270 IRIANDIIIA W6YNJA. JudropogOfU 



Root of many perennial, long, spongy, brown fibres. — Culms ma- 

 ny, smooth, simple, rigidly erect, a little compressed at the base,jointed, 

 smooth, inwardly spongy ; from four to six feet high and as thick as 

 a goose quill. — Leaves near the base bifarious, narrow, erect, from 

 tuo to three feet long, pretty smooth, rigid. — Panicle from six ta 

 twelve inches long, conical, composed of numerous spreading, short- 

 peduncled, simple, linear, verticelled spiked-racemes. Rachis of the 

 spiked'Tacemes jointed, winding, naked — Flowers paired, awnless^ 

 one hernvaphrodite, sessile ; the other male, and pedicelled ; inser- 

 tion nearly naked. 



Hermaphrodite Flower. Caljfx two-valved, nearly equal, 

 muricated. — Coiol three-valved, membranaceous. — Nectari/f two ob- 

 cordate scales embracing the germ and insertions of the lilaments. — 

 Stamens three. — Stigmas feaihery. 



Male Flower. Calyx as in the hermaphrodite. — Corol two- 

 valved. Nectary as above. — Stamens three. 



OIjs. The roots, when di y, and then gently moistened, emit a 

 pleasant kind of fragrance ; they are employed to make large fans, 

 commonly called Vissarees; and also to make screens which are placed 

 before windows and doors, which being kept moist during the hot 

 winds render the air that passes through them, both cool and fra- 

 grant. See Observation on Aristida setacea. The grass is often 

 employed for thatch. 



Dr. Kbnig w as too accurate a Botanist to describe this very con- 

 spicuous plant under two names, viz. A. squarrosus. Linn. Sp. Pi. 

 Willd. iv. 908, and A. muricatus; the former is evidently a very dif- 

 ferent species, and found by him in Ceylon, floating on pools of wa- 

 ter ; whereas A. inuricatus (which I formerly called aromaticus) js 

 always rigidly erect, whether growing in water, or on dry land. It» 

 root is delightfully aromatic, as mentioned by Kbnig himself, and by 

 Sir William Jones, particularly when moistened with water. 



1 am inclined to think Konig's Andropogon squarrosus is my Pa- 

 nicmn paludosum ; a species with tliick spongy culms which is ge* 

 Eerally found swimming on pools of sweet water. 



