H olcus L an a tu s . Meadow Soft-grass .
HOLCUS Lin. Gen. PI. P o l y g a m i a M o n o e c ia .
H e r m a p i ir o d . Cal. Giu'ma i five 4 "flora. Cor. Gluma ariftata. 'Slam. 2.
Stylit. Sem. 1.
M a s c . Cal. G lum a 2 -va lvis. Cor. o . Sthm. 3.
Rhii Syn. Gen. 2 7 . H e r b .® g r a m in i f o l I® f l o r e im p e r f e c t o c u l m i f e r ®.
HOLCUS lanatus glumis bifloris villdfis: flofculo hermaphrodito finutico ; mafcufo arifta recurva. Lin.
Syß. Vegetab. p. 7 6 0 . Sp. PI. 1 4 8 5 . F/.Suec. 1 1 .9 1 7 .
A VENA diantha, ftofiibus ovatis ; perfe&o mutico, ifinperfe&o arrftato. Haller, hiß. n. 1484-.
HOLCUS lanatus. Scopoli FI. Cam. fit. 1238»
GRAMEN ‘pratenfe paniculatum molle. Pauh.p'in. 2.
GRAMEN miliaceüm pratenfe molle. Pet. Cone. Gr. 224. kaii Syn. p. 404; Soft-tufted Meadow»«
Grafs;
Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. z\ p. 440. Lightfoot. FI. Scot. p. 631.
RADIX perennis, fibrofii, minirne repens. | ROOT perennial, fibrous, not at all creeping
CUEMI plures, bipedales, fen tripedales, raro ultra, | STALKS feveral, from two to three feet high, feldonl
eredi, quatuor communiter geniculis diftindi, | . higher, Upright, generally fumifhed with four
pubefeentes-, feretes, in quibufdam ldcis ad | joints, downy, round, in fome fituation taking
bafin rad tcan tes. * root at the bottorti.
FOLIA pilis mollibus Ofidique veftita-, incana, tres lineas | LEAVES covered dn eVery part with foft hairs, which
lata, plana, fuperne ftriata, inferne carinata, f give thrift a greyifh appearance, about three
■ bagma lilleis purpureis externe notata, interne | lines id breadth, flat, above ftriated below
nittd^t ntembrdna obtufa, externe pilofa; pilif- | keeled, the Jheath marked externally with pur-
I pie lines, internally (hining; the membrane
■ blunt, externally hairy, and edged with hair!
que d liä ta .
PANICULA primo Ipiciformis, mollis, laxus, rubellus,
parum nutans,, dein ereda, diffufa, albida.
SPICULÆ bifloræ, albidfc, villofula?, verfus apicetti ‘co-
loratæ.
CALYX : Gluma bivalvis, valvula exteriore majore, tri-
„ nerve, interiore mucrotiata, minore carinata.
jig. 1. aud;
FLOS FERTILISv
COROLLA bivalvis, valvulæ teheræ, virides, nitidæ,
muticæ, valvulâ exteriore majore. jig. 2.
STAMINA : I^i l a m e n t a tria, capillaria; A n t h e r®
oblongæ, bifurcate, flavæ. jig. 5.
; PANICLE at firft forms a kind of foft, loofe, reddifh
fpike, which droops a little, afterwards becomes
upright, fpreading and whitifh.
SPICUL^E containing two flowers, whitifh, fomewhat
villous, coloured towards the top.
C A L YX : a Glume of two valves, the outer One lafigeft,
having three ribs, and terminating in a point,
the inner one fmaller and keeledv jig. 1.
magnif.
FERTILE FLOWER.
COROLLA compofed of two Valves which are tender,
green, fhifting, and pointlefs, the outer valve
largeft. jig. 2.
STAMINA: three capillary Filaments; A nther®
oblong, forked at each end, of a yellow colour^
? -fiSm 5*
PISTILLUM: GerMen obovatum; St y l i duo, ad ba-1PISTILLUM: Germen Inverfcly ovate : Styles two.
«kill™ fi” U^ Üe M M W ||UH . i f P W i branched quite down to the bottom, fig. 6.
SEMEN parvum, acuminatum, mt.dum glumis corolls 4 SEEG final], pointed, and (hining covered by the
tedium-. fig. 9, et valvuiis calycis inclufum. | glumes of the corolla, Jig, 9 !andinclofed in thé
n „0 Sj9 „ Ï valvcs of the calyx, fig. 8.
FLOS STERILIS-. . * BARREN FLOWER
COROLLA bivalvis, valvulas miuores, exteriore atiftata, * COROLLA compofed of two valves, the valves fmalh
arifta e dorfo valvulae erumpente, longitudine | the outer one bearded, the awn arifing from
valvute exterions calycis-. fig. 3 ,4. | the back of the valve, the length of the outer
am . , . . . . . . _ ... I valves of the calyx, 4.
STAMNA ftt iri&rtiln fig, $;■ J STAMÏNA as in the fertile flowers, yfy. 51
PISTILLUM : Germen at in tertili, fed multo minus ; | PISTILLUM: the Germen as in the fertile flower but
St y l I duo, lubulati, fimplices. fig. ?. | much leis ; Styles two, tapering, and limplei
SEMÉN minimum, abortivum, fSEED vetymmute and abortive.
. Tl* iJxkm Lanatus abounds in moft meadows, Is frequently found by road^fides, and fometimes on walls fo that
•t will thrive in almoft any fituation-. Therednefs of its panicle when juft opening, joined to the foftnefs and hoark
iieisot itsleaves, render it a very'conipicuous grafs.
H a l l e r fpeaks highly of it as food for cattle, calling it optimum.pabulum. We cannot coincide with him in this
«pi non, nor do the generality of our intelligent farmers and graziers, who condemn it as too foft and woolly • net-
rnftr a M ° '“ fbemg eably c?Ileaed) is fometimes lent up to London hi great quantities, and fold for pure
■ K i h“ 1 ‘‘ ” ere better P S l down Sround or pafturage in the ufual way, than fill it with this
“Hpr.ohtable, though pure grafs*feed; ■
Mr. L ightfoot informs us in his Fi. Scot, that it is fometimes ufed to make ropes for the fiftiing-boats
ft is a very diftina fpecies from the Holcus Mollis (as we (hall particularly explain when we treat of that grafs].
«‘ia flowers m June and Jmy\ , ®
One cannot but lament that L im n s fliould have feparated the Helens from the other graffes, with which it
Wlogreatan aftinty, and have placed it among the plants 1 the clafs Polygamia, merely bcïanle fome of its flow-
,e 're„H ,mper£a 5 1C fre^ e r y haPP;!u,,g- as'H a l l e r very jnftly obferves,that the Trilkum, Horde,mh and fenecefliry
here- “ thereis“