MANNA GRASS, Glyceria fluitans, or Poa fluitans, a grass plentiful in marshes, ditches,. and by the sides of stagnant pools in Britain, and most parts of Europe; found also in Asia, North America, and New Holland. It is also known as flote fescue, floating sweet meadow grass, etc. It varies in height from one foot to three ft., and has a long, slender, nearly erect panicle, the branches of which are at first erect and appressed to the rachis; the spikelets awnless, slender, cylindrical, an inch long or nearly so, with 7 to 20 florets; the glumes small, unequal, and obtuse; the outer palew with seven prominent ribs and a membranous margin; a scale of one thick fleshy piece. The stems are decumbent at the base, and rooting at the joints; the leaves long and rather broad, the lower ones oftem floating. Manna grass is perennial, and useful in irrigated meadows and in very wet. grounds, affording large quantities of food for cattle. In many parts of Germany and'
Poland, the seeds—which fall very readily out of the spikelets—are collected by spread- ing a cloth under the panicles and shaking them with a stick; they are used in soups and. gruels, are very palatable and nutritious, and are known in shops as Polish manna,. manna seeds, and manna croup (q.v.). They are a favorite food of geese, and are also, eagerly devoured by carp and other kinds of fish.—Akin to this grass is the reed meadow grass, water meadow grass or reedy sweet water grass (glyccria or poa aquatica), a still larger grasS, with very abundant herbage, the most productive, indeed, of all British fod der grasses, growing in ponds, ditches, marshes, and the sides of rivers, often where they are tidal. Hay made of it is greatly preferred to that of other bog grasses. Its rapid growth often chokes up water-channels, so that they must be cleared of it.