A systematic arrangement of British plants / by W. Withering ; corrected and condensed ; preceded by instructions adapted for persons commencing the study of botany ; accompanied with figures by William MacGillivray.

  • Withering, William, 1741-1799.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A systematic arrangement of British plants / by W. Withering ; corrected and condensed ; preceded by instructions adapted for persons commencing the study of botany ; accompanied with figures by William MacGillivray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    107/472 (page 79)
    ‘less. Nectary a cleft scale. Filaments three in both flowers ; anthers notched at both ends. Styles short, spreading; stigma large, feathery. Seed coated with the hardened permanent husks.—Name holcos of the Greeks. 4). 1. H. avendceus. Oat-like Soft-grass. The perfect flower superior, with a short awn, the imperfect flower with a long geniculate awn; root knotted. Height from two to four feet, or more: the lower part of the straw has a number of very short joints, which are en- larged above, forming yellowish juicy knots, resembling roots: leaves narrow lance-shaped, thinly hairy above: panicle long, with half-whorled branches: imperfect flower with a long awn, bent near the middle, inserted above the base; perfect flower with a short awn, inserted below the tip. Perennial: flowers in July and August; grows by roads and old walls, and in corn-fields, where it is difficult to be extirpated. In many districts it is so abundant, that the farmers collect the roots into heaps and burn them. Eng. Bot. vol. xii. pl. 813. Eng. Fl. vol. i. p. 109. 142, 2. H. méilis, Creeping Soft-grass. Perfect flower inferior, awn- less; imperfect flower with a bent awn exceeding the calyx; root creeping. Straw about three feet high: generally smooth, with ‘the knots downy: leaves narrow lance-shaped, acute, smoothish, or slightly downy, rough at the margin: chaff-scales nearly equal, smoothish, hairy on the keel: flowers shining, the upper hairy at the base. Perennial: flowers in July: grows in moist pastures and by old walls: common. Eng. Bot.vol. xvii. pl. 1170. Eng. Fl. vol.i. p. 108, 143. 3. H. landtus, Meadow Soft-grass. Perfect flower inferior, awn- less ; imperfect flower with a curved awn included in the calyx; -root fibrous.——Straw about two feet high: the whole plant, par- ticularly the leaves, covered with a very soft short down: chaff- scales nearly equal, downy: flowers shining, the upper with a tuft of hairs at the base. The principal difference between this and the last is in the length of theawn. Perennial: flowers in July: grows in meadows, pastures, and woods, and by roads: abundant. Eng. Bot. vol. xvii. pl. 1169. Eng. Fl. vol. i. p.108. 144, 26. ME’LICA. Metric, Calyx of two unequal, spreading, awnless chaff-scales, con- taining one or two perfect flowers, with the rudiments of one or two other flowers. Corolla of two unequal, oblong, awnless husks ; the outer larger, concave, ribbed; the inner flat, with two marginal ribs. Nectary cup-shaped, at the base of the germen. Filaments hair-like; anthers protruded, pendulous. Germen roundish. Styles distant, long; stigmas short. Seed egg-shaped, loose, covered with the hardened husksx—Name from me, honey. 42, 1. M. uniflora. Wood Melic-grass. Panicle branched, slightly _ drooping towards one side; flowers erect; spikelet with only one perfect flower. Root creeping: straw about eighteen inches high, smooth, slender: leaves with the ribs and edges rough: panicle ofa few hair-like branches: flowers variegated with white, green, and brown. Perennial: flowers in May and June: grows in woods: not uncommon. Eng. Bot. vol. xv. pl. 1058. Eng. Fl. vol.i.p.112. 146. 2. M. nitans. Mountain Melic-grass. Panicle close, nearly simple,