Chapter 11

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 Godavari district No. 8262, in Chingleput No. 11488, in Tinnevelly district Nos. 13129 and 13259, and at Kallar on the Nilgiris No. 13988.

=Cynodon Barberi, _Rang. & Tad._=

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.

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 Godavari districts.

36. Chloris, _Sw._

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.

Spikelets 1-flowered.

Perennial.

Rachilla produced beyond the flowering glumes and bearing awns with rudimentary glumes.

Spikes 4 to 10, long, whorled; spikelets narrow fusiform; glume III oblong lanceolate. 1. C. incompleta.

Rachilla produced beyond the flowering glume and bearing 1 to 3 reduced glumes.

Spikes free at the base, digitate.

Spikes 6 to 9; spikelets 2-awned; glume III ovate, bearded with long hairs above the middle. 3. C. virgata.

Spikes 4 to 20; spikelets 3-awned; glume III broadly ovate, densely bearded dorsally and on the margins above the middle. 4. C. barbata.

Spikes connate at the base, erect and not spreading.

Spikes 2 to 6; spikelets narrow 4-awned, glume III ovate-lanceolate, bearded only on the margins and not at the back. 6. C. montana.

Annual.

Spike solitary, spikelets broadly cuneiform, 3-awned, glume III broadly cuneate, upper margins naked and keel villous. 2. C. tenella.

Spikelets 1- to 3-flowered.

Perennial.

Spikes 5-9, spikelets broadly cuneate 3 to 5-awned, glume III bearded all through the margin and dorsally. 5. C. Bournei.

=Chloris incompleta, _Roth._=

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.

_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.

=Chloris tenella, _Roxb._=

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.

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.

=Chloris virgata, _Sw._=

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.

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.

=Chloris barbata, _Sw._=

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.

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.

=Chloris Bournei, _Rang. & Tad._=

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.

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.

=Chloris montana, _Roxb._=

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.

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.

37. Eleusine, _Gaertn._

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.

Spikelets pointing upward at an acute angle with the rachis of the spike.

Spikes 1 to 5 inches long, digitate, erect. 1. E. indica.

Spikes 1/6 to 1/4 inch or a little more, capitate, spreading. 2. E. brevifolia.

Spikelets spreading at right angles with the rachis of the spike, spreading or erect. 3. E. ægyptiaca.

=Eleusine indica, _Gaertn._=

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.

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.

=Eleusine brevifolia, _Br._=

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.

_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.

=Eleusine ægyptiaca, _Desf._=

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.

_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.

38. Dinebra, _Jacq._

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.

=Dinebra arabica, _Jacq._=

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.

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.

39. Leptochloa, _Beauv._

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.

=Leptochloa chinensis, _Nees._=

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.

The _spikelets_ are small, shortly stalked, 4- to 8-flowered, 1/10 to 1/6 inch with the _rachilla_ produced between the flowering glumes. The _first glume_ is small, oblong, obtuse or apiculate. The _second glume_ is similar to the first but twice as long as the first glume. The _third glume_ and the succeeding flowering glumes are ovate-oblong, obtuse or apiculate, with sub-marginal lateral veins; _palea_ are broadly oblong with silkily ciliate keels. _Anthers_ are usually very small. Grain is oblong, obtusely trigonous, or concavo-convex, red-brown and rugulose on the ventral side.

This grass is very common amidst paddy in wet lands and in wet situations.

_Distribution._--Throughout India and Ceylon in wet places. Also in China, Japan and Australia.