The Description.

            1. This Oat or Haver-Grass, described by Clusius, hath small creeping roots: the stalks are some cubit high, slender jointed, and set with short narrow leaves: at the top of the stalk grows the ear; long, slender, and bending, composed of downy husks containing a seed like to a naked Oat. The seed is ripe in July. It grows in the mountainous and shadowy woods of Hungary, Austria, and Bohemia.

            2. I cannot omit this elegant grass, found by Mr. Goodyer upon the walls of the ancient city of Winchester, and not described as yet by any that I know of. It hath a fibrous and stringy root, from which arise leaves long and narrow, which growing old become round as those of Spartum or Mat-weed: amongst these grassy leaves there grows up a slender stalk some two foot long, scarce standing upright, but oft times hanging down the head or top of the ear: it hath some two joints, and at each of these a pretty grassy leaf. The ear is almost a foot in length, compased of many small and slender hairy tufts, which when they come to maturity look of a grayish or whitish colour, and do very well resemble a capon's tail whence my friend, the first observer thereof, gave it the title of Capon-tail Grass: by which name I received the seed thereof; which sown, took root, and flourishes.

            3. Next to this I think fit to place the Gramen Cristatum, or Cock's-comb grass of Bauhin. This Grass hath for the root many white fibrous threads thick packed together; the leaves are but short, about the bigness of the ordinary Meadow Grass; the stalks are some cubit and half high, with some two or three knots apiece: the leaves of the stalk are some four or five inches long: the ear is small, longish, of a pale green colour, somewhat bending, so that in some sort it resembles the comb of a Cock, or the seed-vessel of that plant which is called Caput Gallinaceum. This is ordinarily to be found in most meadows about midsummer.

            4. There is also commonly about the same time in our meadows to be found a Grass growing to some cubit high, having a small stalk, at the top whereof there grows an ear some inch and an half, or two inches long, consisting as it were of two ranks of corn: it very much resembles Rye both in shape and colour, and in his short bearded awns, wherefore it may very fitly be termed Gramen secalinum, or Rye-Grass. Yet is it not Gramen spica secalina which Bauhin describes in the fifty seventh place, in his Prodromus pag. 18, for that is much taller, and the ear much larger than this of my description.

            5. In divers places about hedges, in July and August is to be found a fine large tall Grass, which Bauhin (who also first described it) hath under the name of Gramen spica Brizæmajus. This hath stalks as tall as Rye, but not so thick, neither are the leaves so broad at the top of the stalk grow divers pretty little flattish ears consisting of two ranks of chaffy husks or seed-vessels, which have yellowish little flowers like to those of Wheat.

            6. There is also commonly to be found about May or the beginning of June, in meadows and such places that Grass which in the Historia Lugdun. is set forth under the name of Gramen Lanatum Dalechampii: the stalks and leaves are much like the common meadow grass, but that they are more whitish and hairy; the head or panicle is also soft and woolly and it is commonly of a grey, or else a murrey colour.

            7. There is to be found in some bogs in summer time about the end of July a pretty rushy grass some foot or better in height, the stalk is hard and rushy, having some three joints, at each whereof there comes forth a leaf as in other grasses, and out of the bosom of the two uppermost of these leaves comes out a slender stalk being some 2 or 3 inches high, and at the top thereof grows as in a little umbel a pretty white chaffy flower; and at, or nigh to the top of the main stalk there grow three or some such flowers clustering together upon little short and slender foot stalks: the leaves are but small, and some handful or better long; the root I did not observe. This seems to have some affinity with the Gramen junceum aquaticum, formerly described in the ninth chapter. I never found this but once, and that was in the company of Mr. Thomas Smith, and Mr. James Clarke, apothecaries of London; we riding into Windsor Forest upon the search of rare plants, and we found this upon a bog near the high way side at the corner of the great park. I think it may very fitly be called Gramen junceum leucanthemum: White-flowered Rush-Grass.

            8. The last year at Margate in the Isle of Thanet, near to the seaside and by the chalky cliff I observed a pretty little grass which from a small white fibrous root sent up a number of stalks of an unequal height; for the longest, which were those that lay partly spread upon the ground, were some handful high, the others that grew straight up were not so much; and of this one inch and half was taken up in the spike or ear, which was no thicker than the rest of the stalk, and seemed nothing else but a plain smooth stalk, unless you looked upon it earnestly, and then you might perceive it to be like Darnel grass: wherefore in the Journal that I wrote of this simpling voyage, I called it pag. 3. Gramen parvum marinum spica Loliacea. I judge it to be the same that Bauhin in his Prodromus, pag. 19 hath set forth under the name of Gramen Loliaceum minus spica simplici. It may be called in English, Dwarf Darnel Grass.

            9 .The Darnel grass that I compared the ear of this last described unto, is not the Gramen sorghinum (which our author called Darnel-Grass) but another grass growing in most places with stalks about some span high, but they seldom stand upright, the ear is made just like that which hereafter chap. 58. is called Lolium rubrum, Red Darnel, of which I judge this a variety, differing little therefrom but in smallness ofgrowth.

            10. Upon Hampstead Heath I have often observed a small grass whose longest leaves are seldom above two or three inches high, and these leaves are very green, small, and perfectly round like the Spartum Austriacum, or Feather-Grass; I could never find any stalk or ear upon it: wherefore I have brought it into the garden to observe it better. In the forementioned Journal, pag. 33, you may find it under the name of Gramen Spartium capillaceo folio minimum. It may be this is that grass which Bauhin set forth in his Prodromus, pag. 11, under the title of Gramen sparteum Monspeliacum capillaceo folio minimum. I have thought good in this place to explain my meaning by these two names to such as are studious of plants, which may happen to light by chance (for they were not intended for public) upon our Journal, that they need not doubt of my meaning.

            11. I must not pass over in silence two other Grasses, which for anything that I know are strangers with us, the one I have seen with Mr. Parkinson, and it is set forth by Bauhin, pag. 30 of his Prodromus. The other by Lobel in the second part of his Adversaria, pag. 468. The first (which Bauhin fitly calls Gramen alopecuriodes spica aspera, and thinks it to be Gram. Echinatum Dalechampii, described Hist. Lugd. 432.) hath a fibrous and white root, from which arises a stiff stalk divided by many knots, or knees: the leaves are like to the other fox-tail grass, but greener: the ear is rough, of some inch in length, and grows as it were upon one side of the stalk: the ear at first is green, and shows yellowish little flowers in August.

            12. This other Grass which Lobel in the quoted place figures and describes by the name of Gramen Scoparium Ischæmi panniculus Gallicum, hath roots some cubit long, slender, and very stiff, (for of these are made the head brushes which are vulgarly used) the straw is slender, and some cubit high, being here and there jointed like to other Grass: the top hath four or five ears standing after the manner of Cock's-foot Grass, whereof it is a kind. It grows naturally about Orleans, and may be called in English, Brush-Grass.