cxLvir. GTjA^riTfE.T;. 057 



slender petiole, fiat, scaberulous on both surfaces with scabrid margins ; 

 sheaths long, smooth, the mouth not auricled ; ligule chartaceous, 

 oblong, lacerate. Inflorescence very variable, of spikelets clustered on 

 short peduncles, the clusters solitary or few or very numerous and 

 arranged in elongate bracteate very contracted intermitted leafy 

 panicles ; rhachis of inflorescence slender, glabrous or slightly scabrid ; 

 bracts of spikelets ^-i in. long, sessile or pedicellate, cymbiform, green, 

 striate, with aristulate tip. Spikes longer or shorter than the bracts, 

 with rounded base. Sessile spikelets i-i in. long ; lower invol. -glume 

 spreading, strict or recurved, bicuspidate, with hyaline margins ; upper 

 floral glume 3-5-nerved below the sinus, the lateral nerves arching and 

 meeting the midnerve at the insertion of the awn. Fl. B. I. v. 7, 

 p. 150 ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 5, p. 226 ; Woodr. in Jouru. Bomb. Nat. 

 V. 13 (1901) p. 437; Prain, Beng. PI. p. 1194.— Flowers : Oct.-Dec. 

 Vebn. Ghagara. 



KoNKAN : Law I, Woodrow. Deccan : Woodrow, 1151 S. M. Country: Belgaum, 

 I^ifchie, 824: \ Gujarat: Surat, Cooke \; Ahmedabad, Cooke] — Distiub. Throughout 

 India ; Ceylon, E. Trop. Asia, Malaya, Australia, Pacific Islands. 



Haclcel divides tbe forms of this variable plant into 2 subspecies — one mufica, which 

 is rarely awned ; tbe other aristata, tbe spikelets of which are always awned. Of 

 aristata Hackel has 4 varieties, to the first of which, aristata proper, most of the 

 Bombay specimens are referable. 



24. ISCH^MUM, Li 



nn. 



Annual 'or perennial grasses. Leaves narrow. Eacemes solitary, 

 digitate or fascicled, articulate, fragile ; internodes of rhachis and the 

 pedicels of the upper spikelets trigonous, hollowed ventrally. Spikelets 

 2-nate, one sessile and one pedicellate, the pedicellate spikelet often 

 dissimilar from the sessile. Sessile spihehts : glumes 4 ; invol.-glumes 

 subequal, coriaceous or chartaceous, awnless or the upper sometimes 

 awned ; lower invol.-glume ovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, convex, 

 more or less marginally winged above the middle ; upper invol.-glume 

 lanceolate, acuminate, concave ; lower floral glume hyaline, paleate, tri- 

 androus, with a narrow lanceolate acuminate 2-nprved palea ; upper 

 floral glume hyaline, usually deeply 2-cleft, awned, the awn geniculate 

 with a brown twisted column. Lodicules cuneate or quadrate. Stamens 3 ; 

 anthers linear. Styles long ; stigmas short. Pedicellate spikelets with 

 pedicel half as long as the sessile spikelet or shorter ; upper floral glume 

 rarely awned. — Distrib. Species about 40, chiefly tropical. 



Racemes 2-3 (rarely more) ; lower invol.-glume dorsallj' flat, 

 not channelled or depressed along the median line. 



Margins of lower invol. -glume of sessile spikelets nar- 

 rowly inflexed or incurved from base to apex. 



Leaves rounded at the base (slightly cordate in 

 /. molle). sessile on the sheath. 



Pedicel of upper spikelet less than ^ the length 

 of the lower spikelet. 



Lower invol.-glume of sessile spikelets with 



nodulose margins 1. I. arista.tum. 



Lower invol.-glume of sessile spikelets 



closely transversely ribbed 2. I. ruqomm. 



Lower invol -glume of sessile spikelets 

 dorsally villous all over, not transversely 

 ridged nor with nodulose margins 3. /. molle. 



