11. IsoH&MUM.] 97. QUAMINEM. [12. Pogonatheuum. 



tuft. Spikes terminating filiform often branched peduncles, 

 rachis glabrous but joints clothed with dense long yellow or 

 brown hairs which almost conceal the spikelets which are 

 §-£" long with a hard callns and 1 or 2 very fine awns. 

 Both spikelets similar or only differing in the number of 

 nerves and teeth of Gl. I, which is 5-7 nerved and with 

 2 or 3 small teeth, the back with a tuft of long brown hairs 

 on the lower 'half, incurved or inflexed margins "s\ vh brown 

 ciliffl below and tip microscopically ciliate. 



Common and often gregarious in open forest in Singbhum, less so in 

 other districts, but largely cultivated on the northern slopes of the 

 Rajmehal hills, esp. near Sahibganj. Fls. Feby.-June. Seeds May-July. 



Rootgtock stout Very young leaves flat and erect, soon becoming 

 concave or involute and harsh and often attaining 3 ft. in leneth, strongly- 

 nerved, glabrous except at the ciliate mouth of the sheath. Ligulc of 

 hairs. Gl. II cymbiform with mid-rib excurrent into a small point or 

 a short slender awn half as long as the glume, faintly 3-or sometimes 5- 

 nerved, scaberulous on the keel above and margins ciliate towards the 

 tip, dorsally hairy below. Ill wrapping round the M. fl„ hyaline, elliptic 

 £" long, sparsely ciliate above, its pale shortly stipitate oblong finely 

 ciliate. St 2. IV narrowly lanceolate condnplicate about |* long includ- 

 ing its very slender awn, its pale broad-oblong densely ciliate at the 

 . obtuse tip, nearly as long as the glume. St. 1-2, style -arms very Ion? 

 and slender. 



Sabai grass is the mrst important economical grass in our area. 

 It is used locally for string, ropes and mats, and is largely exported 

 for paper making. It has been an important source of Forest revenue 

 in Singbhum and from 1901 to 1903 yielded 42,000 rupees net revenue 

 annually. Fire protection, and the improvement of the more valuable 

 Sal crop, is however reducing the outturn from the reserves. It is entirely 

 useless for fodder. It is easily grown either from seed or division of the 

 roots. 



The other species of Ischasnmm are quite unimportant. 



I. laxum, Br., a forest grass 3-4 ft hieh is known in Kol as raboga, 

 but I am not aware that it is put to any use. 



I. hirtum, Hack., is chiefly found on rocks in streams, and 

 i. rugosum, Balisb., in rice fields. 



12. Pooronatherum, Beauv. 



Spikes solitary terminal on slender peduncles. Spikelets 

 sessile and pedicelled similar, except that the pedicelled is 



568 



