10. Eragrostis.] 189. QRAMIl^EAL 



1. E. ciliata, Nees. 



A grass l'5-3-5 ft. high with many stems erect or ascending from a 

 tough perennial horizontal rootstock. Leaves short, linear or linear- 

 lanceolate spreading and suberect, 2-5-6" by •1--27", sheath bearded 

 below the mouth. Panicles densely spiciform, l'5-3" long, •l-'2" diam. 

 Spikelets -l-- 18" long, much compressed; gl. i and ii acute ciliate ; 

 iii -OS-'OO" long, ending in a mucro or cuspidately-acuminate, keel 

 scaberulous, margins with fine rather long cilia except at the apex ; 

 palea about fths as long, reduplicate keels strong, long-ciliate, also 

 hairy within, tip rounded between the keels ; other flowering glumes 

 5-11 similar, slightly shorter upwards. Grain -02" long, terete. 



Singbhum, often in the sandy beds of rivers I Hazaribagh, 2000 ft., Clarke ! Fl. 

 Nov.-Dec. Perennial. 



The stems are swollen towards the rootstock and many arise together in the 

 same year. Ligule a few hairs. The rhachilia sometimes terminates in an 

 imperfect glume. 



2. E. coarctata, Stapf. Tor Chandbol, S. 



A very closely allied species to E. ciliata. The panicle is dense and 

 subspiciiorm .3-5" long and -5" broad or lobed, or contracted but some- 

 what laxer and up to 6" by -75", often red. Flowering glumes 5-10, 

 obtuse, -06", margins long- or short-ciliate ; palea as in ciliata. 



A verv common grass, chiefly in pastures, gardens, etc. Purneah, Kurzl 

 Santal Pai'g., Nuskerl Gya, Clarke \ Ranchi, very common! Hazaribagh, 

 Anders., etc. ! Udaipur, Herb. Cal. ! Manbhum, Clarke. Camp. ! Singbhum, 

 very common ! Puri, sandy tracts, Tr«/8A ! Fl., Fr. Sept.-Feb. 



Rootstock in our specimens less creeping than in ciliata, stems tufted, erect or 

 ascending, 1-3 ft. high, though sometimes flowering when much smaller. Leaves 

 spreading 2-10" long with long hairs towards the mouth of the sheath, usually flat 

 below and involute finely acuminate upwards. Rhachis of the panicle bearded at 

 the nodes. Old panicles only show the lower glumes of the spkts. which break up 

 from above downwards as in ciliata. Grain highly polished, brown, ovoid-oblong, 

 •02" long. 



E. ciliaris, Link, is distributed from the United Provinces to Calcutta, but there 

 appear to be no specimens from our area. Superficially it resembles ciliata. 



3. E. tenella, Boem. d- Sch. Bharbhusi, Veni. 



Usually a small very elegant and slender grass, rarely 18" high, with 

 many slender tufted stems and slender acuminate leaves attaining 5" 

 by -22", usually much less. Sheaths long-ciliate near the mouth. 

 Panicles decompound excessively branched, branches not whorled 

 with innumerable minute to small spikelets on capillary branchlets 

 and pedicels, usually with long-ciliate nodes, open oval or in some 

 varieties contracted. Spkts. not very strongly compressed, •05-- 17'' 

 long, up to -04" broad. Glumes 5-11, -05" long or less, oblong, obtuse, 

 convex, lateral nerves about one-third of width of glume (measuring 

 from margin to midrib) from margin which is not ciliate ; keels of 

 palea distinctly or obscurely ciliate. Grain broadly ovoid, pale-brown, 

 polished, -015" long. 



Throughout the province. Often gregarious and (with the next) characteristic 

 of overgrazed heavily trampled areas. The i^Iants are very thickly covered with 

 dew on cold-weather mornings and in the hot Weather are dangerous carriers of 

 fire as they often occur on fire-lines and burn like tinder, though from their dwarf 

 nature the line looks well cleared. Fl., Fr. Oct.-Jan. Annual. 



950 



