139. GRAMINE.E. [26. Sporobolus. 



Moriglij'r, Ham. {Wall. No. 3789, pai't of B only) ! It is mixed up on one sheet 

 with Sporobolus Wallichii which is at once distinguishable by its much longer 

 narrower leaves and the ligule. 



26. SPOROBOLUS, Br. 



Perennial rarely annual, with flat or convolute leaves and small 

 or minute spikelets in effuse or close or spicif orm panicles, articulate on 

 their pedicels with very short rhachilla articulate at the base. Glumes 

 3 awnless, i and ii nerveless or 1-3-nerved, membranous, unequal, 

 persistent or separately falling ; iii 1 -nerved, longer or shorter than 

 i or ii ; palea often splitting betAveen the two very close nerves. 

 Lodicules minute or 0. Stamens 2-3, anthers short. Styles short 

 free. Grain loose within the glume and palea, pericarj) or its epi- 

 dermis loose, deciduous, rarely adherent. 



A. Gls. i and ii much shorter than iii. Spkts. not crowded : — 



1. Gl. ii not = k iii : — 



^ Very slender. Panicle usually effuse, sub-pyramidal. 

 Spkts. •Oi'-'06", rarely •07". Gls. i and ii truncate 



nerveless or ii acute 1. diander. 



Stouter. Panicle oblong with short erect bi-anches. 

 Spkts. -Oe-'OQ" long. Gls. i and ii obtuse 1-nerved . 2. iiidicus. 



2. Gl. ii = ^ iii or more : — 



Panicle decompound, effuse. Spkts. •07-'l". Gl. i 



minute truncate 3. IValllchii, 



B. Gl. i shorter than ii and iii; gl. ii and iii subequal or ii 



rather longer: — 



1. Perennial. Panicle contracted : — 



Leaves with glabrous margins. Spkts. crowded . . 4. fremulus. 



2. Annual, Panicle effuse. Leaves sub-spinulosely ciliate 



(at least near base) : — 

 Panicle oblong. Gl. i = i: ii obtuse. Gls. ii and iii 



broadly ovate 5. pulchellux. 



Panicle pyramidal. Gl. i minute, under ^th ii, acute. 



Gls. ii and iii ovate-lanceolate G. coromaHdeliafiun. 



1. S. diander, Beauv. 



A tufted very slender grass 1-3 ft. high Mith verj^ slender leaves 

 up to 10" by -12" rather strongly (about) 7-nerved beneath. Panicle 

 4"-l ft-, long, lanceolar or narrowly pyramidal with spreading or 

 erecto-patent capillary solitary and fascicled branches, often without 

 spikelets at the base. Spikelets •04--07" long. Gl. i and ii sub- 

 persistent hyaline nerveless, i subquadrate, truncate and often erose, 

 nerveless -017" long and as broad ; ii -03" rhomboid-lanceolate, 

 obtuse or acute {F.B.I, describes both as truncate !) ; iii length of 

 spkt., it and its equally long palea gaping in fruit. Grain chestnut 

 brown oblong or broadly obovoid-oblong, its pericarp (in boiled 

 specimens) easily detachable. 



Common. The following forms occur : — 



a. Panicles up to 12" long, open, of numerous spreading almost capillary 1-3- 

 nate branches l'5-2*5" long which are again branched more than once, spkts. 

 •05-07" long. RRnchi, Gamble, Uood, etc.] Singbhum ! Hazaribagh (spkts. only 

 •06"), Clarkel Santa! Parg. (Rajmahal hills), Kurz (spkts. only -05")! Fl., Fr. 

 r.s.-Nov. 



3. Panicles 6-10" long, linear-oblong with short patent or erecto-patent nearly 

 simple branches 'S-'T' long only. Spkts. 'Oi-'OG rarely '07" long. Ranchi, Praia ! 

 Manbhum, Cam?}. ! Puii, Walshl Fl. Nov. 



973 



