ALOPECURUS Lin. Gen. PL T r i a n d r i a D i g y n i a .-
Cal. 2-valvis. Cor. i-valvis.
RaiiSyn.Gen. 27. Herbie g ramin ifoli.-e flore imperfecto culmifer/e.
ALOPECURUS geniculatus culmo fpicato infra&o, corollis muticis, Lin. Syfl. Vegetal, p. 93.
Sp. PI. 89,. FI. Suec.n. 60. Haller, hiß. n. 1541.
ALOPECURUS geniculatus culmo adfcendente, fpica cylindrica, glumis apice divergentibus
pilofis. Hudfon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 27.
ALOPECURUS geniculatus Scopol. FI. Cam. n. 82.
GRAMEN aqüaticum geniculatum fpicatum. Bduh. pin: 3. Sckeuchz. Agrofi. 72'.
GRAMEN fluviatile fpicatum. Ger. entac. 14.
GRAMEN aquaticum fpicatum. Parkinf. 1373; Raii Syn. 396. Spiked Flote Grafs. Lightfoot,
Ft. Scot. p. 92; Oeder FI. Dan. 564;
RADIX perennis, fibrofa, fibris albicantibus, et quan-
doque fubfufcis.
CULMI plures, pedales, fefquipedales et ultra, in-
ferne procumberites, et fæpe repentes,- fub-
erefti, geniculati, infrafli, ramofi, fuperne
nudi, ftrïati, præfertim in folo arido plus
minus bulbofo.
FOLIA duo aut très lineas lata, ftriata, fuperne di-
gitis deorfum du&is afpera, inferne lævia,
fuperiora brevia, uncialia aut biuncialia,
patentia, fæpe ad margines crifpa ; mem-
brana ad bafin folii ovata, acuta ; vaginae
læves, ftriatæ, ventricofæ.
SPICÆ unciales, fefquiunciales et ultra, fubcylin-
dracéæ, forma et colore maxime variantes, ,
nunc obtufæ nunc ad apicem fenlîm atte-
nuatæ, virefcentes, purpurafcentes, autetiam
nigricantes procul faltem vifæ.
FLOSCULI imbricati.
CALYX: G luma uniflora, bivalvis, compreffa, val-
vulis oblique truncatis, pubefcentibus, tri-
•nerviis,' carina ciliata, jig. 1.
COROLLA : G luma univalvis, oblonga, ovata,
truncata, quinquenervis, pellucida, nuda,
ariftata, fig. 2. Arijla juxta bafin exferta
corolla duplo longiore, Jig. 3.
STAMINA: FiLAMEt fTA tria, corollâ Iongiora ;
A n t h e r æ oblongæ, primum purpureæ,
demum ferruginèæ, Jig. 4.
PISTILLUM : G ermen fubrotundum ; St y l i duoj
cirrbofi,albidi, extra calycem protenfi, jig. 5.
1 RO OT perennial, fibrous, the fibres whitifti, fome-
times inclined to brown.
• (STALKS feveral, a foot, a foot and a half or more
in length, below procumbent, and often
K1 creeping, nearly upright, jointed, crooked,
above naked and ftriated, branched, the bafe
efpecially in a dry foil more or lefs bulbous.
> LEAVES two or three lines broad* * ftriated, the upper
fide if drawn backwards betwixt the
fingers rough, the under fide fmooth, the
uppermoft leaves fhort, an inch or two inches
long, fpreading, often crimpt at the edges;
the membrane at the bafe of the .leaf* ovate
and pointed, the .Jkeaths fmooth, ftriated,'
E and bellying out.
‘ SPIKE an inch, an inch and a half or more in length,
fomewhat cylindrical, varying greatly both
in form and colour, fometimes blunt, and
fometimes tapering to a point, greenilh,
, purplilh, and even blackilh, at leaft -when
viewed at a diftance.
| F LORETS imbricated.
» C A L Y X : a G lume of two valves, containing one
flower, flattened, the valves obliquely trun-
> -cated, downy, three-ribb’d, the keel ciliated,
! Jig. 1.
| CO RO L LA : a G lume of one valve, oblong, ovate,
f truncated, five-rib’d, pellucid, without hairs,
and bearded, Jig. 2. the Beard or awn pro-
ceeding from near the bafe, and twice the
■ length of the corolla, jig. 3.
I STAMINA: three Filaments, longer than the coif
rolla ; A ntheroe oblong, at firft purple,
afterwards ferruginous, Jig. 4.
} PISTILLUM : Germen roundilh; Styles two,
{lender, feathery, and extended beyond the
> calyx, Jig. 5. ,
It is in the depreffed parts of meadows, where water is occafionally apt to ftagnate, that this fpecies of
Fox-Tail Grafs particularly delights to grow, nor is it unfrequent on the edges of ponds, ftreams, and wet
ditches, where it often makes its way into the water ; it is alfo, though more rarely, found in dry paftures ;
and, according to thefe feveral fituations, it is found to vary.
In the firft, tire ftalks are procumbent at the bafe, fpread themfelves on the ground, and extend a foot or
tnore in length; before they rife upwards, the fpikes often aflume a blackifh or deep purple colour, which
caufes it to be noticed by the Farmer, who diftinguilhes it by the name of Black Grafs*. In the fécond, it is
very much enlarged in its fize, and approaches near to the Alopecuruspratenjis ; but the ftalk ftill retains
towards the bottom its crooked appearance. In the third, it grows more upright, the fpike becomes much
Jenderer, and the bafe of the ftàlk often fwells out into a kind of bulb, as in the Avena elatior, and this variety
has been called Alopecurus bulbojus; in all thefe feveral varieties, the geniculatus cannot eafily be miftaken for
any other fpecies of Alopecurus.
It flowers in June.
Cattle eat it readily, neverthelefs it cannot be recommended as a profitable Grafs; nor do the more
obferving Farmers confider it as fuchJ indeed, where fuch Grafs is apt to abound, the beft praftice would be
to till up the depreffions, and fow the ground with better Graffes.
* The Farmer alfo diftinguifhes the Alopecurus agrefiis (;myofuroides, FI. Lond.) by the name o>f Black Grafs.