43. Panicum.] 139. GRAMINE.E. 



long, gradually tapering from a broad base, usually under -5" but up 

 to V broad in some cultivated forms, glabrous or finely hairy, sheaths 

 glabrous. Panicles very compound, contracted or thyrsiform and 

 often nodding, 4-10" long (without the subsidiary axillary panicles 

 which are often developed). Spikelets suddenly acute or slightly 

 cuspidate -OS-- 12" long, mostly paired on unequal pedicels but often 

 solitary at the ends of the branchlets, lanceolar in flower, elliptic or 

 broadly elliptic in fruit. Gl. i very broad amplexicaul, subtruncate 

 then suddenly acute, or scarcely acute, about one-third spikelet, very 

 thin ; ii elliptic obtuse (when unfolded, sometimes appearing cuspidate 

 or mucronulate in situ), 9-nerved ; iii similar ; iv narrow-ell, or ell.- 

 oblong -08—1" long, truncate at base minutely apiculate at tip, white 

 or pale brown, or dark brown and more broadl}^ elliptic when ripe. 



Cultivated, feral aud wild. Western Bengal and Behar, A'« ra; ! Santal Parg., 

 Kurz ! In all districts of Chota Nagpur and very fi-equently cultivated on non- 

 rice lands (gora and tanr lands). Fl., Fr. Aug.-Oct. 



P. miliare is probably the cultivated form of pMopodium. But in Chota Nagpur 

 the cultivation is so poor that the two forms would be expected to be indistinguish- 

 able. Frain {Bevgal Fl.) gives as the characters of miliare "Leaves hairy; culti- 

 vated," and of j)>:ilo})odit(m "Leaves glabrous; wild"; but he has nevertheless 

 named most of the glabrous-leaved forms in the Calcutta Herb, as miliare, and I 

 have myself noticed whole crops with glabrous leaves, whereas I have collected 

 pdlopodiiiui with hairy leaves. Campbell says " sown on second-class lands at the 

 beginning of the rains. The grain is inferior in quality, and is onlj' cultivated 

 and eaten by the poorer classes." His specimens have also glabrous leaves. 



Hooker (in F.B.I.) says " Stapf Vwiiiks, that the true pMopodinm has nearly 

 always glabrous leaves, smaller spikelets and a shorter gl. i," but no dimensions are 

 given and indeed the F.B.I, describes gl. i (= | ii) in psUopodium as relatively 

 longer than in miliare (gl. i = ^ ii) ! Although absolutely the leaves of miliare are 

 often broader than in psilopodium, yet they are relativelj^ narrower and much 

 more attenuate. Moreover the cultivated miliare and its feral forms always appear 

 to have more or less contracted panicles in contrast to the shorter, alwaj-^s quickly 

 effuse, panicle of psilopodium. The gi'ain of miliare is, as would be expected, 

 rather larger, being -OS-'l" long as compared with 'O?" long in psilopodium. 



4. P. caesium, Nees. 



A very stout grass 2-3 ft. high erect with tufted stems -3" diam. at 

 base. Leaves lanceolate-linear 6-9" by •25-'7" near the subcordate 

 base, blade soft hairy, sheaths inflated hirsute with often tubercle - 

 based hairs, ligule of "hairs. Panicle large 10-18" long, subthjTsiform 

 with suberect branches, lower fascicled, branches angular, scaberulous. 

 Spikelets elliptic •08--09" long on very long (or lateral short) pedicels. 

 Gl. rather membranous, i = i-^ iii, ovate, 5-nerved ; ii ovate acute 

 7-9-nerved ; iii similar with linear margined palea ; iv as long, 

 elliptic-ovate obtuse pale smooth and polished. 



Sant. Parg. (IVail. 8744, Rajniahal) ! Fl. Aug. Annual. 



5. P. repens, L. Da-gundli, K. ; Pani-dal, Or. 



Stem creeping and ascending stoloniferous, 2-5 ft. high, many- 

 noded, clothed below with loose very striate leaf-sheaths which are 

 hairy at the mouth. Barren shoots closely distichously leafy. Leaves 

 linear-lanceolate to linear, those on barren shoots spreading 1-3" 

 fiat, others usually involute, 2-12" long glabrous or hairy on upper 

 surface, base rounded ciliate as is the top of the sheaths, ligule obscure 

 ciliate (a narrow coriaceous ring, J.D.H.). Panicle much resembling 



994 



