J-Jfittert jBa/k Sat Ip*.
POA MARITIMA. { Flora Angl.
Sea-marsh Poa.
Spec. Char. Panicle branched; spikets oblong, and roundish; four to six florets in each;:
leaves forked, rush-like, and rolled up.
Poa maritima is to be found upon the edges of pits and ditches, in marshes by the sea, and upon
the banks o f all our muddy sea-rivers, seldom making a conspicuous figure unless removed from the
influence of the common tides, when it sometimes attains the height o f sixteen inches: it is almost
always reclining, and generally covered with the filth of the river, and obscured with dirt. The
leaves at the root are fine, rolled inwards, and forked, which alone gives a distinguishing character
to this Poa; the panicle bears a slight resemblance to that of the preceding species. Marine
situations seem to give to almost all plants a particular hue, and this grass generally partakes of a
blue-green colour: when luxuriant, it expands greatly, and the lower branches of the panicle become
reflexed.--------- In the general situations of Poa maritima we are unacquainted with any immediate use
it can be applicable to, and even in particular places where its larger growth attracts some attention,
under the idea of contributing to animal pasturage, it is so obscured with dirt, or the exuviae of
spring tides, that it must be unwelcome, and ultimately prejudicial to cattle.
A, a Spiket.
B, the Calyx.
C, the valves of the Corolla, the inner one projecting a little beyond the outer.