84. EoTTBOELLiA.] 189. GRAMINE.E. 



Grassj' places in the forests or wet cultivatert lands. Ranchi! Hazaribaprh, 

 Koderma forest (and Gyra, Cal. Herb.) ! Sing-bhum, 2000 ft.! Mongliyr, Cat. 

 Herb. ! Santal Parj?. ! Puri, " a pest in the paddy," TValsh ! 



85. MNESITHEA, Kunth. 



Slender erect with very narrow leaves. Spikes as in Hemarthria 

 but cylindric with the ends of the internodes hollowed out as in 

 Eottboellia, the two spikelets sessile opposite, sunk in cavities which 

 are only separated by a thin sometimes evanescent septum. The 

 internodes are different on each face between the spkts., one side is 

 broader than the other Avith 4 pale flat ridges spreading fan-wise above 

 and three intermediate green grooves (not always clear in dry speci- 

 mens) ; the other side is narrow with 2 lateral parallel narrow ridges 

 or nerves and a broader green centre ; this narrow side is the completely 

 fused pedicel and sometimes bears a minute rounded or truncate 

 glume (very rarely two glumes) representing the abortive pedicelled 

 spikelet. The narrow and flat sides alternate in successive internodes. 



The uppermost nodes sometimes Ijear only one sessile spkt. The genus then 

 comes exceedingly close to Opkiums, audit would be a more natural arrangement 

 to combine the 4 genera RottboeUia. Hemarthria, Ophiurus and Mventhea into one. 

 Sir J. D. Hooker united three but still kept Ophiurus distinct. 



1. M. perforata, comb. nov. Syn. RottboeUia perforata, Roxb. PL 

 Cor., ii (1798); Mnesithea Igevis, Kunth. Revis. Gram., 1 (1829). 



Erect or somewhat decumbent at base, stems slender 2-4 ft. high, 

 simple or branched above, nodes distant glabrous. Leaves linear 

 very narrow 3-20" (-30", J.D.H.) by -15" flat or conduphcate strongly 

 nerved, glabrous or with scabrous margins and midrib. Sheath 

 villous at the mouth. Spikes 4-8" long by -07" diam. (before the 

 divergence of gl. i) or less ; internodes slightly longer than or equalling 

 spkt. Gl. i 'I-'IS" long, oblong rounded at tip or sometimes con- 

 tracted at tip and obtuse, base sometimes with 3-4 pits, nerves 

 obscure. 



Common in wet ground, i)i'obal)ly in all districts. Gya, Mokim ! Monghyr, 

 Mokiml Santal Parg. ! Hazaribagli, Anders., Clarke I Manbhum, Cam}). I 

 Singbhum, common ! Orissa, Walsh ! Fl., Fr. Aug.-Nov. 



86. HEMARTHRIA, R. Br. 



(Included in RoUboellia in F.B.I.) 



Decumbent or ascending perennial grasses with branched many- 

 noded culms and linear, conduplicate or flat leaves with very short 

 membranous ligules. Spikes compressed, often curved, tips more or 

 less subulate from the slender terminal spikelet, rhachis not or tardily 

 breaking up. Spikelets 2-nate, nearly similar, pseudo- opposite and 

 decussate owing to the fusion of joints and pedicels, each pair made 

 up of a sessile spkt. and the pedicelled spkt. of the next lower node ; 

 internodes with the adnate pedicels semi-terete, tips truncate not 

 hollowed out nor appendaged. Glumes 4 ; i flat dorsally, 2-keeled, 



1060 



