MISCELLAISEOUS NOTES, 305 



The leaf-blade is linear, flat, finely acuminate, scaberaloiis above the 

 margins, smooth below except in some portions of the mid rib, ^ to 7 inches 

 in length and ^q to \ inch in breadth. 



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, ^^ 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, one-nerved, keel obscurely scabrid, very unequal, the 

 first glume being always shorter than the second glume. 1 he third glume 

 ia obliquely ovate-oblong, chartaceous, longer than the second glume, obtuse 

 or subacute, and three-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 bro^vn, with a faint dorsal groove. 



The species is closely allied to the cosmopolitan species Cynvdon dactylon, 

 Pers., and to another new species Cynodon barter?, Eang. & Tad., des- 

 cribed in the journal of the Bombay Nat. Hist. Society, Vol. 24, Part IV, 

 page 846, and it is therefore named Cynodon .ntermedius. This grass 

 diflers from Cynodon dactylon, 1*0X3. (1) in not having underground stems 

 and having only stems creeping and rooiing along the surface of the ground, 

 (2) in having less rigid leaves, (ii) by havinsr longer, slenderer, somewhat 

 drooping spikes and narrower spikelets, (4) by having the first two glumes 

 always unequal, the 2nd 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 hai-heri, 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. 8269), in Chingleput (No. 11488), Tinnevelly District (Nos. 

 13129 and 13259) and at Kallar on the Nilgiris (No. 13988). 



Explanation of Plate. 



Fig. I. Full plant. 

 „ 11. Spikelets and parts of a spikelet. 



1. front view of a portion of spike ; 2. back view of a portion of a 

 spikelet; 3. spikelet; 4. first glume, 5. second glume ; 6. -third glume; 

 7. palea ; 8. lodicules, stamens and ovary ; 9. hairs on the third glume ; 

 10. grain. 



K. RANGACHARl. 



Govt. Lecturing Botanist. 

 CoiMBATORE, Ath April 1918. 



No. XXIX.— A VARIETY OF BUTE A FRO N I) OS A. 



In March 1918, while inspecting villages in the Manpur pargana (British 

 area) in the Central Fndia Agency, I came suddenly on most tilorious sight. 

 A single tree of golden yellow Buteafrondosa. The tree is about 30 feet 

 high and was at that time a mass of blossom. The flower differs in no way 

 from the ordinary variety except in colour. The Forest Rangfr. who was 

 with me. said that in the Central Provinces, to which service he belongs, he 

 had seen a yellowish white variety, but nothing like this. The colour in this 



S9 



