Volume 3

Flora Londinensis. Or Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London: with their places of growth, and times of flowering; their several names according to Linnæus and other authors: with a particular description of each plant in Latin and English. To which are added, their several uses in medicine, agriculture, rural œconomy and other arts / By William Curtis.

William Curtis

Date:: [etc.] 1777

Credit: Flora Londinensis. Or Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London: with their places of growth, and times of flowering; their several names according to Linnæus and other authors: with a particular description of each plant in Latin and English. To which are added, their several uses in medicine, agriculture, rural œconomy and other arts / By William Curtis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$POA ANNUA. Common DWARF Poa. 343 POA Lei Gen. Plant. Trianprta Dicynta. Ran Symp. Gen. 27. HERB GRAMINIFOLLE FLORE IMPEREECTO CULMIFERJE, POA annua, panicula diffufa, angulis rectis, fpiculis obtufis, culmo obliquo compreffo. Lin, Syl. Fegetab. f. 97. Spec. Plant. ed. 3. 5. 99. Fi. Suecic. 5. 223. POA culmo infra&to, panicula triangular, locuftis trifloris glabris, Haller. Diff. Vol. 5. p. 223. GRAMEN pratenfe paniculatum minus. Baubin. Pin. 2.3 GRAMEN pratenfe minimum album et rubrum. Gerard. emac. 3. Parkinfon. 1156. GRAMEN prateníe minus feu vuleatiffimum. Raji Synop. 408. Hudfon. Fl Angl. p. 34. copo. FL RADIX annua, fibrofiffima. | CULMI plures, cefpitofi, femiprocumbentes, in pratis vero inter alias plantas crefcentes, fuberecti, paululum infracti, femipedales. ROOT annual and very fibrous. STALKS numerous, forming a turf, femiprocumbent, but in meadows when growing among other plants, nearly upright, a little crooked, and about half a foot high. SHEATHS flt, two edged, and {mooth. LEAVES very numerous, fhort, keel-fhaped, fmooth, frequently wrinkled tranfverfely, the edge very PP e6dge- 6 VAGINZE compreffze, ancipites, leves. FOLIA plurima, brevia, carinata, glabra, faepe traní- verfum rugofa, margine minutiffime aculeata. fig. 8. ; | finely ferrated. fig. 8. | PANICULA triangularis, {ubcomprefla, flores fubfe- PANICLE of a triangular fhape and Hattifh, the flowers cundi. growing moftly to one fide. PEDUNCULI | univerfales ad bafin panicule plerumque bini, altero breviore, in medio frequenter zernz, apice vero folitarii; anguli nunc re&i, nunc obliqui. PEDUNCLES: the unrverfal peduncles generally pro- ceed from the bottom of the panicle in pairs, one of which is fhorter than the other, from the middle often by threes, and at top finely ; form ing angles fometimes ftraight, fometimes obligue. SPICULZE oval and pointed, flatifh and fharp on both fides, containing three and four flowers. Jf. 2. CALYX:- aGtume of two valves, the valves hollow and unequal. fig. 1. COROLLA oftwo valves, the valves villous, membra- nous and whitifh at the edges, the one larger, hollow and bluntifh, the other Ímaller and narrower. fiy. 3. STAMINA : the FiLAMENTS very minute, the Ax'rug« n yellowifh and forked. fs. 4. | PISTILLUM: the Germen oval, two STYLES exceeds ingly ramified and. pellucid. JE LN SEED oval, covered by the Corolla which adheres to it, at bottom flightly villous. jigs 7. SPICULZE ovato-acutz, compreffz, utrinque acute triflorz, quadriflore. fig. 2. CALYX: Gruma bivalvis, valvulis concavis, inaequa- libus: fo. 1. COROLLA bivalvis, valvulis villofis, margine mem- branaceis, albidis, una majore, concava, obtufi- ufcula; alterà minore, anguftiore. Jig. 3. STAMINA: FiLAMENTA tria capillaria ; AN'THERJE flavefcentes, bifurcate. fig. 4. PISTILLUM. GEnMEN ovatum, Styx duo ramofifti- pat pelbueuhu £5. s. SEMEN ovatum, corolla adnafcente tectum, ad bafin villofulum. fig. 7. DAE DAE 96€ 90-6 09-46 39-44 4455 € 30€ 9» Pro) G6 dee6 39-99» € 26» THE laudable Society eftablifhed in London for the encouragement of Manufactures, Arts, and Commerce, fenfible of the improvements which might be made in Agriculture, from a more general introduction of the moft ufeful Enghth Graffes, have offered Premiums to fuch as thal] give the beft account of their cultivation, and the Poz Annua above defcribed, is one of thofe they have felected, from its appearing to them to be one of the moft ufeful. Mr. StiliingHeet obferves that it makes the ineft turf, that he has feeri in high Suffolk whole fields of it, without any mixture of other Grafles, and that as fome of the beft falt Butter we have in London comes from that County, he apprehends it to be the beft Grafs for the Dairy; from obferving likewife, that this Grafs fiourifhed much more from being trodden on, he concludes that frequent rolling muft be very ferviceable to it: | There is no Grafs better entitled to Ray’s epithet of Vulgatifimum than this, as it occurs almoft every where, in Meadows, Gardens, at the fides of Paths, and on Walls: when it grows in avery dry fituation, it frequently doth hot exceed three inches, but in rich meadows it often grows more than a foot in height. The panicle is frequently put but in open fields it acquires a reddith tinge ; it flowers all the Summer long, aud even in Winter if the weather e mild. | It appears to be the firft general covering which Naturehas provided for a fruitfülfoil when it has been difturbed ; for which reafon, in Walks, Pavements, or Pitching, it may be confidered as one of the moft troublefome of Weeds; the moft expeditious method of deftroying it, would probably be by pouring boiling water on it. All the Authors that have defcribed this Grafs call it an annual, it differs however very confiderably from the other innual Graffes, they throw up their Spikes or Panicles, produce their flowers and feeds, and then die away ; this on the ontrary keeps continually throwing out new fhoots, and producing new flowers, and feeds, and if the ground be moift, | fingle plant will remain growing in this manner throughout the year, fo that we generally find on the fame plant, young íhoots and ripe feeds. | * Fic ver affiduum atque. alenis menfibus alas.” ! Perhaps this is the only vegetable we have that in this Circumftance imitates the T'ropical plants. Although its feed may be gathered the whole fummer long, yet about the latter end o£ May, it will be found n the greateft plenty: Experience muft determine the beft method, in which this Grafs fhould be cultivated vhether by fowing its feed, or dividing and tranfplanting the Grafs itfelf ; as-this (ced would with more difficulty YS procured in large quantities than that of many others, and as a fingle tuft of this Grafs may be divided into a vat lumber of young plants, probably tranfplanting it in wet weather would be the moft eligible mode of cultivation, Thefe obfervations are fubmitted to the confideration of the Farmer and Gentlemen of landed property, who refide 1 the Country, and who have both leifure and opportunity to try experiments of this kind. Although the Authors 9vince more particularly is to defcribe and figure thefe plants in fuch a manner as to make them as obvious as poflible, €t he would be exceedingly happy to communicate to the public, any improvements which may be made in this or hy other branch of Agriculture, that he may be favoured with, |$

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