Ho l c u s M o l l i s . C r e e p i n g S o f t - G r a s s ,
HOLCUS Linn. Gen. PI. P o l y g am ia M o n o e c ia .
H e rm a ph r o d . Cal. Gluma i-f. 2-flora. Cor. Gluma ariftata. Siam, q
Styli 2. Sem. i.
M a s c . Cal. Gluma 2rvalvis. Cor. o. Siam. 3.
HOLCUS mollis radice repente, geniculis villofis, arifta extra fpiculam produ&a.
HOLCUS mollis glumis bifloris nudiufeulis: fiofculo hermaphrodito mutico: mafculo arifta geniculata
Linn. Syß. Veget. p. 760. Sp. PI. p. 1485.
GRAMEN caninum longius radicatum majus et minus. Bauh. Pin. 1.
GRAMEN paniculatum molle, radice graminis canini repente. Morif. Hifi.-o. p. 202.
GRAMEN caninum paniculatum molle. RaiiHiß. 1285. Scheuchz. Agroß. p. 235. Vailï.Parif.p 87
GRAMEN mihaceum ariftatum molle. Raii Syn. p. 404. Hudfon Fl. And. ed. 2. p. 440. Lmhtfoot
Fl. Scot. p. 631. Schreb. Agroß. t. 20. 6 J
RADIX perennis, tritici canini inftar repens. 6 ROOT perennial, creeping like the garden couch-grafs
CULMI fefquipedales et ultra, faepius erefti, foliofi, jP STALKS a foot and a half or more in height, moft
nodofi, geniculis albis, lanatis, culmi etiam V commonly upright, leafy, jointed, the* joints
fteriles occurrunt ad terram magis reclinati, f white and woolly, Items alfo arife producing
foliis crebnoribus, alterms, lanceolatis, veftiti. X no fpikes, inclined more to the ground, and
| covered with more numerous, alternate, lan-
• • • • t • h . . ceolate leaves. •
FOLIA ad tres vel quatuor lineas lata, molli villo pu- 0 LEAVES three or four lines in breadth, covered with
befeentia, membrana ad balin folii alba, obtu- || foft fhort hairs, the membrane at the bafe of
fa> vagina ftriata* fubcarinata, villofa. | the leaf white and obtufe, the {heath floated,
U fomewhat keeled and villous.
PANICULA biuncialis, erefta, inftante anthefi diffufa, | PANICLE two inches in length, upright, during the
demum coarflata. | flowering fpread out, afterwards ^lofed, up;
RAMULI paniculae purpurafeentes, pilofi. | BRANCHES of the panicle purplifti and hairy.
SPICUL^E bifloras etiam trifloras, fig.%,4. albidas feu * fi |
parum purpurafeentes, flofeulis omnibus her-
maphroditis.
CALYX: gluma bivalvis, utrinque ciliata, ceteroquin
nuda, valvula altera majore et paulo longiore,
trinerve, nervis obfeure viridibus, Jig. 1,2.
COROLLA: bivalvis^ valvulis Iongitudine fubasquali-
bus, bafi pilofis, viridibus, exteriore majore,
glabra, gibbofa, interiore plana ad lentem fub-
. nervofa, hifpidula, e dorfo majoris valvulae
fuperioris flofeuli exfurgit arifta fpicula lon-
gior, primo re6la, demum tortilis, geniculata,
■ */'Afr8> 4-
STAMINA: F il am e n t a tria, capillaria. A n t h e r .«:
oblongas, flavas, utrinque bifurcae, jig. g.
PISTILLUM: G ermen fubrotundum, nitidum, minimum.
S t y l i duo, plumofi, fig. 6.
NECTARIUM: glumulas duas, lanceolatas, ad bafin
germinis, Jig. 7.
SEMINA duo, nitida, ovato-acuta, altera ariftata,
¥ 0riL.uLi.flL containing two, iometimes three flowers,
I M ' 3> 4- whitifh, or {lightly tinged with pur-
X pie, all the florets hermaphrodite.
Ï CALYX: a glume of two valves, edged on both Tides
A with hairs, otherwife naked, one of the Valves
§ larger and a little longer than the other, hav-
¥ ing three ribs, of an obfeure green colour, t y y y w u
ï COROLLA of two valves, the valves nearly equal in
X length, hairy at bottom, of a green colour,
I the outermoft largeft, fmooth, and gibbous,
§ the innermoft flat, fomewhat ribbed when
§ magnified, and a little hifpid, from the back
¥ arifes an awn, longer than the fpicula, at firft
a ftraight, laftly twilled and bent, fig. 3, 4.
§ STAMINA: three capillary F il am e n t s . A n t h e r a
Ö oblong, yellow, forked at each end, fig. 5.
) PISTILLUM': G e r m e n roundilh, Ihining, v e r y fmall.
) S t y l e s two, feathery, fig, 6.
fj NECTARY: two, fmall, lanceolate glumes at the bafe
( SEEDS two, Ihining, ovate, pointed, the one bearded,
altera mutica, glumis calycinis inclufa, fig. 8. <
of the largeft valve of the uppermoft flower
of the germen, fig. 7.
the other naked, enclofed within the glumes
of the calyx, fig. 8.
Notwithftanding this grafs has been well , named and deferibed by fome of the older Botanifts, particularly
Morison and R a y , its charafters do not appear to be generally well underftood. Baron H a l le r confiders it
as too nearly related to the lanatus, to be with propriety confidered as a diftinft fpecies; and Mr L ightfd o t
in his Flora Scotica, entertains fimilar doubts.
We have cultivated the two in feparate beds, clofe to each other, for feveral years: have noticed them with
a marked attention, where they have grown wild: and from a variety of chara&ers, are led to confider them
as perfe&ly diftinfl.
The moft ftriking of thefe chara&ers we {hall here enumerate. In the firft place they differ widely in their
natural places of growth: while the lanatus is moft commonly found in meadows and paftures, the mollis rarelv
occurs but in woods and its environs. We have, indeed, frequently found the lanatus, which is by far the moft
general grafs of the two, in a wood; but we never iecolle& feeing the mollis in meadows or paftures, and but
rarely in corn-fields, where it has been faid chiefly to grow. Comb Wood in particular affords a ftrong’ inftance
of its attachment to {hady fituations. Contrary to what fome authors affert, we have ever found the mollis the
leaft plant: or, if it has been obferved equally tall as the other, it has produced by far the moft fcanty panicle ;
nor do the fpiculae, in general, affume that brilliant colour which fo eminently diftinguifhes thofe of the lanatus
on their firft coming out, But the efaara&er which puts its being a fpecies out of all doubt, is its root; that of
tne lanatus does not creep, while the mollis poffeffes that property in a degree equal to the ftrongeft couch-grafs.
The other characters which ftrikingly diftinguilh this fpecies are its woolly joints and its large pointed fpiculze*
m which the beard, or awn, is'invariably much longer than the glumes of the calyx. . ■
In fpeaking of the lanatus we took notice of the impropriety of feparating that grafs from the general mafs,
jecaufe one of the flowers in each fpiculae was imperfeCt*. The fructification of the prefent fpecies argues more
Itrongly for its union with the others: here both flowers are hermaphrodite, both have ftamina and feathery
%les, and both produce apparently perfeCt feeds. Indeed we can perceive no character to diftinguilh it from
an aira, to which genus it perhaps with propriety belongs.
Schreber’s figure gives a good reprefentation of the panicle when clofed, but neither reprefents the joints
°r root well. J
As we confider the Holcus lanatus, which is much to be preferred to the prefent fpecies, as a very indifferent
pfs for cattle, fo we cannot but look on the mollis as one of the worft fpecies of couch; and, if it fhould ever
become a practice to Tow certain woods with grafs feeds, this fpecies ought furely to be eradicated.
It flowers in July.
* Scopoli, from a circumftance of this fort, has in our opinion abfurdly enough placed the Avtna claltor with the Holcus.