Poa A nnua. Common Dwarf Poa.
PDA Linncei Gen. Plant, T r î a n ô r î a D îgyni a .
RaiiSyn.Gen.2-j. Herb* graminifoli* flore iMperfecto culmiferæ.
POA annua, panicula diffufa, angulis reffis, fpiculis obtufis, culmo obliqao compreffo. Am. Syjl,
Végétai, p. 97. Spec. Plant. ed.g.p. 99. PI Suec.p. 228.
POA culmo infra&o, panicula triangulari, loculus tnfloris glabns. Haller. hiß. vol. 2. p. 223.
DRAMEN pratenfe paniculatum minus. Bauhin. Pin. p. 2.
GRAMEN pratenfe minimum album et rubrum. Gerard, emac. 3. Parkivjon. 1156-
GRAMEN pratenfe minus feu vulgatiffimum. Raii Synop. 408. Hudfon. FL Angl. p. 34. ScopolU
| ,mv annua, fibrofiflima. ^ ROOT annual and Very fibrous. .
K plures cefpitofi, femiprocumbentes, in pratis | STA LK S numerous forming a turf, femiprocumbent,
f f vero inter alias plantas crefcentes, fuberett, f but in meadows when growing among other
paululum infracti, femipedales. plants, nearly upright, a little crooked, and
about half a foot high.
SHEATHS flat, two-edged, andfmooth.
t e u r i l Ä ' S Ä fepe tranf- | LÜ ÄW S ^
frequently wrinkled tranfverfely, the edge
verfim rugofa, margine minutiflime aculeata, |
r o x very finely ferrated, Jig. 8.
itfl • 1- • r.. 1_____/r- n-----fu b - I PANICLE of a triangular (hape and flattifh, the
fobcomprefla, Acres one fide.
I fDUNCULI univcrfales ad bafin panicula: plerum- | PEDUNCLES : the univcrfql peduncles, generally
r que bini, altero breviore, in medio frequen- 0 . proceed from the bottom of he pan.de in
ter tend, apice vero Jblitarii; anguli nunc $ Pairs, one o f which .s Ihorter than the other,
J ° J . from the middle often by threes, and at top
f Jingly; forming angles fometimes ftraight,
a fometimes oblique. 1 SPICULAL oval‘and pointed, flattilh and fharp on
f both fides, containing three and four flowers,
fig' H
refti, nunc obliqui.
ipiCULÆ. ovato-acutæ, compreffæ, utrinque acutæ
trifloræ, quadrifloræ, fig. 2.
1ALYX: Gluma bivalvis, valvulis concavis, inse- f CA L YX : a G lume of two valves, the valves hollow
qualibus, ßg. 1. and unequal, Jig. 1.
lOROLLA bivalvis“ valvulis villofis, margine mem- J CO ROL LA of two valves, the valves villous, mem-
g branaceis, albidis, una majore, concava, | branous and whitilh at the edges, the one
obtufiufcula ; altera minore, anguftiore, J larger, hollow, and bluntlth, the other fmaller
q f and narrower, Jig. 3.
I t AMINA: Fil ament A tria capillaria; A n t h e r * | STAMINA : the F il ament s very mmute, the A n-
fiavefcentes, bifurcatte, Jig. 4. | THER* yellow.lh and forked, f e 4. .
IlSTILLUM: G ermen ovatum, S t y l i duo ramo- | PISTILLUM: the G ermen oval, two S t y l e s ex-
| filfimi, pellucidi, Jig. 5. f ceed.ngly ramified and pellucid fe. r
lEMEN ovatum, corolla adnaTcente teaum, ad bafin | SEED oval, covered by the corolla, which adheres
I villofulum, Jig. 7. I , to it at bottom, {lightly villous, fig .j.
■ The laudable Society eftablithed in London for the. encouragement of Manufaaures, Arts, and Commerce,
Inlible, of the improvements which might be made in Agriculture, from a more general introdutlion of the
toll uleful Englilh Grafes, have offered premiums to fuch as lhall give the bell account of their cultivation;
|nd the Poa Annua above defcribed, is one of thofe they have feREed, from its appearing to them to be one
I Mr. Sdllingfleet obferves, that it makes the fineft turf; that he has feen in high Suffolk whole fields o f it,
without any mixture of other Graffes ; and that, as home of the bed fait butter we have in London comes lorn that county, he apprehends it to be the beff Grafs for the dairy; from obfervmg hkewife that this
^rafs flourithed much more from being trodden on, he concludes that frequent rolling mult be very ferviceable
t° it. i n
■ There is no Grafs better entitled to Ray’s epithet o f Vulgatiffimum than this, as it occurs almofl every
■ here, in meadows, gardens, at the fides of paths, and on walls: when it grows m a very dry fituation it
■ requently doth not exceed three inches ; but in rich meadows it often grows more than a foot in height. The
H&nicle is frequently green ; but in open fields it acquires a reddilh tinge. It flowers all the lummer long,
§nd even in winter, if the weather be mild. _ . r T r M . . . ,
i It appears to be the firft general covering which Nature has provided for a fruitful toil, when it has been
■ ifturbed; for which reafon, in walks, pavements, or pitching, it may be confidered as one ot the molt
|roublefome of weeds; the moft expeditious method of deftroying it, would probably be by pouring boiling
*ater on it.
J All the authors that have defcribed this Grafs call it annual: it differs, however, very confiderably from
P e other annual Graffes ; they throw up their fpikes or panicles, produce their flowers and feeds, and then
Bie away; this, on the contrary, keeps continually throwing out new {hoots, and producing new flowers and
feeds, and if the ground be moift, a Engle plant will remain growing in this manner throughout the year,
10 that we generally find on the fame plant young flioots and ripe feeds. ^
“ Hie ver ajiduum atque alienis menjilms ajias.
_ ..... ,jS this is the only vegetable we have that in'this circumftance imitates the Tropical plants.
■ Although its feed may be gathered the whole fummer long, yet about the latter end of May it will be Found
> the greateft plenty. Experience mull determine the beft method in which this Grafs fhould be cultivated,
B'bether by fowing its feed, or dividing and tranfplanting the Grafs itfelf; as this feed would with more
difficulty be procured in large quantities than that of many others, and as a fingle tuft ot this Grals may be
[divided into a vaft number of young plants, probably tranfplanting it in wet weather would be the molt
[ Pn!3^ m°de of cultivation. , ^ , - , , .
[• fhefe obfervations are fubmitted to the confideration of the Farmer, and Gentlemen ot landed property
H ° refide in the country, and who have both leifure and opportunity to try experiments of this kind.
P.ihough the author’s province more particularly is to deferibe and figure thefe plants m fuch a manner as
BP make them as obvious as poffible, yet he would be exceedingly happy to communicate to the public any
Improvements which may be made in this or any other branch of Agriculture, that he may be favoured with.