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Show 202 The Hiflory of p L A N T S. LA G U R US. f h L ·s a glume containing a fingle flower, and confifiing T H E calyx o t e a gurus 1 , rr. d h. t 1 d 1 f oblong linear figure compreue , very t m, pa u ous, an of t~o .va v~s o a~ftle e~hated with f;veral fine hairs. The corolla is alfo a each termmatm~ 1~ a h~ k 't! n the cup. the exterior valve is long, and terminates bivalve glume; Ith~sht IC e~ lal d n.rait. The back of the fame vafve alfo fends · t arifl:re w 1c are 1ma an H · h . · l . In wo out from I. t,s ' mt.d dl e a t h'I r d an·Hn. a, of a reflex ' twifted figure: t e mtenor va ve lS fm~~ an~ ac~~i:r~t~~~ee capillary filaments; the antherre are oblong. The ~ermen of .e .1 ~01111 b' d the fiyles are two in number and fetaceous: the ibgmata are t~e ptih his tur mllat~ ; th office of a pericarpium 'and inclofes the feed, which is vdlofe. t e coro a ~erves e 'd h Al .d f tingle ,· o bl ong , a Iid an'f iated · This genus comprehen s t e opecurm ea o Scheukzer. Lagurus fpica ovata. Tbe ovalrfpiked Lagurus. The root of this fpecies is compofed of a great many. fine wh~te fibres. From this row a number of leav~s, four or five inches long, a thtrd of an mch broad, and of a gale green colour : among thefe rife the fialks, three, four, or m~r~, from the fame p t. th grow to two feet or more in height, and are round, JOinted, and hollow. Aroto ev' ery ejyo int th<ne fiands a' fingle lea'f , furwun dm' gth e ft al k W·i t h 1· t ' ~ b af ce ! an d g. row-ing three or four inches long from it ; thefe, as well as the le~ves, nfing Im~ed1ately from the root, are very foft to the touch, and are covered .with fine ihort hatrs. . At the top of every fialk fiands a fi~gle fpike, ~f about two mches long,. ~nd fo t?tck, that it looks almoft roundiih. It IS of a greyifh-green col?ur, and furmlhed Wlth a great number of arill:re, which ftand a little way out fr?m It. . This fpecies is common in Italy ~nd G~rmany, b?t IS not a native of England, C, Bauhine calls it, Gramen alopecur01des fptca rotund10re. DACTYL IS. T H E calyx of the Dactylis is of a roundilh figure, obtu_fe, and larger th~n the flower. It contains fometimes only one flower, fomettmes two, and IS form~d of two valves, equal in fize, but the exterior one fomewhat bellied. The coro!la IS an obtufe glume, compofed of two v~lves,, and cover~d by the calyx: the extenor valve is broader~ and mbre bellied than the interior one, which is fmaller and flatter. The fiamina are three capillary filaments, of the length of the corolla : the antherre are bifurcated. The germen of the pi,fiil is 0f 'a turbinated form; .the fiyles. are ~wo ; they are capillary and patent : the fiigmata are plumofe. Ther~ IS no ~encarpmm .: the calyx 'and corolla both furround the feed, and at a proper time let 1t out. It lS fingle, roundiili, depreffed on one fide, and convex on the other. Some of the fpecies of this geg.us have one flower in each glume, fome tW04 t. DaElylis fpicis numerojis alteris patentibus, calycibus uniflorif. The numerous, alternate-/piked DaE1ylis, with unijlorous cups. The root is a congeries of white and tough fibres : the leaves are long, narrow, thin, and of a bright green ; the fialk is I'ound, jointed, and tall ; the top of it fuf .. tains a long and large panicle, compofed of a numb~tr of alternate fpikes of a whitilh, or greyifh, green, confiderably thick and naked. It is a native Qf Jamaica and New Spai~. Sir Hans Sloane calls it, Gramen DaCl:ylon majus panicula longa, fpicis plurimis nud1s craffis. The other fpecies are, I. The four-fpiked Daetylis of Barbadoes, 2. The Daety• lis, with two narrow, linear fpikes, terminating the fialk. 3· The Daetylis, witb numerous alternate fpikes clofe to the ftalks. TRIA N" The Hiflory of P L A N T S. 'FRIANDRIA DIGYNIA. Divijion the Second. Such as have a number of flowers container! in every calyx. MELICA. T HE Cjllyx of the Melica is a glume, compofeq of two valves, · and containing two flovyers. The valves are of an oval figure, hollow, and nearly equal in fize. The corolla is compofed alfo of two valves; they are of an oval figure, not arill:ated, and one of them is hollow, the· other flat. The fiamina are three capillary filaments, of the length of the flower : the antherre are oblong, and bifurcated at each end. The germen is of an OV<ltO-turbinated figure : the fiyles are two; they are feta~ eous and patent : the fiigmata are oblong and villofe. There is no pericarpium ; the corolla includes the feed, which is fingle, and of an oval figure, and, when mature, lets it fall out. Melica floribus fob culmo pendulis. The Melica, with flowers pendulous under the flalks. The root of this fpecies is long, flender, and creeping; it runs a long way under the furface of the earth, and in it's progrefs fends out a number of fibres. The ftalk rifes i!ngle, to the height of a foot, or more : it is very flender, round, hollow, jointed, and of a purple colour toward the bottom, green every-where elfe. At every joint there ftands a fingle leaf, which inclofes the ftalk in a kind of vagina at the bafe, and grows from it to the length of three, four, or five inches; there are ufually three fuch leaves on a ftalk; a few leaves rife alfo immediateLy from the root, and are lhorter than thofe of the fialk ; both are. very narrow. The .fialk terminates in f kind of fpike, very flender, and of a purphlh colour, formed of a feries of flowers, all hanging on one fide. It ufually ftoops a little at the top, and the flowet;s ftand fingly on very flen-der peduncles. · This fpecies is frequent in the woods in many parts of Eur:ope; we have it in England, but it is more rare with us. I have met with it in Walhingley-wood in Huntingtonlhire. C. Bauhine calls it, Gramen avenaceum locuftis rubris montanum. A I R A. T HE calyx of the Aira is a glume, formed of two valves, equal in fize, of an ovato- lanceolated figure, and acuminated ; it contains two flowers. The corolla is compofed of two valves, extreamly refembling thofe of the cup; one of thefe often produces an arifia, near twice as long as the flower. The fiamina are three capillary filaments, of the length of the flo~er: the antherre are oblong, and furcated at each end. The g~rmen of the piftil is oval; the ftyles are two; they are fetaceous and pate~ t. The 11Igmat~ ar~ hoary : the corolla ferves the office of a pericarpium, and inclofes t~e feed., which IS fingle, and o~ an ov.al figure. There are fome fpecies of this genus, m which ma~e fl~wers are mtxed with thefe hermaphrodite ones, under the fame common cup; In thts cafe the male flower produces an arill:a, the female does not. r. Aira panicula rara, calycibus albis. The open panicled Aira, witb white cups. The r?ot of this fpecies confifts of a multitude of thin and long blackifh fibres. From th1s grow four, five, or more, leaves, a foot long, and fcarce a tenth of an inch broad,. of a deep green colour, and covered with a few fcattered white hairs. Among there. nfes a fialk a foot a~d half. high, and very flender, fo as fcarce to be able to fuphart Itfelf; on the fumm.tt of .th~s fi~lk fiands a loofe, open panicle, compofed of a few owers, the cups of wh1ch diflmgu1fh themfelves,. at a dill:ance, by their fine white colour. This |