

-- -I 



FLOEA OF BRITISn INDIA 



wh" ■' 





-■- 



Order CLXXIIL GRAXIXINSJi: 



decumbent or creeping herbs, or in Tribe Bam'bnse(E shrubs or 

 Stem terete or compressed, jointed; iateniodes solid or hollo^v. 



*r^'^?f. siniple, usually long and narrow, entire, parallel-nerved, with a 

 sneathing base distinct from the blade; sheath split to the base (very 



rely entire) with often a transv*^rse hyaline erect appendage {ligula) at 

 als^ T^^° ^^*^ *^^ blade, facing the latter. Inflorescence terminal, rarely 



^0 from the upper sheaths, consisting of spicate racemed capitate or 

 panicled spikelets. Spikelets of three or more alternate distichous bracts 

 jI ^"^f^)? of which the two lowest are normally empty, and the succeeding, 

 of \T^ ^^^^ one, are arranged on nn axis {rachilla)^ and are all or some 

 er.1 /^^ ^^^^^^^ ' within eaca flowering glume and opposite to it is an 

 tow ?^^^u^ 2-nerved scale (palea), the margins of wuicb are infolded 

 nni. V g^^^^e and enclose at the base the true flower. Flotvcrs 

 ren" ^^ '^^^^^^al, consisting of 2, rarelv 3 or 6 microscopic scales (lodicules) 



presenting a perianth, and stamens or a pistil, or both. Stamens 3, 



vers- t'l f ^^^^^^^^^^'-^ many, hypogynous ; filaments capillary; anthers 

 Dollif ^ 1 u ^^^^^*^^' '^^ *^*^ parallel cells, with no apparent connective; 

 the b ^ '^^^' ^''^^y entire, 1-celled ; styles 2, rarely 3, free or united at 

 l^ts d*^f^»^^"^-^^^ elongate, and exserted from the sides or top of the spike- 

 troDon K' ^-^^ i*iinple or branched stigmatic hairs; ovule erect, ana- 

 palea ' Ji!^^^ ^ seed-like utricle (grain) free within the flg. glume and 

 separaW ^^^^^^^^ ^^ either or both ; pericarp very thin, rarely thick or 

 ^inutp t +u°" ^^^ ^^^^* ^^^^ erect; albumen copious, mealy; embryo 

 bearin ' ^^^ base of and outside the albumen; cotyledon scutelliform, 

 i^adicle^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ conical plumule, and descending conical 



^ore mer* ^^^."*^ ^^ ' species estiuiated at about 30 ?0, but many are doubtful, and 



Ib Jn V*^^^®*^*^^' natives of all climates and regions. 

 *° WenLf n^ ^^'^ grasses for this Flora, I find the multiplication of species 



■'degree Th" i^ hounds, and their nomenclature to he involved in a corresponding 



'*^count th ^^-'i ^ ai'isen from two principal causes from authors not taking into 

 *^e imperf^ V "'^^^ ^^^^ which the uidividual species of p^rasses range,* and from 

 *^^^y-two ^^ ^^ P^ ^^^ descriptions of the earlier and many later authors. It is 



^^y y^hu:h^^ ^'"''^ Kuuth published his '* Agrostof^raphia Synoptica (Tubin 

 *Peci^ with '^ ^" ""critical sweepmg up of all previously known supposed genera aud 

 •'^^oiidVolum™-^^^^^*^*^ ^^*^s^''ipti^>ns and synonyms. It was succeeded (in 1835) by a 

 ^^^'iiratelv d ^' ^') ^bich a few hundred species of the tirst volume are very fully and 

 "Synopsis r?^^ .®^» '»"*! valuahle notes upon others are added. In 1855 Steudel's 

 '^^rtlsthe gf^^,"^*""^n " appeared. It in no respect advances, and in many ways 

 ^^ of great m u *^ ^^ ^^^^ Order. Of more recent works on Graminew, three only 



'^^no.Soc y |*^''^'."^^*^^ly, Munro's very able Monoo^mpli of the Bambusec^ {TnuxK 



V oi. XXVI. (1868) ; Bentham'g revision of the genera. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. 



h^^U 



^'therto unpj^^^^*^ /^**^iliiir to every one who examines collections of plants from 

 ^"^P'lred with It ^^^"t^^®8, that novelties amongst the grasses are very few indeed, 

 ^OL. vu ^^*-'"''® ^" other natural families. 







^"^^ - 



^ v5 



