61. PoLLiNiDiuM.] 139. GEAMINEJE. 



61. POLLINIDIUM, Stapf. 



(In Keiu Herbarium, name only.) 



Densely tufted perennial with woolly rootstock and basal sheaths. 

 Leaves convolute when old, M'iry, mouth of sheaths ciliate. Spike - 

 lets binate, sessile and j)edicelled, similar, on the articulate fragile 

 compressed, not stout rhachis of digitate or fascicled spikes, fascicles 

 with filiform peduncles on a more or less branched panicle. Callus 

 densely clothed with long brown hairs. Glume i flattened 2-3-dentate, 

 dorsally hairy at base, 5-7-nerved, margins inflexed ; ii cymbiform 

 minutely cuspidate, 3-5-nerved, Avith a slender awn ; iii hyaline, 

 sparsely ciliate, elliptic, palea finely ciliate ; iv narrow, conduplicate, 

 entire or 2 -toothed shortly awned from the tip or minute sinus, j)alea 

 broad and nearlj' as long as glume, densely ciliate on the top. 



1. P. angustifolium, co)nb. nov. Syn. Ischsemum angustifolium, 

 Hack. ; Pollinia eripoda, Hance ; Spodiopogoon angustifolium, 

 Trin. ; Bhabar, Sabai, H. ; Barchon, K. ; Bachkom, ^S'. ; Babuia, 

 Bagali, Or. ; Panasi, Khond ; Baib (a trade name). 

 A much tufted grass 1-2 ft. high, with long drooping wiry leaves 

 when old and clothed with wool at the base of the tuft. Spikes -7— 

 1-7" long compound terminating filiform axillary and terminal 

 peduncles, rhachis glabrous but the joints and callus clothed with 

 dense yelloAv or brown long hairs which almost conceal the spkts. 

 Spikelets -lo-'lS" long (exc. the awns), both similar or only differing 

 in the number of nerves and teeth of gl. i. Gl. i narrow-oblong 5-7- 

 nerved, Avith 2-3 small sharp teeth or 2-3-cuspidate, more or less 

 hairy on the back, margins narrowlj^ inflexed, brown-ciliate below. 



Common and often frreg'arious in hilly forest, especially in the Central and 

 Southern Areas. In the Northei-n Area it occurs in the Bettiah and Ramnacjar 

 Hills! Rajmahal Hills! Thronghout Chota Nagpur, especially common in 

 Singbhnm ! Puri, chiefly on kankar (Hariinir Forest)! An^ul, common in 

 Bag-hmunda, Tikapara and Durgapur forests, especially on lime soils! Mayur- 

 bhaiij, common ! i^'l. Feb.- June. Fr. May-Julj'. 



Rootstock stout, base of stems (old leaf sheaths) woolly. Yerj^ young- leaves flat 

 and erect about -1" broad, old prostrate up to 3 ft. in length, soon becoming' 

 concave or involute and harsh, strongrly nerved, glabrous except at the ciliate 

 mouth of the sheath; ligule of hairs. Hairs on gl. i chiettj' in the lower fourth; 

 ii normally cymbiform cusjiidate or shortly' awned, scabeiulous on the keel above 

 and ciliate on the marg-ins towards tip, dorsally hairy below, faintly 3-5-nerved. 

 I have, however, seen plants with a broadly oblong glume ii lacerate at tip 

 with short awn and 6-nerved from the base! iii hyaline elliptic -U-'U" long-, 

 minutely sparsely ciliate above, male, with 2 stamens and large finely ciliolate 

 palea; iv narrow conduplicate subequal with very slender microscopically 

 scaberulous awn -2--3" long, palea broad nearly as long as glume, denselj^ ciliate 

 at top, stigmas narrow penicillate, exserted. 



Sabai grass is the most imijortant wild grass economically in our area and it is 

 also largely cultivated, especially in the Rajmahal Hills near Sahibganj. It is used 

 locally for strings, ropes and mats (the Baib matting of Calcutta , and it is very 

 largely employed for paper-making. In Singbhum alone the ([uantity sold for 

 paper yieUled 12,000 rupees net revenue annuall.y for a series of years. Fires 

 improve the crop by removing shade. It is easily grown by division of the root- 

 stock or from seed. From seed it yields a crop in about 3 years. Cattle do not 

 eat it. 



The species is closel.y allied to Pollinia. 



1020 



