43. Panicum.] 189. GRAMINE.E. 



Avitli villous mouth and ligule of long hairs or with long hairs from 

 behind the short ligule proper ; midrib conspicuous white. Panicle 

 1-2 ft. long, erect, decompound, lower branches whorled from a hairy- 

 node and usually hairy, up to 1 ft. long. Spikelets lanceolate oblong 

 •12-- 15" long, often purplish with very membranous glumes. 



Occasionally cultivated and succeeds well iu Chota Natipur. Sing-bhiim ! 

 Rauchi, Wood (cult.) ! Parasnatli, Clarke (without remark) ! Fl. May-Oct. 

 Perennial. Native of Africa. 



Gl. i very short rounded almost nerveless, about one-fourth spkt. ; ii as lon^f as 

 spkt., 5-nerved ; iii similar, 7-nerved with slightly shorter palea ; iv pale or white 

 nearly as long- as iii, somewhat crustaceous, finelj' transversely rugose. 



It proved a useful fodder in Singbhum and should be more larg-ely cultivated for 

 this purpose. It is easily propagated both by seed and by division of the roots, 

 and can be cut several times annually. 



I. P. montanum, Roxb. 



An erect grass from a short stout upright rootstock with very 

 slender stems 3-4 ft. high, lanceolate leaves 5-6" by -7-1", or rather 

 larger and large terminal very effuse loose panicles 8-18" by 8-12" 

 Avith long 1-3-nate capillary bi-anches and very long capillary pedicels 

 bearing minute spikelets -OS-'l" long. 



Monghyr {Wall. 8722 o). Ham. ! Common in Chota Nagpur in the forests and 

 also in the open. Eanchi, H'ood ! Manbhum, Camp. ! Singbhum ! Hazaribagh 

 (Parasnath), Cal. Herb. ! Palamau, ascends to the top of the pats ! Also Santal 

 Parg., Rajmahal HiWa, Enrzl and as it is found too in Jalpaig'uri ! no doubt in 

 Purneah. Fl., Fr. Aug.-Nov. Perennial. 



Stem smooth and hard. L. glabrous or usually shortly hairy and ciliate, base 

 sub-cordate, long-ciliate, sheaths glabrous or usually pubescent and edges ciliate, 

 ligule obscure truncate. Panicle with the axils of the branches often swollen. 

 Gl. i 3-5-nerved, ^-|rds length of iii (i iii, F.B.I.) ; ii and iii subequal, 5-nerved, 

 elliptic, acute or oljtuse, epaleate ; iv polished brown or grey, '08" long, oblong with 

 truncate base and very acute tip. 



10. p. humile, Nees. 



A tufted very slender grass 2-15" high, much branched at and often 

 flowering close to the base. Leaves linear-lanceolate, tapering from 

 the subcordate base to apex, or nearly linear, 1-6" long by •12--2", 

 conspicuously (usually 6-) nerved and with rather inflated stronglj^ 

 nerved sheaths. Panicle broad with effuse delicate branches and 

 capillar}' branchlets, lax flowered. Spikelets very small long-pedi- 

 celled, ovoid, •05--06" long, pale or purplish. Gl. i relatively'- large 

 •04--05", broadly ovate acuminate or minutely mucronate from 

 excurrent midrib, 3-nerved; ii longest ovate-lanceolate, very acumi 

 nate or sub-anstulate, 3-nerved ; iii nearly as long as ii, ovate- 

 acuminate, 3-5-nerved towards tip, paleate, neuter ; iv -04" ellipsoid 

 obtuse pale polished. 



A very common grass, often found in rice-fields and probably occurring through- 

 out our whole area. Monghyr, Mokim\ Santal Parg., MoHm\ Ranch!. JVood I 

 Manbhum, Camp., Clarke, etc. ! Hazaribagh, Wood, Clarke ! Singbhum, common I 

 Orissa, Wahh ! Fl., Fr. Aug.-Nov. 



II. P. auritum, PresL 



A tall erect grass with broadly linear leaves 8-14" by •7-1-2", and 

 with very compound panicled inflorescence of numerous small lanceo- 

 late spikelets, 8-18" long, contracted or more or less effuse, much 

 fastigiateh- branched, branchlets and crowded fascicles of spikelets 



996 



