a I r a . A q ü a t i c a . Sweét-Tasted W ater Aira.
AIRA LinnoiiGm.Pl. T r iaKdria Ôig ÿn ia ;
Cal. 2 val vis 3 2 florus* Flojculi abfque interjeélo rudimento.
Raii Sÿri. G en. 27. Herbæ graminifoliæ f l o r e imperfecto culmiferæ.
AIRA aquatica panicula patente, floribus mutids lævibus calycê longioribus, fbliis planis. Linn&i
Syfl. Vegetab. p. 96* Fl. Suède. No. 68.
POA locuftis bifloris ; glabris, florali gluma majori plicata, ferrata* Haller lii/h. No. 1471.
AIRA aquatica Scopoli Fl. Carniol. 94. Hudfon Fl. Angl. 29*.
AIRA culmo inferiore repente, flofeulis muticis calyce longioribus, altero pedunculato. Roy. lugdb. 60*
GRAMEN caninum fupinum paniculatum dulce. Bauhin Pin. 2.
GRAMEN miliaceum aquaticum. Raii Syn. 402. Scheuchz. agr. 218.
GRAMEN miliaceum fluitans fuavis faporis. Merret. Pin.
RM3IX perennis. |
Cl i -MUS bafi repit, furculofque emittit more Feducæ X
WM fluitantis qui longe excurrunt et ad geniculos v
I radiculaspluresalbasdimittunt; culmusdemum î
I erigitur, pedalis circiter, teres, ere&us, fidu- $
[ lofus, tener. $
FCEIA latiufcula, ten'e ra, Iæv•i a, cari• nata, vaginæ driatæ, î|
I ad bafin rubræ præcipüe in furculis. $
WÊmÊ ' t
PiïrtfICULA erefla, difFufa, laxa, racemi plures ex uno ^
[: pun6io, fæpe flèxuofi. 1 • . I IMCULÆ plerumque biflores, flofculo uno feflili, al-^
! tero pedunculato, purpurei, apicibus albidis, $
cÆ y X : G luma bivalvis, valvulis inæqualibus, pur-1
pureis", lævibus, Corolla multo brevioribus, $
I .fis- . . . . 4 C(|R.OLLA : G luma bivalvis, valvulis æqualibus, fub- 4
truncatis, plicatis five angulatis, jig. 3. x
STAMINA : F il am e n t a tria capillaria, longitudine 4
Corollæ; A n th e ræ flavæ, fig. 0.
PIsTILLUM : G ermen ovatum ; S t y l i duo, plumofi, a I fig- 4- t NlCTARIUM G lumulæ duæ minimæ ad balin Ger- q
f minis, Jig. 5. . X
SfdEN ovatum, intra Glumas ar&e claufum, jig. 7. $
RO OT perennial.
S T A LK creeps at bottom, and fends out young (hoots
like the Flote Fefcue grafs, which run out to
a confiderable didance, and fend down fmall
white roots at the joints; it then becomes ereft,
grows to about a foot in height, is round, hollow,
and tender.
LEAVES broadilh, tender, fmooth, carinated, the
(heaths driated, red at bottom, particularly in
the young (hoots.
PANICLE upright, fpreading, loofe ; branches feve-
ral, proceeding from one point, frequently
crooked.
SPICULAl generally contain two flowers, one of which
is feflile, and the other (lands on a foot-(talk,
purple, the tips white, jig. 1,
CA L YX : a G lume or two valves, the valves unequal,
purple, fmooth, and much (horter than the
Corolla, Jig- 2.
COROLLA : a G lume of two valves, the valves equal,
as if cut off at top, folded or angular, Jig. 3.
STAMINA: three capillary F il am e n t s the length of
the Corolla ; A nther.-e yellow, fig. 3.
PISTILLUM: G ermen oval; S t y l e s two, andfea-
thery, Jig. 4.
N ECTARY two very minute G lumes at the bottom o f
the Germen, fig. 5.
SEED oval, clofely contained within the Glumes, fig. 7.
. ll^e ^amep ti and fituation which produces the Fefiuca fiuitans, is produftive alfo of this grafs; they both grow
ro gently-flowing dreams, or in wet boggy meadows ; this circumdance may ferve among others to didinguim the
Aim aquatica from feme of the Poas, with which at firfl fight the young botanid might eafily confound i t ; it has
ever befides this, many other chara6lers which point it out more obvioufly. The bottom of the dalk ufually
f fp s on the ground, and when it gets into the water, it runs, out-like the Fefiuca fiuitans to a confiderable dii-
fcflpj throwing off roo.ts and young (hoots as it pafles along, very much in the manner of that grafs: the (talk
groM s about a foot or more in height, is hollow and remarkably tender; the leaves are broader than any of the
Poas, except the Poa aquatica, which is in every.refpe£l a much dronger plant: but what more efpecially cha-
rf § er'zes §|lt gra(s, is the purple or blueifh colour of the Panicles, which is difcernible even at a diflance ; and
thsfweet ta% the flowers if drawn through the mouth, whence this grafs has acquired the name of Dulce. Its
of fruflification likewife above deferibed, didinguifh it very Arongly; when dried and placed between papers,
thaflowers and feeds are very apt to fall off.
^Bflowers in June and July, and may be found almod every where in the fituations above mentioned.
^Hith refpefl to its ufes in rural oeconomy, it is in every refpe£l inferior to the Flote fefcue grafs, confequently
no| worth cultivating for the ufe of cattle.
f jhi rCountry hke ours, where cultivation has made a confiderable progrefs, the water plants are confined to a
roan ipace compared to what they occupied in a date of nature ; the draining of bogs and lakes, has rendered
1 §|f *arg.e tra&s in feveral parts of the kingdom, capable of producing corn and grafs, adapted to the ufe of
i l l ! e’ which were formerly inacceflible to man or bead. We ought not however to look on this or any other
^ as. made in vain, .becaufe we do not immediately fee the ules they are applied to: feveral forts or water-
thllfi 1Cj - abound i° uninhabited countries, are expert gatherers of the feeds or the aquatic grqffes; and no lefs
^^Hpve different fpecies of Mifcce or Flies, were, produced from a few handfuls of the feeds of this grafs, which
I gathered it, were doubtlefs in their Pupa or Chryfalis date : Flow little do we know of nature’s pro