139. GRAMINE.^. [42. Hymenachne, 



pale or white, •04--0G" smooth shining elliptic acute ; all quite 

 glabrous. 



Frequent in marshes. Behar, Hope] Santal Par"-. ! Ranchi ! Singbhum T 

 Manbhum, Camp. ! Hazaribagli, Clarke ! Sambalpur, Griff. I Orissa, Walsh I 

 FL, Fr. Sept.-Nov. 



Whole plant often purple. Stems sti-iate, polished. L. with 5-6 nerves each, 

 side of midrib, ligule a membranous rim "02" long, sheaths loose, glabrous. 

 Pedicels unequal, half to three-fourths length of spkt., puberulous. 



This maybe the same species as indica grown in more marshy localities, i.e. 

 with water right up to December. Small specimens have the spikes as short as 1".. 



3. S. interrupta, Stai^f. Syn. Hymenachne interrupta, Bilhse ; Pani- 

 cum interruptum, Willd. 

 Stem tall 3-5 ft., stout and spongy below, with linear tapering 

 leaves 6-12" by •2--5" and long narrow spiciform panicles 6-10" long 

 by -3" diam. Spikelets patent or sub-patent •15--17" long, fascicled,, 

 very shortly pedicelled narrowly ovoid. Gl. i broadly ovate acute or 

 obtuse, 3-5-nerved, about one-third length of iii ; ii ell. -lanceolate 

 acute (obtuse, F.B.I.) strongly 7-9-nerved ; iii similar and equal with 

 small j)alea ; iv -11" long ell. -lanceolate acute (lanceolate acuminate, 

 F.B.I.) palea similar, both hardened white in fruit. 



In swamps in the damper districts. Purneah ! Ranchi, Clarke ! Puri, JJ'ahk I 

 Fl., Fr. Oct.-Nov. 



Leaves with rounded or snbcordate base, glabrous. Sheath glabrous. Ligule 

 short membranous. Common peduncle of spkts. sometimes so short that the 

 panicle is almost a spike, imperfect spkts. often present. 



42. HYMENACHNE, Beauv. 



Rather stout grasses with broadly linear leaves. Panicles thyrsoicl 

 the branches erect appressed with spiciform branchlets and very 

 numerous crowded narrowly lanceolate secund acuminate spikelets 

 articulate on their minute pedicels. Gl. i membranous cuspidate- 

 keeled, shortest ; ii with sheathing amplexicaul base on the long inter- 

 node of the rhachilla between ii and iii, prominently 3-nerved, cuspi- 

 date or awned ; iii longest, lanceolate acuminate passing gradually 

 into the awn, with 3 strong nerves meeting in the base of awn and 2" 

 lateral weaker ones, empty ; iv longer than ii, oblong, membranous- 

 in flower, scarcely hardened in fruit, smooth, faintly 2-nerved embracing 

 the palea except at the tip, palea similar and as long. Lodicules^ 

 minute. Stamens 3. Styles free. 



1. H. myurus, Beauv. Syn. Panicum myurus, H. B. ct K. 



A stout grass with a prostrate rooting base and an erect leafy stem 

 2-4 ft. high. Leaves 8-18" long by -4-1" broad, tapering from the 

 broad cordate base to the acuminate tip, sheaths glabrous or ciliate^ 

 ligule short hyaline. Panicle very dense narrow very compound Avith 

 closely appressed branches ; up to 12" long by 1" diam. Spikelets 

 variously grouped shortly unequally pedicelled secund on the erect 

 branches of the panicle, -25" long (including the awn) narrowly lanceo- 

 late. Gl. i narrow from an amplexicaul base aristulate -06- -08" 

 (including the cusp), hispidulous on keel and cusp ; ii narrowly lanceo- 

 late sub-aristate •16-- 18" hispidulous, 3-nerved ; iii narrowly lanceo- 



991 



