Fig. 190.—Cynodon dactylon.
This is a perennial grass with creeping branches and also with numerous deeply penetrating underground stems covered with white scale-leaves. Stems are prostrate, widely creeping and rooting at the nodes and forming matted tufts with slender, erect or ascending flowering branches, 3 to 12 inches high.
The leaf-sheath is somewhat tight, glabrous, membranous at the mouth which is villous. The ligule is a fine ciliate rim.
The leaf-blade is soft, narrowly linear, finely acute, acuminate or pungent, somewhat glaucous, conspicuously distichous at the base of the stem and, in non-flowering branches, scabrid along the margins.
The inflorescence consists of two to eight smooth, digitate, green or purplish spikes, 1 to 3 inches long; rachis is slender, compressed or angular, scaberulous.
Fig. 191.—Cynodon dactylon.
1. A portion of spike, front view; 2. back view of a bit of spike; 3. spikelet; 4.
first glume; 5. second glume; 6. third glume; 7. palea of third glume and rachilla;
8. lodicules, ovary and anthers; 9. hairs on the margin and keel of third glume.
Spikelets are laterally compressed, sessile, imbricate, arranged alternately in two series along one side of the rachis; rachilla produced beyond the first two glumes and hidden at the back of the palea between the two keels, small, slender and blunt when old and with a membranous imperfect glume when young, less than half the length of the spikelet. There are three glumes. The first and second glumes are shorter than the third, empty, ovate-lanceolate, acute, membranous with one thick green nerve in the middle, keeled, upper margin and keel scaberulous. The second glume is usually a little longer than the first, but occasionally also slightly shorter than the first. The third glume is longer than both the first and second glumes, obliquely oblong to ovate, subacute, membranous, boat-shaped, smooth, keeled, 3-nerved, one central along the keel and two marginal, keel scabrid below with stiff pointed hairs above, tip and lower margins scabrid or pilose, palea linear oblong, a little less than the third glume, obtuse, 2-nerved and with two scabrid keels. Stamens are three with pale purple anthers. Lodicules are two. Stigmas are purplish. Grain is oblong, slightly flattened, dorsally rounded, dull reddish-brown.
This is the common Hariali grass. It is also called "Devil's grass."
Distribution.—It is cosmopolitan.
Fig. 192.—Cynodon intermedius.
This grass is a widely creeping perennial.
The stems are slender, glabrous, creeping superficially and rooting at the nodes, but never rhizomiferous, leafy with slender erect or geniculately ascending flowering branches, and varying in length from 12 to 18 inches. Nodes are slightly swollen, glabrous, green or purplish.
The leaf-sheath is smooth, glabrous, slightly compressed, sparsely bearded at the mouth, shorter than the internode, except the one enclosing the peduncle which is usually long. The ligule is a shortly ciliated rim.
The leaf-blade is linear, flat, finely acuminate, scaberulous above and along the margins, smooth below except in some portions of the midrib, 1/2 to 7 inches in length and 3/16 to 1/4 inch in breadth.
Fig. 193.—Cynodon intermedius.
1 and 2. Front and back view of a portion of a spike; 3. a spikelet; 4. first
glume; 5. second glume; 6. third glume; 7. palea with the rachilla at its back; 8. lodicules,
stamens and the ovary; 9. clavellate and pointed hairs of the margins and keel
of the third glume (very much enlarged); 10. grain.
The inflorescence consists of four to eight long, thin, slender, slightly drooping, digitately arranged spikes, 2 to 4 inches long on a long smooth peduncle; the rachis is tumid and pubescent at its base, slender, somewhat compressed and scaberulous.
The spikelets are rather small, narrow, greenish or purplish, 1/15 inch long or less, the rachilla is slender, produced to about half the length of the spikelet behind the palea. There are three glumes. The first and the second glumes are lanceolate acute or acuminate, 1-nerved, keeled, keel obscurely scabrid, very unequal, the first glume being always shorter than the second glume. The third glume is obliquely ovate-oblong, chartaceous, longer than the second glume, obtuse or subacute and 3-nerved; the margins and keel with close set clavellate hairs pointed at the apex; palea is chartaceous, 2-keeled, keels obscurely scaberulous and without hairs. There are three stamens with somewhat small purple anthers. Ovary with purple stigmas and two small lodicules. Grain is oblong reddish brown, with a faint dorsal groove.
This species is closely allied to the cosmopolitan species Cynodon dactylon, Pers. and to another new species Cynodon Barberi, Rang. & Tad. described in the "Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society," Volume 24, part IV, page 846, and it is therefore named Cynodon intermedius. (See Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Volume 26, part I, pages 304 and 305.) This grass differs from Cynodon dactylon, Pers. (1) in not having underground stems and having only stems creeping and rooting along the surface of the ground, (2) in having less rigid leaves, (3) by having longer, slenderer, somewhat drooping spikes and narrower spikelets, (4) by having the first two glumes always unequal, the second being longer, (5) by having clavellate pointed hairs on the margins and keels of the third glume and (6) by having smaller anthers. Compared with Cynodon Barberi, this plant is more extensively creeping with longer slender branches and the leaves are usually very much longer, and the third glume is longer than the second.
Distribution.—So far, this was collected at Gokavaram in Gōdāvari district No. 8262, in Chingleput No. 11488, in Tinnevelly district Nos. 13129 and 13259, and at Kallar on the Nilgiris No. 13988.
Fig. 194.—Cynodon Barberi.
This grass is perennial with slender, creeping stems, 12 to 24 inches long, rooting at the nodes and invariably with two or three rarely more branches from each node; flowering branches are slender, erect or ascending, 1 to 6 inches long.
The leaf-sheath is short, smooth, compressed with scattered long hairs at the mouth. The ligule is a narrow membrane with the edge cut into narrow lobes.
The leaf-blade is flat, linear, acute or subacute, scaberulous, 1/3 to 3-1/2 inches long, 1/8 to 3/16 inch broad.
Fig. 195.—Cynodon Barberi.
1. Front and back view of a portion of spike; 2. a single spikelet; 3. a spikelet
with the flower out; 4. the third glume, its palea and the produced rachilla with a minute
glume; 5. clavellate hairs; 6. ovary; 7. lodicules; 8. grain.
The inflorescence consists of three to five digitate spikes, 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, erect or spreading, pale green or purplish. The spikelets are compressed laterally, sessile or obscurely pedicelled, imbricate, alternately biseriate on the ventral side of the rachis, 1-flowered; the rachilla is produced into a bristle behind the palea, with or without a minute glume. There are three glumes. The first glume is lanceolate, acute, shorter than the second, with a keel which is scabrid. The second glume is lanceolate, acuminate, equal to or a little longer than the third glume with a scabrid keel. The third glume is obliquely oblong to ovate, subacute, truncate or 2-toothed, boat-shaped, sub-chartaceous, 3-nerved, paleate and distinctly keeled; the keel and the margins of the glume are densely covered with distinctly clavellate hairs; palea is firmly membranous, equal to or slightly smaller than the glume, linear-oblong, 2-keeled, densely hairy with clavellate hairs along the keels, and 2-nerved. There are two lodicules and three stamens. The ovary is ovoid with two style branches. Grain is free within the glume, oblong, smooth, transparent, and the embryo is about one-third the length of the grain.
This species is closely allied to Cynodon dactylon, Pers., but differs from it in the following respects:—The absence of stoloniferous underground branches, leaves short and not finely pointed; spikes not exceeding five; the second glume is always equal to or longer than the third glume; presence of clavellate hairs on the keels and margins of the third glume and on the keels of the palea.
Distribution.—So far collected in Coimbatore, Salem, Tinnevelly, Chingleput and Gōdāvari districts.
These are annual or perennial grasses. Spikes are solitary or many in terminal umbels or short racemes, erect or spreading. Spikelets are unilateral, sessile, crowded, biseriate on a slender rachis with four to six glumes and 1 to 3-flowered; the rachilla is produced and disarticulating above the empty glumes. The first two glumes are unequal, narrow, keeled, membranous, 1-nerved, persistent, acute, mucronate and the second glume awned shortly. Floral glumes narrow or broad, acute, obtuse or minutely 2-toothed and awned, paleate; sterile glumes are small, without palea. There are two lodicules and anthers are rather small. Grain is narrow and free.
KEY TO THE SPECIES.
This is a perennial grass. Stems are procumbent when growing in open places, but erect if growing amidst bushes, often branched, ending in long naked peduncles, varying in length from 1-1/2 to 4 feet. In some cases prostrate stems produce roots at the nodes.
The leaf-sheaths are long, glabrous, the mouth being generally hairy. The ligule consists of long hairs. Nodes are glabrous.
The leaf-blades are linear, flat, finely acuminate and narrowed into very long points at the apex; glabrous or slightly hairy at the base and contracted, 4 to 10 inches long and 1/6 to 1/4 inch broad.
The inflorescence consists of two to five rarely six, very slender spikes, 3 to 8 inches long, forming a terminal whorl. The rachis is fine and scabrid.
Fig. 196.—Chloris incompleta.
1. A portion of the rachis with two spikelets; 2. the third glume and its palea with
the rudimentary fourth glume; 3 and 4. the first and the second glumes; 5 and 6. the
third glume and its palea; 7. the ovary, anthers and lodicules.
Spikelets are narrowly lanceolate, closely appressed and imbricate, 1/6 inch long excluding the awn and very variable. There are four glumes in the spikelet. The first glume is very small linear-lanceolate, acute, about 1/10 inch or less. The second glume is lanceolate, membranous, three times the length of the first glume, 2-toothed at the apex and the mid-nerve produced into a very short awn. The third glume is oblong-lanceolate as long as the second glume or longer, 2-toothed at the apex, awned, the awn being about 3/8 inch long; the callus is bearded at the base. The palea is as long as the glume, 2-toothed or not at the apex. The fourth glume is very minute, awned and is borne by a rachilla produced to half the length of the third glume.
This grass is fairly common and grows in all situations and in all sorts of soils.
Distribution.—This occurs all over the Presidency in the plains.
This grass is a very slender annual with weak stems, branched from the base, 10 to 18 inches long.
The leaf-sheath is glabrous, compressed and keeled. The ligule is a truncate membrane. The nodes are glabrous.
The leaf-blade is linear to linear-lanceolate, flaccid, finely acuminate with the margin more or less ciliate towards the base, 3 to 8 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide.
The spikes are solitary, erect. 1 to 2-1/2 inches long.
Fig. 197.—Chloris tenella.
1. A portion of the spike; 2. a spikelet; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. the glumes in
regular order beginning with the first; 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a and 9b. are the palea of the third,
fourth, fifth, sixth and the seventh glumes, respectively; 5b. grain.
The spikelets are large about 1/4 inch long cuneate and bifarious. There are usually five to six glumes (and rarely up to eight). The first glume is ovate-lanceolate, acute and hyaline, 1-nerved. The second glume is a little longer and broader than the first glume, 1-nerved and this mid-nerve produced into a very short awn. The third glume is as long as the second or longer, coriaceous, obovate and truncate at the top, 3-nerved and the marginal nerves distant from the margin, keel and the lateral nerves villous to about three-fourths their length, scabrid at the apex close to the truncate margin, paleate; palea is elliptic, with ciliate margins, callus is densely villous. The fourth glume is nearly half or a little more than half of the third glume, narrower, paleate; palea is elliptic. The succeeding glumes fifth to the eighth are similar to the fourth in shape but they get smaller and smaller and the last glume is epaleate. The third glume is usually grain bearing, but rarely the fourth also may contain a grain, the remaining glumes being sterile. Grain is oblong, lenticular, brownish.
This grass is widely spread in the Ceded districts and appears to be a good fodder grass.
Distribution.—Southern India, Rajputana, Scind and Khandeish.
This grass seems to be a perennial. The stems are somewhat flattened, erect, tufted, leafy at the base and occasionally with creeping stems rooting at the lower nodes varying in length from 10 to 21 inches.
The leaf-sheaths are glabrous, compressed, upper sheaths somewhat inflated; mouth of the sheath is bearded with long hairs in the leaves of young branches and quite glabrous when old and in flower-bearing branches, margins are thin and membranous. The ligule is a thin narrow membranous ridge.
The leaf-blades are rather narrow, linear, flat, acute, glabrous when old, and with scattered long hairs in the leaves of young branches, varying in length from 2 to 9 and sometimes even 15 inches and in breadth about 1/8 inch or less.
Fig. 198.—Chloris virgata.
1. Spikelet; 2 and 3, the first and second glumes; 4 and 5. the third glume and its
palea; 6. lodicules, stamens and the ovary; 7. the fourth glume; 8. grain.
The inflorescence consists of from four to nine spikes digitately arranged on a long peduncle and the leaf-sheath enclosing the inflorescence is somewhat large and inflated. Spikes are 1 to 1-1/2 inches long with fine, angular rachis, scaberulous in the edges.
Spikelets are about 1/10 inch, 2-awned, shortly stalked and consist of only four glumes. The first glume is small lanceolate, glabrous, with the keel scaberulous, 1-nerved. The second glume is about one and a half times the first, oblong-lanceolate, 2-fid at the apex, glabrous, but the keel scaberulous and nerve produced between the lobes into a short scaberulous awn. The third glume is oblong-ovate, lanceolate, 2-fid at the apex, and awned in the sinus, awn being about 1/4 inch long bearded at the base, the margins are slightly ciliate up to about the middle and then closely ciliate with long hairs almost to the tip, but not to the tip; on the two sides of the dorsal nerve there are two shallow grooves one on each side, with short scattered appressed hairs; the palea is narrow oblanceolate, minutely 2-fid at the tip, with margins folded inward and embracing the stamens, ovary and the lodicules. Grain is narrow, trigonous, oblong, translucent and shining. The fourth glume is borne by a short rachilla which is about 1/3 the length of the third glume or less, shorter than the third, cuneiform, empty and awned.
This grass grows well and produces a fair amount of foliage.
Distribution.—This is not very common. So far collected only from Hosur in Salem district and Bellary district although its distribution is said to be Central and Southern India. It was found growing abundantly on old walls of houses in Poona city in 1920 and 1921.
Fig. 199.—Chloris barbata (perennial plant).
Fig. 200.—Chloris barbata.
This is a very common perennial grass.
Stems are stout, tufted, geniculately ascending and erect when in flower, and some creeping and rooting at the nodes; leafy at the base and branching upwards, 1 to 3 feet; the lower internodes are 2 to 3 inches long and the upper still longer, glabrous.
The leaf-sheaths are glabrous, compressed laterally, open at the base and closed above, with a few scattered long hairs at the mouth, the margins thinly membranous. The ligule is a very narrow membrane. The nodes are glabrous mostly bearing tufts of leaves with compressed equitant sheaths.
The leaf-blade is narrow linear, flat or folded, acuminate, with long hairs on the margin towards the base, varying in length from 2 to 18 inches.
Fig. 201.—Chloris barbata.
1 to 5. the first, second, third, fourth and the fifth glume of a spikelet; 3a and 3b. the
third glume and its palea; 3c. ovary, stamens and lodicules; 4a and 5a. the fourth and
fifth glumes; 6. grain.
The inflorescence consists of five to fourteen or fifteen sessile, digitately arranged spikes, varying in length from 1-1/2 to 3 inches, on a slender peduncle; the rachis is slender minutely hairy swollen at the base.
The spikelets are green or purplish, 3-awned, unilaterally biseriate on the outside of the rachis, 1/10 inch excluding the awn; the rachilla is bearded at the base, but is shorter than the third glume and bears two barren glumes. There are five glumes. The first and the second glumes are lanceolate, acute, membranous, pale and 1-nerved, but the first glume is shorter than the second. The third glume is broadly elliptic or ovate, concave, awned, 3-nerved, with margins densely bearded above the middle and sparsely bearded dorsally on both the sides of the mid-nerve; the palea is oblanceolate, as long as the glume, folded inside along the margins and outside along the middle, enclosing three stamens and ovary. The fourth glume is cuneiform, 3-nerved, awned, shortly ciliate above the middle, empty. The fifth glume is awned, 3-nerved, glabrous, and globose.
This grass is very widely distributed and it grows in all kinds of soils. Cattle eat it when young, but avoid it when the inflorescence is mature.
Distribution.—Throughout the plains in India, Burma and Ceylon.
Fig. 202.—Chloris Bournei.
1. Full plant; 2. leaf showing ligule.
This grass appears to be perennial. The stems are somewhat stout, tufted, erect or ascending geniculately from a creeping and rooting base, varying in length from 1 to 3 feet and with internodes to 6 inches becoming longer upwards.
The leaf-sheaths are equal to or longer than the internodes at the base, but shorter above, glabrous, compressed, distichous, bearded towards the mouth and with membranous margins. The ligule is a narrow membranous ridge. Nodes are thickened, deeply purple ringed, glabrous and the lower nodes always with a fan-like tuft of flattened leaf-sheaths and leaves.
The leaf-blades are linear, finely acuminate, slightly broadened and rounded at the base, keeled, the upper surface scaberulous and with a few scattered long hairs especially towards the base, smooth or slightly scaberulous below, 1 to 9 inches by 1/12 to 1/4 inch.
The inflorescence consists of digitately arranged spikes 1-1/2 to 4 inches long on a peduncle which is sometimes 15 inches long. Spikes are stout, purple-tinged, three to seven and even nine in some specimens, shortly stalked, the base of the stalk being slightly swollen and villous at the base, the rachis is slender, somewhat villous towards the base.
Fig. 203.—Chloris Bournei.
1 to 5. The glumes in order; 3a and 3b. the third glume and its palea; 3c. flower; 4a
and 4b. the fourth glume and its palea; 5a. fifth glume; 6. a spikelet with four awned
glumes; 7. grain.
The spikelets are about 1/8 inch excluding the awn, very shortly pedicelled, biseriate, unilateral, disarticulating above the first two glumes which are persistent, purplish or pale, 1- to 3-flowered, usually 3- to 4-awned and sometimes 5-awned; awns are purplish 3/16 to 5/16 inch long, finely scabrid. There are five or seven glumes in a spikelet. The first glume is hyaline, purplish or pale, about 1/10 inch long, lanceolate, sub-acuminate, 1-nerved with a scaberulous keel. The second glume is hyaline, about one and half times as long as the first, oblong elliptic, minutely 2-lobed at the apex, with a minute mucro between, 1-nerved with a scabrid keel. The third glume is as long as the second, awned, pale or purple, ovate or obovate, narrowed at the base and clasping the rachilla at its base, apex shortly 2-fid with a purple dorsal awn, 3-nerved paleate; the two marginal nerves are densely bearded with long white or purple tinged hairs from near the base to almost the apex and the mid-nerve also similarly bearded with long hairs on both sides, and the base with a tuft of long hairs; the palea is as long as the glume, coriaceous obovately-cuneate, obtuse, minutely bifid, purple-tipped, with folded hyaline margins, 2-keeled; keels shortly ciliate. Stamens three with yellow or purple anthers, ovary with two feathery stigmas and two lodicules. Grain is oblong shining light reddish brown, narrowed at both ends and somewhat trigonous. The remaining glumes fourth to seventh are borne by the rachilla, thinly chartaceous, broadly obcordate or obovate, gradually diminishing in size, purple-tinged, 3- to 5-nerved, scaberulous. The fourth and fifth glumes are empty and epaleate when the spikelets are five glumed. If there are six glumes, the fourth bears stamens and the ovary, the fifth and sixth glumes are empty, and in spikelets of seven glumes, the third, fourth, and the fifth glumes are flower-bearing and contain grains, and the remaining two glumes are empty.
This species is a tall robust one resembling Chloris barbata in its inflorescence, but with larger spikelets—as large as those of Chloris tenella. No doubt it is closely allied to Chloris barbata, but differs from it by having larger spikelets that are 3- to 5-awned and 1- to 3-flowered, and the nerves being bearded throughout their length with long hairs.
Specimens of this grass were sent to Kew and Calcutta herbariums for identification and they were named C. montana, with which I could not agree.
So again I sent these specimens along with specimens of what I considered C. montana to Dr. Stapf at Kew through Mr. Gamble and Dr. Stapf wrote about these thus:—"We have not been able to match it with any of the described species of Chloris and Mr. Ranga Acharya will be fully justified in describing it as a new species. We have had it apart from Wight's specimen from the following collections:—(1) Sattur, November 19, 1795, sub-Andropogon barbata, Var.? Herb Rottler. (2) Ahmednagar-Miss Shattock (U.S. Dept. Agri.—received 1914). (3)Tornagallu, Bellary district, 11th August 1901 (Ex herb Ranga Acharya in Herb, Bourne No. 3594)."
Distribution.—This grass was found growing in abundance in the fields Nos. 13, 37 and 62 of the Agricultural College and in the grounds around the Forest College, Coimbatore, and was also collected in Hagari and Samalkota.
This grass grows well and is likely to prove useful, as cattle seem to like it.
Fig. 204.—Chloris montana.
This is a perennial grass usually met with on dry soils. The stems are erect, tufted, geniculately ascending from a creeping base rooting at the nodes, quite glabrous, varying in length from 4 inches to 4 feet.
The leaf-sheaths are shorter than the internodes, flat, compressed, glabrous, with a few hairs or not at the mouth and with membranous margins; the uppermost sheath is spathiform enclosing the inflorescence when young. The ligule consists of only a thin ridge of short hairs densely arranged. Nodes are glabrous and dark-ringed, and with fan-like spreading equitant leaf-sheaths and leaves more especially when rooting.
The leaf-blades are narrow linear, finely acuminate, rounded at the base, glabrous throughout, folded flat inwards, 1/2 to 8 inches long, 1/16 to 1/8 inch broad.
The inflorescence consists of three to six (very rarely up to nine) spikes, 1 to 3 inches long, connate at the base, erect and never spreading, the peduncle is slender, long, glabrous and copiously pubescent just below the base of the connate spikes; rachis is angular, slender and scabrid.
Fig. 205.—Chloris montana.
1. A portion of the spike; 2. a spikelet; 3 and 4. first and second glumes; 5 and
5a. third glume and its palea; 6, 7, 8 and 9. fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh glumes;
10. lodicules, ovary and stamens; 11. grain.
The spikelets are about 1/8 inch excluding the awns, shortly pedicelled, unilateral, biseriate, thin and slender, 1-flowered, pale or purple tinged, disarticulating above the two lower empty glumes, which persist on the rachis, generally 4-awned, very rarely 3 or 5; awns are pale or purple, 1/8 to 5/16 inch; pedicel is short, angular, scaberulous with a few pilose hairs; rachilla is produced but is shorter than the flowering glume. There are usually six glumes in a spikelet and very rarely five or seven glumes; of these the first two glumes are hyaline, empty, awnless; the third is flower-bearing and the rest empty, thinly coriaceous and awned. The first glume is white or lightly purplish, small, about 1/16 inch long, lanceolate, finely acuminate, 1-nerved, and with scabrid keel. The second glume is twice the first glume in length, oblong-lanceolate, finely acuminate, 1-nerved. The third glume is broadly oblong, chartaceous, 3-nerved, bearded with long hairs along the margins from a little above the base, and with a tuft of hairs at the base and an awn at the apex; the palea is oblong, a little smaller than the glume, folded along the margins. There are three stamens with pale yellow anthers. The styles are white with purple stigmas. Lodicules are narrowly cuneate. The fourth and the fifth glumes are small, epaleate, empty, oblong, cuneate, 3-nerved, awned. The sixth glume is very small, cuneate, awned.
Distribution.—In the districts forming the Coromandel Coast and also Gangetic plains and Ceylon.
These are annual or perennial grasses. Leaves are long or short. The spikelets are sessile, 3 to 12 flowered, 2 to 3-seriate, secund, laterally compressed and forming digitate whorled or capitate spikes, not joined at the base; rachilla continuous between the flowering glumes. The glumes in a spikelet are few to many, keeled. The first two glumes are subequal or unequal, persistent; the first glume is 1-nerved and the second glume is 1- to 7-nerved. The flowering glumes are 3-nerved, paleate; palea is complicate; keels are strong, scabrid or ciliate. Lodicules are two, cuneate. Anthers are short. Styles distinct and short. Grain is free, rugose, and the pericarp is hyaline and loose.
KEY TO THE SPECIES.
This is a tufted annual grass with short, erect, somewhat compressed, glabrous stems, 1 to 2 feet high.
The leaf-sheaths are compressed, distichous, ciliate. The ligule is a ridge of hairs.
The leaf-blades are narrow-linear, as long as the stem, glabrous or with a few scattered hairs near the mouth, acuminate, base not contracted, 12 to 20 inches long and 1/8 to 1/6 inch broad.
The spikes are elongate, digitate, 2 to 7, 2 to 5 inches long, all in a terminal whorl and sometimes with one or two lower down, and with the axils glandular and hairy; the rachis is slender and dorsally flattened.
Fig. 206.—Eleusine indica.
1. A portion of the spike; 2. a spikelet; 3. flowering glumes and their palea with
the rachis; 4 and 5. the first two glumes; 6 and 7. flowering glume and its palea; 8.
the ovary, stamens and the lodicules; 9 and 10. grain.
The spikelets are variable in size, 1/12 to 1/6 inch, 3 to 5, rarely 6-flowered, quite glabrous, biseriate, pointing upward at an acute angle with the rachis. All the glumes are more or less membranous. The first glume is small, oblong-ovate or oblong, 1-nerved with a scabrid keel. The second glume is twice the size of the first, ovate-oblong, 3-nerved, rarely 3- to 7-nerved, glabrous, shortly mucronate at the acute apex. The third glume and the succeeding flowering glumes are larger than the second, ovate-oblong, subacute, 3-nerved and paleate; palea is shorter than the glume, glabrous. Stamens are three. Lodicules are small and cuneate. The grain is oblong, obtusely trigonous, broadly and shallowly grooved dorsally with concentric minute tubercled ridges covered with a loose pericarp.
This grass is fairly common in somewhat wet places in the plains and low hills.
Distribution.—Throughout India and Ceylon.
This is an annual grass. Stems are creeping and spreading from the root, and ascending from a decumbent base, generally slender and small, but sometimes large and proliferously branched, leafy, 3 to 7 inches long.
The leaf-sheath is compressed and glabrous. The ligule is a very short membrane, ciliate at the margin or obsolete.
The leaf-blade is linear, acute, with a subcordate or rounded base 1/2 to 2 inches long and 1/8 to 1/6 inch broad.
The spikes are usually many, sessile and crowded in globose heads, varying in diameter from 1/3 to 2/3 inch.
Fig. 207.—Eleusine brevifolia.
1. A spikelet; 2 and 3. the first and the second glumes; 4 and 5. the third glume and
its palea 6. lodicules, ovary and stamens.
Spikelets are sessile, biseriate, ovate-oblong, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, 4- to 10-flowered. The first two glumes are membranous, ovate-oblong, glabrous, acuminate and shortly awned, the first glume is shorter than the second, 1- to 3-nerved, the second glume is longer than the first, 3- to 5-nerved, and the nerves are very close to the middle one in the keel. The third and the succeeding glumes are ovate, cuspidately acuminate, 3-nerved, nerves villous below the middle and paleate; palea is oblong, lanceolate, truncate and minutely 2-toothed, keels villous below the middle. Anthers are small. Lodicules are also small and cuneate. Styles are long and slender. Grain is orbicular to ovate, concavo-convex, red-brown, and transversely rugose.
This grass is usually found in somewhat damp situations all over the Presidency, though somewhat local in its distribution.
Distribution.—Sandy shores of the Coromandel and Carnatic coasts.
Fig. 208.—Eleusine ægyptiaca.
This grass is an annual with erect or creeping branches. Stems are erect or prostrate, compressed, smooth, spreading and rooting at the nodes, 6 to 18 inches long. Nodes are thickened and sometimes proliferous.
The leaf-sheath is compressed and glabrous. The ligule is short and membranous.
The leaf-blade is linear, tapering to a fine point, flat, glaucous, glabrous or hairy, 1 to 6 inches long and 1/12 to 1/6 inch, wide.
Fig. 209.—Eleusine ægyptiaca.
1. Front and back views of a portion of spike; 2. a spikelet; 3 and 4. the first and the
second glumes; 5 and 6. flowering glume and its palea; 7. ovary and anthers.
Spikes are digitate, 2 to 6, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches long. Spikelets are flat, densely crowded on one side of the floral axis, spreading at right angles, 3- to 5-flowered, glumes five to seven. The first glume is ovate acute. The second glume is equal to the first or slightly longer, broadly ovate, awned. The flowering glumes are ovate, mucronate or awned, paleate; palea is shorter than the glume, ovate-oblong, obtuse or 2-fid. Anthers are small. Grain is reddish, rugose and sub-globose.
This is a very common grass occurring as a weed in cultivated fields and in open places. It is a well-known fodder grass.
Distribution.—Throughout the plains in India and Ceylon.
These are leafy annual grasses. The inflorescence is a narrow pyramidal raceme of slender, spreading or deflexed spikes. Spikelets are small, biseriate and crowded on one side of the spike and not jointed at the base; rachilla is slender, jointed and produced beyond the flowering glumes and bearing an imperfect glume. There are four to five glumes. The first two glumes are the longest, lanceolate, 1-nerved, keeled and awned. The second glume is slightly longer than the first. The third and the fourth glumes are very small, hyaline, broadly ovate, 1-nerved. Lodicules are present. Stamens are three and anthers didymous and small. Grain is narrowly ovoid and trigonous.
Fig. 210.—Dinebra arabica.
1. Full plant; 2. leaf showing the ligule.
This grass is an annual with stems erect or with a geniculate base, tufted, slender or stout; some of the lower nodes of the geniculate part of the stems bear roots; the internodes are green or purple tinged and glabrous.
The leaf-sheath is thin, somewhat loose, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hairy. The ligule is a short membrane irregularly cut at the top. The nodes are glabrous.
The leaf-blade is linear, very finely acuminate, rough on both the surfaces, thinly and very sparsely hairy; the base of the blade is contracted and purple tinged towards the margin, midrib is prominent with three or four main veins on each side; the margins are very finely, closely serrate.
Fig. 211.—Dinebra arabica.
1 and 2. The front and back view of a portion of a spike; 3. spikelet; 4, 5 and 6.
the first, second and third glumes; 7. palea of the third glume; 8. lodicules, ovary and
stamens.
The inflorescence is a long erect narrow pyramidal panicle varying in length from 2 to 16 inches; the lower branches sometimes bear several spikes and attain 6 inches in length; the peduncles are short or long, purple tinged and the main rachis is smooth except at the top, angular and grooved. The spikes are numerous, greenish or purple tinged, slender, erect or spreading or sometimes deflexed, opposite, alternate or in fascicles of two to four varying in length from 1/4 to 2-1/2 inches; the rachis of the spike is trigonous, flattened out ventrally and with a ridge on the ventral side and the margins are scabrid.
The spikelets are few to many in a spike, alternate, closely imbricating, sessile, about 1/6 inch long including the awns, usually three flowered, rarely less or four flowered; the rachilla is very slender, jointed at the base, produced and jointed between the flowering glumes.
There are usually five glumes in a spikelet and in some four or six. The first and the second glumes are lanceolate narrowed into short stiff awns, equal or the second a little longer, hyaline glabrous, strongly keeled about 1/6 inch long or a little less. The succeeding glumes third, fourth and fifth are very much shorter than the first two glumes, about 1/10 inch or less, ovate-oblong, subacute, white, membranous with a strong greenish nerve along the keel and two short ones close to the margin, paleate; palea is shorter than the glume, membranous, oblong-obtuse, minutely 2-toothed, 2-nerved and 2-keeled. Stamens are three with small anthers. Stigmas are white when young and purple when mature. Lodicules are very minute. The grain is pale, brownish yellow, ellipsoidal-oblong, subacute, trigonous, rough and never smooth, with a shallow groove on the dorsal side; the embryo is about one-third the length of the grain.
This grass grows abundantly in cultivated dry fields all over the Presidency. The spikes when mature become very rough and give an acid taste. Cattle greedily eat this grass when young, but when old and in full flower some cattle do not like it so much.
Distribution.—Throughout the Presidency in the plains. Also occurs in Afghanistan and westward to Senegal.
These are tall slender annual grasses. Spikelets are very small, compressed, 1- to 6-flowered, sessile or shortly pedicelled, alternate and unilateral on the branches of a panicle; the rachilla is produced between the flowering glumes, jointed at the base. There are 3 to 8 glumes. The first two glumes are unequal, oblong or lanceolate, 1-nerved. The third and the succeeding ones are broadly ovate, 3-nerved, paleate. Lodicules are two. Stamens are three. Grain is sub-globose, oblong or trigonous, closely invested by the glume and its palea.
This is a tall annual grass. Stems are erect or geniculately ascending from a creeping root-stock, varying in length from 2 to 4 feet.
The leaf-sheath is smooth, loose, the lower often broad and open. The ligule is a short hyaline lacerated membrane.
The leaf-blade is narrowly linear, finely acuminate, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous, 6 to 18 inches long and 1/6 to 1/4 inch broad.
The inflorescence is a contracted panicle, 6 to 18 inches long with spreading or suberect, alternate or opposite spikes which are capillary and vary from 2 to 4 inches in length.