y 5 z [ io58 ]
M E L I C A tmiflora.
Wood Melic-grafs.
TR1AWBRIA Digynia.
G en. C har. Cal. o f i valves, with about 2 flowers,
and the rudiment o f another between them. Cor.
o f 2 valves.
Spec. C har. Petals beardlefs. Panicle drooping
toward one fide, branched. Flowers eredt.
Calyx containing only one perfedt floret.
S yn. Melica uniflora. Sm. FI. Brit. 91. With. 139..
Hull. 21. Relh. Suppl. 1. 8. Sibth. 40. Abbot. 16.
Curt. Land. fa ß . 5 . t. 10. Dickf. H. Sicc.
fa ß . 8. 6. Mart. Ruß. t. 64.
M . nutans. Hudf. 37.
M . Lobelii. Villars. Dauph. v. 1. 89. t. 3.
Gramen avenaceum nemorenfe, glumis rarioribus
ex fufco xerampelinis. Rail Syn. 403.
N o t uncommon in groves and thickets, where its red
bloffoms, fufpended by capillary and almoft invifible {talks,
feem like infedts dancing in the air. It flowers in May or
early in June, and is perennial.
Root fibrous or fomewhat creeping. Stem a foot and half
high, {lender, leafy, rough, terminating in an elegant loofe
{lender compound panicle, leaning to one fide, but bearing its
flowers eredt. Leaves flat, green, thin, rough on the edge and
back, with downy {heaths crowned by a fliort variable ftipula.
Calyx of 2, rather unequal, purplilh-brown, elliptical hulks,
fmooth, beardlefs and ribbed, containing only one perfedt
floret, generally accompanied by an imperfedt one {landingon
a little {talk, and confifting of 2 or 3 membranous hulks.
Corolla of 2 elliptical, concave, ribbed valves, notched at their
tips. Anther® a little prominent, deep yellow or orange-
coloured. Stigmas very feathery.