62. IscH^MUM.] 139. GRAMINEJE. 



transversel,v rugosely ridged or folded for about three -fourths of its 

 length, and the several-nerved membranous remainder. 



A common j^rass chiefly in rice-fields Santal Par^., 3/oA-tw.etc. ! Rancbi, Wood ! 

 Hazaribagh, Clarke ! Sinobhum ! Manbhum, Camp., etc. ! Orissa, WaUh ! 

 Throughout India, i^.B./. Fl,, Fr. Aug.-Dec. Annual. 



Often cfespitose. L. somewhat tapering to the base or Ijroadly subcordate, 

 hairy or usually glabrous, sheaths rather inflated, ligtile erect •1--2" long. A 

 villous tuft sometimes occurs at junction of blade and sheath. Tnternodes of 

 spikes and pedicels very stout, ciliafe, callus bearded. Sess. spkt. gl. i some- 

 times oblique (subdimidiate oblong, J.D.H.]. rounded at tip; ii as long narrow 

 keeled, 2 lateral nerves faint; iii hj-aline ; iv 2-fid to below the middle, narrow, 

 ■with au awn "5" long (more or less). Pedicelled spkt. like the sessile or imperfect 

 or smaller and narrower ; pedicel one-third to one-half sessile spkt. 



2. I. ciliare, Retz. 



A stout or slender grass 1-2 ft. high, erect or decumbent below or 

 sometimes creeping at base, leafy. Leaves 2-6" linear, glabrous, 

 pubescent or villous. Spikes -7-2" long, rather stout, 2-3 together on 

 a long peduncle. Spikelets •14-- 17" long or, Avith the long acumen 

 of gl. ii, up to -2" ; easily recognised by gl. i being very coriaceous 

 with broad inflexed sides below and with 2 membranous wings at the 

 top ; ii longest, often -2" long (including the acumen but not the 

 short awn), coriaceous convex below, cymbiform, keeled upwards, 

 the keel alate, often shortly awned. 



Western Bengal and Behar, Karz 1 In all ilistricts of Chota Nagpur, common ! 

 Pari, Wahl, ! Fl.. Fr. Oct. -Dec. 



Nodes often bearded with deciduous haii-s. Sheaths glabrous or hirsute, ligule 

 •short ciliate. Joints of rhacliis and i)edicels strongly compressed firm, straw- 

 coloured, ciliate on one edge, straight or incurved, about half as long as spkt., tips 

 or lower node of callus bearded. 



Three varieties are distinguished by Haclcel. Our plants all appear to be var. 

 ^enuinum Avith joints and pedicels diverging at the base, gl. iv of pedicelled spkt. 

 (as well as of sessile spkt) with slender awn up to •!". Form prorepens has 

 creeping stem (Ranchi, Manbhum, Turi). Fcn-m malacnphyUnm is tall. gl. i broadly 

 Avinged at tip, keel of ii ciliate (Bihar and Chota Nagpur). Form villosnm lias 

 leaves and sheaths villous (Chota Nagpur). 



3. I. hirtum, Hack. 



An erect or suberect rather stout grass 2-3 ft. high often similar 

 in appearance to /. ciliare, stems straAV-coloured Avith nodes bearded 

 (or glabrous, F.B.I.). Leaves linear-lanceolate, tapering both ends 

 3-8" by -25-1" with prominent Avhite costa. Spikes rather stout 

 clustered, 2-20, erect, 1-4" long (not seen more than 2-5" in our area). 

 Spikelets •15--2" long. Gl. i boat-shaped but AA'ith rounded back 

 beloAv, flattened and 2-keeled above, about 8-nerved including the 

 keels Avhich are slightly excurrent, not at all Avinged ; ii boat-shaped, 

 keel not at all Avinged, cuspidate or A^ery shortly aAvned, slightly 

 exceeding i ; iii membranous, nearl}^ as long as i, S-nerA^ed, somewhat 

 boat-shaped, palea similar but flatter ; iv as long, hyaline, 2 -fid Avith 

 slender aAA^n from the sinus as long as glume, 3 -nerved from the awn 

 doAA'UAvards, palea as long, lanceolate. Grain ellipsoid, -08". 



Singbhum, on rocks in streams ! Ranchi, Clarke ! Fl. Oct. 



L. (in our specimens hairy) glabrescent (glabrous or sheath sparsely hairy, 

 F.B.I.) and sheaths sparsely hairy; ligule short ciliate. Joints and pedicels 

 trigonous subecpial about half spkt , Ijases bearded, rarely a few hairs at tip, 

 callus large bearded. Gl. i subcoriaceous villous aboA'e ; ii 3-5-nerved glabrous 

 (villous or glabrate, F.B.I.) . 



1022 



