y (? ( 666 )
S C I R P U S lacuftris.
B u ll-ru jh .
T R 1A N H R I A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Glumes chaffy, imbricated every way,
all fertile. Cor. none. Seed i , beardlefs.
Spe c. C har. Stem round, naked. Panicle cymofe,
twice compounded, terminal. Spikelets ovate.
Syn . Scirpus lacuflris. Linn. Sp. PI. 72. Sm. FI.
Brit. 52. H ud/. 19. With. 75. Hull. 13. Relh. 19.
Sibth. 23. Abbot. 10.
S. paluftris altiffimus. Rati Syn. 428.
X H E Bull-ruth grows abundantly in clear ditches, dreams,
and the borders of lakes, flowering in July and Auguft. Of
its ftems the ruth bottoms of chairs are made; cattle in hard
feafons will eat it, and it is alfo ufed for thatching, and packages
occafionally, being of a foft pliant texture, totally deftitute of
the roughnefs, or cutting edges, of many grafs-Iike plants.
Roots creeping under water horizontally, thick and ftrong.
Stems upright, 4 or 5 feet, or much more, in height, perennial,
Ample, naked, round, fmooth, dark-green, very fpongy
and full of watery juice within, clothed at the bafe with feve-
ral fheathing fcales. Panicle doubly compounded in a cymelike
form, terminal, fpreading; its branches very unequal,
com prefled, fringed towards their extremities, fheathed at their
bafe with feveral unequal lanceolate chaffy brafitese. Spikes
generally 2 or 3 together, cluttered, ovate, brown, with a fhining
rutty tinge. Glumes concave, keeled, pointed, fringed, fome-»
times cloven, but with a ferrated point in the cleft. Stamina
not very long. Stigma three-cleft. Seed flat on one fide,
convex on the other, with 5 or 6 fhort rough briftles at its bafe,
as in S. maritimus, t. 542;
T