139. GRAMINEM. [68. Amphilophis. 



stems from the perennial rootstock. Culms erect or decumbent at 

 base, usually 3-6 ft., nodes with a dense ring of hairs which fall off 

 in age, straw-coloured, simple or much branched above, up to •2-*25" 

 diam. at base, polished but lower parts usually covered with numerous 

 loose dry sub-compressed leaf-sheaths. Leaves glabrous or very 

 hairy, nearly always with long setae towards base, narrowly to broadly 

 linear, middle cauline 12-15" by -2" or often 20" by -S-'SS" with strong 

 midrib, 3-4 or 6-7 strong nerves between the setulose margin and 

 midrib, apex finely caudate, broadest at base ; sheath somewhat 

 compressed loose glabrous or hairy, ligule very short truncate with 

 usually strigose erect hairs on the blade behind it, itself glabrous exc. 

 ciliolate margin. Panicle often red, rhachis 3-7" much longer than 

 the spikes, more or less regularly pyramidal or oblong with alternate, 

 opposite, or irregularly subverticillate glabrous (below the spikes) 

 branches always with ciliate tubercles in their axils and \\'\i\\ small 

 glabrous cupular tips, simple (bearing a single spike) or more or less 

 compound ; internodes of panicle glabrous, lower long, gradually 

 shorter. 8pikes with joints and pedicels subequal, about half to two- 

 thirds length of sessile spkt., compressed, bearded on both margins, 

 with thin translucent centre between the thickened margins. Spike - 

 lets with obtuse callus Avith beard less than one-eighth length of spkt., 

 narrowly elliptic-oblong or ped. spkt. convolute and linear. Sessile 

 spkt. •12-- 14" long, gl. i flattened 2-keeled AAdth narrowly inflexed 

 margins, obtuse or narrowly truncate, pitted or not, usually more or 

 less dorsally hairy in lower half and keels hispid- or scabrid-ciliate 

 above, 4-9-nerved between the keels ; ii cymbiform polished acute, 

 subequal, faintly 3-nerved, rarely ciliolate ; iii -OO-*!", broadly oblong 

 or lanceolate, hyaline, obtuse, nerveless, glabrous ; iv reduced to the 

 narrow base of the •4--7" long slender geniculate awn which is smooth 

 below, scabrellous above ; palea 0, lodicules minute quadrate-cuneate, 

 anthers 3 brown -05", ovary minute, grain oblong -08" long. Pedi- 

 celled spkt. ahvays neuter with usually only one glume, rarely 2-3, 

 usually shorter than sessile spkt., gl. i similar Avitli more nerves between 

 the less marked keels, often (as in the sessile) with 1-3 median pits. 



Distributed tlirouo-hout the wliole province and one of the commonest grasses in 

 forest glades as well as more open tracts, also occurring under shade. Perennial. 

 Fl., Fr. Oct.-Jan. In addition to the localities noted under the following varieties* 

 I have also recorded the plant, without notes of variety from Champaran (common) 

 and G.ya ! 

 I. Panicle usually thin, branches opposite each bearing- 

 only one spike or sometimes 2 (branches subver- 

 ticillate in var. Imvis). Spikelets usually pur^ile : — 

 A. Gl, i appressed hairy below the middle, not pitted, 



keels hispid-ciliate above a. genuinu^. Jlaek. 



1. Leaves and sheaths usuallj' broad, hairy, 7-nerved 

 each side of midrib. 

 One form from Siugbhura has pale, not purple 

 panicle. Singbhum, common ! Palamau! Angul, 

 Lace ! Probably in all districts. 



* These varieties are after Hackel and were described before I consulted Sfapf'n 

 GramineiJB in Fl. Trap. Africa, whei'e he reduces Hackel' s intermedins to Roxburgh' i< 

 glaber. The names {e. g. genuinus) in some cases become inapplicable if Koxburgh'g 

 glaber is the type. Var. Haenk-ii is, I think, a distinct species aud easily distin- 

 guished in the held. It should he called Amphilophis Iloenkii. I 



1029 



