, Ha Ller and Scopoli arranging it under a new genus,
viz. Digit aria, a name adapted to the particular difpofition of its fpikes, but as that particular difpofition has little
to do with its generic character, and as it has a triphyllous calyx, which L innaeus, with much propriety, confi-
55rs as a principal character of the Panicum, we follow him in preference to the others, however refpeftable. We may obferve, that the exterior leaf forming this triphyllous calyx is fo very minute, that it may eafily be
The figures and defcriptions, quoted by L inn «us, induce us to confider this fpecies as the /anguinale, rather
than his fpecific defcription, which certainly does not well accord with our plant. The vagina punElata are not
mentioned either by Haller, Scheuchzer, or Scopoli ; the hairs certainly iflue from little prominent points,
carcely vifible, unlefs magnified. I f L innjeus means thefe, they are, in our apprehenfion, too minute to form
a (pecific ehara&er on.
, According to the obfervations of botanic writers, this fpecies is very univerfal, being found not only in Europe,
America ; neverthelefs, it is not general throughout England. It isfaid to grow about Elden in Suffolk,
? Jtchingham near Norwich, near Martha's Chapel by Guildford, and in the Gardener’s grounds near Batterfea ;
J? a u ^er place I found it lad September, in great plenty; but in one part of the fields only, viz. among the
[ beans, and on the Afparagus beds, in the Wedern corner of the fields, at no great didance from the Church.
• , 4TTHI0LUS relates, that in Carniola the feeds are collected for food, but this is flatly contradicted by Scopoli ;
• in eed, for this purpole, it appears much inferior to many others of the fame genus.
. .. name of /anguinale is not taken from its colour, but from an idle trick which the boys in Germany have of
I pne mg their nodrils with the (piculas of this grafs, till they draw blood.