In pools and wet marshy places, sometimes on dry ground; not unfrequent. Fl. June-August. 4.

Hadnall; Mr.

near Shrewsbury. prostrate in the Leaves short, flat, smooth, furrowed, Panicle of a pur

Welbach Coppice, near Shrewsbury; Mr. T. Bodenham! E. Elsmere, junr.! Oakley Park, near Ludlow; Mr. Spare. Hancott Pool, Cross Hill, and road-side near Berrington, all Root fibrous. Culms 8 inches to 2 feet high, spreading and lower part, frequently rooting from the joints, leafy, smooth. striated and scabrous on the upper surface, sheaths compressed, ventricose, entirely divided. Ligule oblong, obtuse, very thin. plish-green silvery appearance, florets half the size of those of A. pratensis, rachis glabrous, peduncles very short, crowded, branched, 3-5-flowered. Glumes nearly equal, compressed, scarcely connate, hairy and covered with minute pale glandular dots, keeled and ciliated with long soft hairs, obtuse, with a green rib on each side. Palea folded, shorter than the glume, abrupt, irregularly notched, smooth, minutely glandular, 3-ribbed. Awn from below the middle near to the base, twice the length of the palea, somewhat geniculate, contorted, striated, pale and smooth in the portion included by the glume, purplish and rough with erect bristles above. Anthers violet.

3. A. agrestis, Linn. Slender Fox-tail-grass. Culm erect, striated, roughish; panicle spicæform, cylindrical, acuminate; glumes lanceolate, acute, scabrous, connate as far as to the middle, keels dilated, ciliato-scabrous; palea a little shorter than the glumes, slightly obtuse, awn inserted near to the base of the palea, and twice its length. E. Bot. t. 848. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 81. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 33.

Fl. June, July. O.

Fields and way-sides; not common. Oakley Park, near Ludlow; Mr. Spare. Field a little south of Ludlow, on the Leominster road; J. E. Bowman, Esq.

Root fibrous. Culm 1-2 feet high, erect, sometimes geniculate in the lower joints, smooth below, roughish above, leafy. Leaves rather narrow, striated and scabrous on the upper surface. Sheaths as long as the leaves, smooth except on the mid-rib, deeply furrowed, slightly ventricose, entirely divided. Panicle cylindrical, slender, long. Florets loosely imbricated, as large or larger than those of A. pratensis, rachis roughish, peduncles very short, simple, bearing generally a solitary floret. Glumes compressed, connate as far as to the middle, covered with minute, pale, scabrous points, sharply keeled, keel dilated, rigid, bristly in the upper part, ciliated with soft hairs below, acute, with a prominent rigid green rib on each side, scabrous or bristly above, hairy below, margins serrulate. Paleæ folded, scarcely shorter than the glumes, acute, smooth, 5-ribbed, 3 on one side the keel, and 2 on the other, slightly scabrous above. Awn from below the middle near to the base, twice the length of the palea, somewhat geniculate, smooth, contorted and striated in the included part, rough with erect bristles above. Anthers yellow.

1. B. media, Linn. Common Quaking-grass. Spikelets broadly ovate, about 7-flowered; glumes shorter than the paleæ ; ligule short, truncate. E. Bot. t. 340. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 133. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 47. Meadows and pastures; frequent. Fl. June. 4.

Root fibrous, tufted. Culms erect, slender, smooth, jointed, chiefly leafy at the base. Leaves short, linear-acuminate, with rough ribs and edges. Sheaths long, ribbed, smooth. Ligule short, truncate. Panicle very much branched, slender, peduncles divaricating in pairs, angular and roughish, purple, pedicels capillary and flexuose. Spikelets tremulous, very smooth, shining, purple on the

back, whitish green at the edges.

Glumes very concave, ovate, contracted at the base, slightly compressed, 3-nerved. Inferior palea similar to the glumes, compressed, and membranous at the margins, cordate or auricled at the base, with 3 strong principal ribs, and a smaller intermediate one on each side the mid-rib, the lateral ribs branching into three; superior valve obovate, flat, 2-1ibbed, apex retuse, edges and apex finely ciliated.

28. MELICA. Linn. Melic-grass.

1. M. nutans, Linn. Mountain Melic-grass. Panicle nearly simple, racemed, secund; spikelets drooping, ovate, with 2 perfect flowers. E. Bot. t. 1059. E. Fl. v. i. p. 113. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 41. Woods; not common. Fl. May, June. 4. In the Shropshire part of Wyre Forest, near Bewdley; E. Lees, Esq.! Rev. A. Bloxam!

Root creeping. Culm 1-2 feet high, erect, simple, jointed, tetragonous, furrowed, scabrous, leafy. Leaves linear-lanceolate, with fine rough ribs and edges. Sheaths nearly as long as the leaves, with strong scabrous ribs. Ligule very short. Flowers elegant, larger and more pendulous than in the next species. Glumes ovate, obtuse, convex, keeled, with 2 nerves on each side, deep purple-brown, margin pale, minutely glandular. Palea cartilaginous, unequal, inferior valve large, strongly and numerously nerved, covered with short glandular bristly pubescence; superior flat, with 2 marginal pubescent nerves and incurved membranous edges.

Between the two perfect florets is a pedicel, bearing a single involute membranous valve enclosing another pedicel bearing a similar but smaller valve, which again envelopes a still smaller pedicel and valve, without pistil or stamens in any of them.

2. M. uniflora, Linn. Wood Melic-grass. Panicle branched, slightly drooping; spikelets erect, ovate, with only one perfect floret. E. Bot. t. 1058. E. Fl. v. i. p. 112. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 41. Shady woods; not unfrequent. Fl. May, June. 4. Welbach Coppice, near Shrewsbury; Mr. T. Bodenham! Benthal Edge; Dr. G. Lloyd. Near Ludlow; Plymley. Foot of the High Rock, Bridgnorth;

Rev. W. R. Crotch. Woods, Coalbrookdale; Mr. F. Dickinson.

Near Cheney Longville. Ebury, Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury.

Root creeping. Culm slender, unbranched, jointed, leafy, angular, smooth. Leaves linear-lanceolate, broader than in the last species, upper surface hairy, under one finely ribbed, ribs and edges rough. Sheaths shorter than the leaves, ribbed, slightly hairy, close and tight, entirely undivided. Ligule short, truncate, usually elongated into a point opposite to the leaf. Panicle drooping to one side, branches capillary, angular, rough. Flowers upright, tremulous, elegant, variegated with green white and reddish brown. Glumes unequal, ovate, acute, covered with a slight glandular pubescence, with a rough keel and 2 ribs on either side, inferior glume with one rib only on each side. Palea unequal, cartilaginous, clothed with minute glandular points, inferior valve larger, strongly nerved, superior flat, with two marginal densely downy nerves and incurved edges. Imperfect florets as in the last species.

29. GLYCERIA. Br. Sweet-grass.

1. G. fluitans, Br. Floating Sweet-grass. Panicle sub-secund, slightly branched; spikelets linear, appressed; florets 7—11, obtuse, 7-ribbed, with short intermediate ribs at the base; root creeping. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 117. Poa fluitans, Scop. E. Bot. t. 1520. Br. Fl. p. 43. Festuca, Linn.

Hook.

In stagnant waters and slow streams; frequent. Fl. June-August. 4. Field near the Tanyard, Much Wenlock; W. P. Brookes, Esq. Hadnall; Mr. E. Elsmere, jun.! Coalbrookdale; Mr. F. Dickinson.

Berrington and Hancott pools; pit near the Flash, all near Shrewsbury. Root long and creeping, or partly floating. Culm ascending, round, striated, leafy, smooth, hollow, partly decumbent on the surface of the water, as are many of the long linear-lanceolate, acute, flat leaves, which are ribbed and smooth except at the edges and mid-rib. Sheaths long, compressed, smooth. Ligule oblong, pointed, often torn, decumbent. Panicle sub-secund, very long and slender, sparingly branched, branches roughish, nearly erect, divaricated in flower. Glumes very unequal, small, membranous, ovate, obtuse, smooth, with a green keel. Palea ovato-oblong, thrice as long as the glumes, inferior valve cylindrical, obtuse, scabrous and bristly, membranous and notched at the summit, superior valve flat, bifid, with 2 marginal ribs and inflexed edges. Scale of 1 thick piece. 2. G. spectabilis, Mert. & Koch. Reed Sweet-grass. Panicle erect, very much branched, spreading; spikelets linear; florets 5-9, obtuse, 7-ribbed; root creeping. Poa aquatica, Linn. E. Bot. t. 1315. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 43. Glyceria aquatica, Sm. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 116.

Sides of rivers, ponds and ditches; not very common. Fl. July, August. 4.
Oakley Park, near Ludlow; Mr. H. Spare.

Sides of Canal near Uffington.

Root jointed and creeping. Culms 3--6 feet high, erect, striated, smooth and leafy below, naked and rough above, slightly compressed. Leaves long, linear-lanceolate, broad, flat, single ribbed, lower surface and edges rough. Sheaths close, smooth, and striated. Ligule obtuse, torn. Panicle nearly erect, 6-12 inches long, branches semiverticillate, repeatedly branched and spreading. Glumes unequal, membranous, smooth, inferior valve 1—, superior 3-ribbed. Palea obtuse, inferior valve 7 ribbed, covered with minute scabrous pubescence, superior one bifid at the apex, with 2 lateral ribs and membranous inflexed margins.

30. CATABROSA.

Beauv. Whorl-grass.

1. C. aquatica, Beauv. Water Whorl-grass. Panicle erect, with whorled patent branches; spikelets linear; florets 2, obtuse, 3-ribbed; root creeping. Aira aquatica, Linn. E. Bot. t. 155.

E. Fl. v. i. p. 102. Catabrosa aquatica, Beauv. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 39. Banks of rivers, and pools of water. Fl. May, June. 4.

Oakley Park, near Ludlow; Mr. Spare.

Root of whorled fibres proceeding from the joints of the long, branched, floating stems. Culms 1 foot or more in length, stout, smooth, striated and leafy. Leaves linear, short, broad, flat, obtuse, smooth. Sheaths loose, smooth, striated. Ligule broad, acute. Panicle erect, large, branched, smooth. Glumes thin and membranous, scarcely-ribbed, broadly oval, obtuse. Palee of a thick texture, brownish-green, 3-ribbed, white and membranous at the blunt erose extremity.

31. POA. Linn. Meadow-grass.

1. P. annua, Linn. Annual Meadow-grass. Panicle subsecund, divaricated; spikelets oblongo-ovate, 3-5-flowered; florets a little remote, 5-ribbed, destitute of web; culm ascending, compressed; root fibrous. E. Bot. t. 1141. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 127. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 46.

Meadows, pastures, road-sides, waste and cultivated ground; every where. Fl. at almost all seasons. O.

Root fibrous. Culms numerous, pale, very smooth, compressed, leafy, jointed, branched and prostrate at the base, throwing out roots from the lower joints. Leaves distichous, linear, abruptly pointed, keeled, smooth except at the edges and keel near the point, flaccid, wrinkled above the middle. Sheaths long, compressed, smooth, divided about half-way. Ligule oblong, acute, in the lower leaves shorter and more obtuse. Glumes very unequal, shorter than the florets, ovato-lanceolate, rough at the back, membranous at the edges, larger one 3nerved. Inferior palea ovato-lanceolate, acute, white and diaphanous at the margin, 5-ribbed, slightly hairy at the base, superior one flat, deeply bifid, 2ribbed, ribs hairy, edges incurved.

A small peduncle extends beyond the upper floret.
Var. B. villosa.

Equally common, and flowering at the same time.

This only differs in the culms being more prostrate and spreading, throwing out fibres from the lower joints, and in the ribs of the superior valve of the palea being copiously covered with long soft white hairs.

Flat-stemmed Meadow-grass.

2. P. compressa, Linn. Panicle secund, coarctate; spikelets ovato-oblong; florets 5-7, obtuse, connected by a web; culm compressed, decumbent at the base; root creeping. E. Bot. t. 365. E. Fl.v. i. p. 121. Hook. Br. Fl. l. p. 45. On walls and in dry barren ground; not common. Fl. June, July. 4. On a wall at Wall-under-Haywood. Right-hand side of the road leading from Longville in the Dale to Wenlock Edge. Wenlock Abbey.

Root creeping. Culm 12-18 inches high, decumbent at the base, ascending, compressed, somewhat rigid, smooth, leafy. Leaves short, linear, acute, roughish on the upper surface. Sheaths as long as the leaves, compressed, smooth, divided for about three-fourths of their length, close at the base. Ligule short, truncate. Panicle erect, 1-2 inches long, coarctate, secund, branches few, short, angular and rough. Glumes nearly equal, ovate, acute, 3-ribbed, mid-rib rough, covered with minute glandular dots. Inferior palea ovate, obtuse, 4-ribbed, the keel and exterior lateral ribs furnished with a soft fine white web. Superior valve bifid at the apex, with 2 lateral roughish ribs and membranous inflexed margins.

3. P. nemoralis, Linn. Wood Meadow-grass. Panicle slender, slightly leaning one way, lax, attenuate; spikelets ovato-lanceolate, about 3-flowered; florets rather distant, slightly webbed; ligule short, truncate; culms sub-compressed; sheaths glabrous; root scarcely creeping. E. Bot. t. 1265. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 129. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 46.

Woods and thickets; not very common. Fl. June, July. 4.
Benthal Edge; Dr. G. Lloyd.

Leaton Shelf, near Shrewsbury.

Root fibrous, scarcely creeping. Whole plant very slender and elegant. Culms several, erect, slightly compressed, smooth, striated, leafy, jointed. Leaves chiefly on the stem, narrow, linear, acute, with 3 principal nerves more or less rough. Sheaths entirely divided. Panicle half-whorled, branches almost erectopatent, angular, wavy and rough. Spikelets 3-flowered, with the peduncle of a 4th floret. Florets with a hairy peduncle and a slightly connecting web. Glumes lanceolate, with a rough keel and a single rib on each side. Palece when seen under a magnifier, resinoso-glandulose. Inferior valve lanceolate, acute, 5-ribbed, pubescent on the keel and exterior lateral ribs, intermediate ones smooth and inconspicuous, superior bifid, with rough lateral ribs. Scales 2, acute, cloven.

4. P. trivialis, Linn. Roughish Meadow-grass. Panicle diffuse; spikelets oblongo-ovate, about 3-flowered; flowers acute, 5-nerved, connected by a web; culm, leaves, and sheaths roughish; ligule long, oblong, acute; root fibrous. E. Bot. t. 1072. E. Fl. v. i. p. 124. Hook. Br. Fl. p. 46.

Fl. June, July. 4.

Meadows and pastures; common. Root tufted, fibrous. Culms several, erect, leafy, jointed, round, furrowed, roughish. Leaves linear, acute, rough. Sheaths as long as the leaves, furrowed, rough, entirely divided. Ligule acute, oblong, 1 or 2 lines long. Panicle large, spreading, with half-whorled, horizontal, wavy, angular, rough, compound but very unequal branches. Spikelets sometimes only 2-flowered with the peduncle of a third, lower florets sessile, upper one pedunculate, with a few long very slender convoluted filaments proceeding from their bases and connecting them with the receptacle and with each other. Glumes lanceolate, acute, with rough keels, the larger with a single rough rib on each side of the keel. Pale lanceolate, acute, inferior valve concave, slightly compressed, keeled, smooth, with 2 lateral ribs at each side, membranous at the point, covered with minute resinoso-glandulose dots when viewed under a powerful lens, superior valve flat, bifid, with 2 rough marginal ribs and incurved edges.

5. P. pratensis, Linn. Smooth-stalked Meadow-grass. Panicle diffuse; spikelets oblongo-ovate, about 4-flowered; florets acute, 5-nerved, connected by a web; culm, leaves, and sheaths smooth; ligule short, truncate; root creeping. E. Bot. t. 1078. E. Fl. v.

1. p. 125.

Hook, Br. Fl. p. 46.

Meadows and pastures; common. Fl. June, July. 4.

Roots creeping with horizontal runners. Whole plant similar in general appearance to P. trivialis, though the culm, sheaths and leaves are smooth, and the florets broader, more ovate, obtuse, and membranous at the edges, with a more copious connecting web.

The most constant and invariable mark of distinction between Poa trivialis and P. pratensis exists in the form and size of the ligule; that of the former being oblong, acute and long, whilst that of the latter is very short, abrupt, and trun

cate.

32. SCLEROCHLOA. Br. Hard-grass.

1. S. rigida, Panzer. Rigid Hard-grass. Panicle lanceolate, disticho-secund, rigid; spikelets linear, acute; florets 5-11; inferior palea obsoletely 5-nerved, obtuse, subemarginate, and submucronate at the apex; root fibrous. Poa rigida, Linn. E. Bot. t. 1371. Hook Br. Fl. p. 44. Glyceria rigida, Sm. 44. Glyceria rigida, Sm. E. Fl. v. i. p. 120. Dry barren soils chiefly in the limestone districts. Fl. June.

Lincoln's Hill, Ironbridge; Mr. F. Dickinson. Benthal Edge; Dr. G. Lloyd. Near the Mill-pool, Lilleshall; Withering.

Whitecliff Coppice, near Ludlow, and all along the limestone ridge stretching from Ludlow to Wenlock.

Root fibrous, woolly. Culm, as is the whole plant, very rigid and wavy, slender, erect, 3-5 inches long, jointed, leafy. Leaves short, rigid, linear, setaceous, rough on the upper surface, more or less involute at the margins. Sheaths nearly as long as the leaves, compressed and keeled, strongly ribbed, smooth, divided for more than three-fourths of their length. Ligule oblong, jagged. Rachis angled, sometimes at once bearing the spikelets, but more usually throwing out branches. Glumes unequal, lanceolate, smaller 1-, larger 3-ribbed. Palec scabrous, inferior valve obsoletely 5-ribbed, the mid-rib or keel scabrous near the