IpoA Procumbens. Procumbent Meadow-Grass.
POA. Linn. Gen.'PI. T r iAndria D igyn ia.
Cal. 2-valvis multiflorus. Spicules ovatas, valvis margine fcariofis acutiufculis.
Raii Syrh Gen. 27. H erbie graminifolias, flore imperfecto culmifer^e .
POA prócumbens culmis inflexo-procumbentibus, panicula fecunda rigida; fpiculis fublinearibus,
fubquinquefloris; flofculis obtufis bafi pilofis.
ujia perennis, fibrofa. ' _
FLMI plures, palmares, femipedales et ultra, bi,
trinodes, plerumque procumbentes, folioli,
Izeves, fuperne comprefli.
A glauca, brevia, lineas duas lata, lineata, ad
lentem punftis diaphanis fubafperis confertis
utrinque adfperfa, margine minutiflime fer-
rulata; Ligiila brevis, amplexicaulis, alba,
acutiufcula; Vagina foliorum intus nitida,
extus fuperficies eadem ut in foliis-.
(BLNOIRCEUSL Apa nfiucbublaiutin.cialis, rigida, fubovafa, deorfum fnuabtiisn dinea felqeuxaal,i bfuusb, feecxutnedraio, rer ammaojfoar,e ,r a-mfpiisc ublia- fdiimo pi.nlitcei ri nra mraomsi sp oifniftear,i oinri bfupse cpimleirnuibmuqsu me imnues
■ luxariantibus fpicula locum ramuli obtinet.
BEDUNCULI communes, teretes, nudi, flexuofi, fub-
ftantia glandulofa ad bafin fuperne notata.
pAOHIS teres, laevis,‘interne bifulca.
■ PICULiE in ramis majoribus fex circiter, in mirtori-
bus quatuor, leffiles, fubquinqueflorae, fub-
lineares, comprelfo-teretiufculae, aequidiftantes.
FLOSCULI obtufi, ad bafin pilofi.
BALYX : G/uma bivalvis, valvulis inaequalibus, viridi-
bus, albo marginatis, obtufiufculis, fig. 1.
JfOROLLA : Gluma bivalvis, valvis fubaequalibus, exteriore
majore quinquenervi,. interiore anguf-
tiore binerve, nervis ciliatis, jig. 2.
STAMINA: Filament A t r i a c a p i lla r ia ; A nther.«
oblongae, flavae, jig. 3.
(ISTILLUM: G ermen obovatum, pallide virens;
Styli duo, patentes ad bafin ufque ramofi,
1 J s- 5- : '
BfECTARIUM.: Glumulee duae, diaphanae, bafi tumi-
dae carnofae, gejrmine paulo 1‘ongiores, jig. 4.
§ ROOT perennial, and fibrous.
§ STEMS many, from four to fix inches or more in
t length, having two or three joints, for the
ï moft part procumbent, leafy, fmooth, flattened
towards the panicle.
LEAVES glaucous, (hort, two lines broad, fcored,
when viewed with a magnifier appearing to
be thickly covered with roughifti tranfparent
‘ dots, the edge very minutely fawed; Membrane
(hortj embracing the ftalk, white, fome-
what pointed ; Sheath of the leaves glofly on
the infide, the furface on the outfide the
fame as that of the leaves.
FLOWERS in a panicle.
PANICLE about two inches long, rigid, fomewhat
ovate, and now and then bent a little backwards,
turning chiefly to one fide, branched,
the branches growing in pairs, unequal, the
outer one largeft, in the lower branches a
fingle fpicula is moft commonly placed in the
y> middle betwixt them, in impoveriftied fpeci- 9 mens a fpicula often holds the place of a branch.
PEDUNCLES: the common peduncles round, naked,
crooked, marked at the bafe on the upper
fide with a glandular kind'of fubftance. ,
RACHIS round, fmooth, - with two grooves on thé
infide. .
SPICULiE in the larger branches about fix in number,
v in the fmaller ones four, feflile, containing
i about five flowers, fomewhat linear, roundilh,
ï (lightly flattened, placed at equal diftances
a from each other.
S! FLORETS obtufe, hairy at the bafe.
6 C A L YX : a Glume of two valves, the valves unequal,- 9 green, edged with white, and fomewhat
¥ blunt, fg . 1.
I CO R O L LA : a Glume of two valves, the valves fome-
I what equal, the outer one largeft and five-
ribbed, the inner one narrowed and two-
ribbed, the ribs edged with hairs, fig. 2.
•STAMINA: three capillary Filaments ; A n th er s
oblong, and yellow, fig. 3.
i PISTILLUM: G ermen obovate, o f a pale 'green
a colour; Styles two, fpreading and ramified
I quite to the bafe, fig. 5.
Q N E C T A R Y : two fmall tranfparent Glumes, tumid and
v fleftiy at the bafe, a little longer than the 9 germen, fig. 4.
*' SEED oblong, fmooth, enclofed in the glumes, fig. 6.
||EMEN. oblongum, laeve, glumis inclufum, jig. 6.
■ In the Autumn of 1793, having occafion to be at Briftol, I fpent great part of a day in examining the plants
( ( the famous St. Vincents Rock, adjoining Clifton-Wells ; and at the foot of the rock, on the edge of the
Bver Severn, I obferved a tuft of grafs, with a few panicles of ripe feed oh it, afluming a different appearance
ijp any grafs I had been accuftomea to fee : I fought for more of it about the fame fpot, but without fuccefs;
Bttering myfelf that it might turn out to be a new fpecies, I took up the only root there was, and gathered the
(eds, planting the one, and fowing the other, in my garden at Brompton; the next feafori it flowered with me,
gave me an opportunity of difcovering that it was a fpecies of Poa, perfe&ly diftinft from all our others.
B ln its general habit it Comes near to Poa.anqua, it bears an affinity alio to Poa rigida ; but from both thofe,
IP well as from all our other Poa’s, it is diftinguifhed by many curious and interefting particulars.
JOne of the moft ftriking chara&ers of this grafs is to have its ftalks for the mold part procumbent; but this
(rocumbence, if we may be allowed the expreflion, does not appear to originate in the ufual way, from the
■ eaknefs of the ftalk, but from its being bent downward at a joint near its bafe; as every ftem is not thus a6ted
°n, lome of them are frequently found nearly upright: the foliage of this plant is of a glaucous hue, and, if
Bammed with a magnifier, is found to be covered with numerous rough particles of a. filvery hue ; the panicle
(as a greater degree of rigidity than that of Poa annua, the fpiculae are much longer, lefs flat, and more regularly
P' aiJt “ om each other, and each floret is ciliated at its bafe ; fuch are the moft obvious differences ; many others
be difcovered from an attention to the defcription.
mtisfied with having found a fingle fpecimen of this plant, we delayed publidling this account, hoping
it might be found more abundantly elfewhere; in the beginning of Auguft an opportunity of making this
fortunately prefented itfelf.
B | . HOMas Frankland, an early and warm encourager of the Flora Londinenfis, which in many points has
■ pi improved by his friendly and judicio us obfervationS, fent me, from Clifton (where he then was on a vifit)
H sT e - an(I fpecimens of plants gathered near that fpot; I immediately wrote to him, and enclofing a
■ n lr?e.n my Poa, requefted him to fearch for i t ; on the 7th of the fame month I received a letter from him,
<( tjie nin8> *Pecimens of the fame grafs, with the following defirable information: " I had fortunately noticed
«L §raIs y°u enclofed in your letter, which grows in fome plenty in the inundated parts of the wafte
“ SuDDf iilig] wet below Clifton; it Teemed moft like Poa rigida, its habit was new to me, and I
llraie g f k a variety that grafs.” In a letter afterwards, Sir T homas informs me, that he had found the
on tkfrrn>a“un<^ant^y ° n the Pier at Scarborough : and we have lately been informed, that it has been found,
ouuie Effex Coaft, " 6 ' ' 3
in its appearance; it grows readily from feed, and flowers during moft o f the
H i * *roin the fame root, which is clearly perennial, we have, as in Poa annua, young (hoots and ripe feeds.