139. GRAMINEM. [54. Saccharum. 



number of nerves ; ii 1-5-nerved ; iii hyaline awned or not, empty ; 

 iv shortest, rarely 0, awned or not ; palea hyaline nerveless or 0, 

 lodicules cuneate. Stamens 3. Stigmas laterally exserted. Grain 

 oblong to subglobose. 



As remarked by me in Fl. Ch. Nati. the awned s'l. iv of some Sna-harum breaks 

 down the only distinction between that genus and Erianthas. Br. Stapf has sunk 

 Erianthus in Sacchaj-um in the Flora of Tropical Africa which course is adopted 

 here. 



Much interesting- information and further details on the plants of this genus- 

 will be found in Hole's fficology of some Indian Forest Grasses (J«rf. For. Memoirs^ 

 vol. i, Part I). 

 I. Awn of gl. iv not or scarcely exserted from spkts. or :— 



A. Hairs on callus much exceeding the spkt. Gls. i and ii 



not dorsally villous : — 

 Culms not leafy alwve. under -7" diam. L. under -8" in 



width. Gls. i and ii ciliate 1, upontauenm. 



Culms densely leafy above, over 1" diam. L. over 1" in 



width. Gls. i and ii glabrous 2. officinarum. 



B. Hairs on callus of sessile spkt. shorter or not much 



longer than spkt. Gls. i and ii often dorsally villous : — 



1. Nodes of culm not bearded. Sheaths not hirsute. 



Gls. i and ii dorsally villous :— 

 Foliage not glaucous. Culms densely leafy above. 



Sessile spkt. shorter than internodes . . . . 3. aritndinaceiim. 

 Foliage glaucous. Culms not leafy above. Sessile 



spkt. longer than internode of rhachis , . . i. miuija. 



2. Nodes of culm bearded. Sheaths hirsute. Gls. i and 



ii not or sparsely villous dorsally . . . .5. narenga. 

 II. Awns of gl. iv distinctly exserted from the spkt. : — 



Panicles thyrsiform. Spkts. •13--16" long. Awn •1--23" 



„^ong C. ravennae. 



Panicles not thyrsiform. Spkts. •17--19" long. Awn -3" . 7. fastigiatum.* 



1. S. spontaneum, L. Kans, Khansi, H., Bencj. ; Puyal, A'. ; Kariba, 

 31. 



A coarse grass 5-7 ft. or attaining 15 ft. along canal-banks, usually 

 glaucous with solid stems, -1— 5" diam. (fistular below. Hole). Easily 

 recognised by its very narrow leaves frequently Avith incurved or 

 roUed-up margins, and by the white silvery narrow panicles 1-2 ft. 

 long with the callus hairs many times longer than the small spikelets. 

 Branches of panicle 3-4", more or less whorled on the silky rhachis 

 and articulate to it. Spikelets very variable in size, •08--2" long. 

 Gl. i lanceolate, basal third becoming hard and polished in fruit, 

 2-keeled, entire or minutely 2-toothed, ciliate, minutely adpressed- 

 pubescent above ; ii broad-lanceolate, subequal, 1 -keeled with inflexed 

 long-ciHate margin, sometimes mucronate ; iii shorter, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, long-ciliate, minutely pubescent above on back ; iv minute, 

 hyaline, linear, ciliate (or ?, Hole says he has always found it in 

 fresh flowering specimens). 



Usually along river-ljanks and in swampy localities. 



Champaran, very common! Monghyv, Moki ml Gya,Mokiiit\ All districts of 

 e hota Nagpur ! No doubt in all districts of the province. FL, Fr. Aug.-Nov. 



Sometimes more or less stoloniferous, at other times tufted. lfo/e"points out 

 that although the species varies greatly the differences are not of taxonomic 

 importance. He distinguishes (1) a form of dry sandy soil with culms usually 

 under -2 diam., erect and tufted, L. exceedingly narrow sometimes only '05" wide • 

 (2) a swamp form, where there is abundance of moisture throughout the year. 

 Culms •2--6^ diam., usually decumbent at base and not tufted, L. attaining a width 



* Transferred to Eiilalia at Kew. 

 65 1011 



