139. GRAMINE^E. [24.. Leptochloa, 



long, spreading or suberect, peduncle hairy at base of spikes. Spike- 

 lets spreading at right angles from rhachis ; gl. i acuminate, scabrid 

 on keel ; ii broadly ovate or suborbicular (when unfolded) suddenly 

 contracted to a squarrose awn as long as itself, about -2" including 

 the aM-n ; iii to v usually perfect, shortly awned Avith awn about 

 one-third the glume, keel scabrid ; palea notched, nerves hispid ; 

 vi usually imperfect. Grain subglobose, flattened on one side of 

 the hilum, which is not depressed, •03--04" diam., very rugose. 



Common as a weed of cultivation and in pastures. 



Purneah! Sautal Parg., X^rz ! Gya, J/otim ! 'Moughjr,Mokim\ Chota Kagpur, 

 common in Singbhum! Hazaribagh, Clarke\ Fl., Fr. Aug.-Nov. Perennial? 

 Probablj' throughout the province. 



The seeds are ground into flour, of which cakes are made and eaten in times of 

 scarcity. It is a'good fodder, 



23. DINEBRA, Jacq. 

 An annual leafy grass with flat leaves. Spikelets small crowded 

 2-seriate unilateral on short or slender 1-2-nate or whorled spikes 

 which are again spicate on the rhachis of narrow panicles, not jointed 

 at the base ; rhachilla jointed at the base and elongate between the 

 glumes, produced beyond the flowering glumes and bearing an im- 

 perfect gl. (always ?). Gl. 4-5, 2-3-flowering. i empty persistent, 

 lanceolate, 1 -nerved, awned or cuspidate ; ii subequal or longer than 

 i, similar ; iii and iv very small, broadly ovate (when unfolded) 

 hyaline, 1 -nerved, subobtuse or subacute, neither cuspidate nor awned ; 

 palea as long, reduplicate, 2-nerved. Lod. 2. Anthers 3, small. 

 Styles free. Grain oblong or ovoid, acute, trigonous, free {Hooker 

 saj's wrinkled; the ripe grains do not aj)pear to me wrinkled). 



1. D. arabica, Jacq. 



Stems 1-3 ft. tufted, geniculate at base or erect. Leaves 3-8" by 

 •15-- 17", flaccid, finely acuminate, sparsely hairy. Panicles very 

 various in length and length of the spikes, 4-12" with close or distant 

 spikes -5-2", which are opp., alt., or whorled, sessile, green or yellow, 

 at first erect, then spreading or defiexed. Spikelets close imbricate 

 on the broad flat rhachis ; gl. i and ii -2" long {Hooker says ii one- 

 fourth longer than i ; they are subequal in my specimen), including 

 the short aristate tip ; iii and iv -OS-'r', palea nearly as long. 

 Grain brown, 3-angled, oblong. 



Eehar, Kiirz ! Aj^parently rare. 



24. LEPTOCHLOA, Beauv. 

 Annual grasses with flat or involute leaves. Spikelets very minute, 

 laterally compressed, alternate and unilaterally 2-seriate on the very 

 slender spiciform branches of a lax panicle, sessile or minutely pedi- 

 celled, not jointed at the base, rhachilla jointed at the base and beneath 

 each glume, produced between each glume and often beyond the 

 terminal. Glumes usually 2 (sometimes 1-) -many flo^vering, mem- 

 branous ; i and ii subequal or unequal oblong, lanceolate or almost 

 linear-lanceolate, 1 -nerved ; iii and other flowering glumes ovate 

 (when unfolded), subacute or obtuse, 3-nerved, 1 nerve in the keel 



971 



