87. PoLYTOCA.] 189. GRAMINE^. 



fertile ; staminodes and lodicules 0. Ovary minute, styles long and 

 stigmas long. Grain very small, orbicular enclosed in the hardened 

 outer glume (or bract ?), which can always be distinguished from that 

 of Coix by its being open or grooved on one side. 



Inflorescence of simple spikes, male above, female below. Glume 



of fern. ped. spkt. very short or 1. barbata. 



Inflorescence compound, sometimes entirely male. Glume of fern, 

 ped. spkt. very long, up to '9" and bractiform 2. bracteata. 



1. P. barbata, Stapf. Syn. Chionachne barbata {Fl. C.P.); Coix 



barbata, Roxb. ; Phultainr, Or. ; Karpia, Gond. Sometimes also 

 the names properly applicable to Coix gigantea are used. 



A tall coarse grass 5-8 ft. high bearded at the nodes and more or 

 less clothed with deciduous tubercle-based rather stiff hairs. Leaves 

 lower cauline 2-3 ft. long over -5" wide, upper 12" by about •3--5" 

 becoming smaller on the panicle. Flowering branches several from 

 each upper leaf axil, 4-12" long, bearing a foliaceous bract with several 

 peduncles and one or more branches with long naked internodes 

 which only bear a bract and peduncles or also continue the branching. 

 Peduncles flattened above bearing a spathaceous obovate many- 

 nerved truncate open bract •5" long with a more or less elongate cusp, 

 in its axil is the short proper peduncle of the spike. Spike -5-1 -5" 

 long with a single basal female spikelet (and sometimes a pedicelled 

 imperfect one), ultimately coriaceous or crustaceous, and 5-15 (2-7 

 pairs and an odd) male spikelets. 



In savannah tracts and grassy forest. Common on cotton soil. Santal Parg., 

 MoHm ! Ranchi, ascending to the top of the pats (common at Neterhat, 3000 ft.) ! 

 Singbhum ! Sambalpur, frequent ! It becomes very common in the Central 

 Provinces. Fl., Fr. Aug.-Oct. 



Stems hollow or solid, straw-coloured or somewhat purple, often "3" diam. at 

 base, sometimes grooved above the ascending branches. Sheaths and leaves both 

 sides densely hairy but hairs falling off with age leaving the small tubercular 

 bases. Ligule very short. End of peduncles villous. Spikes articulate on their 

 short proper peduncles the end of which is cup-shaped. Coriaceous gl. i of fem. 

 spkt. oblong '22" long, tip oblique entire or notched, involute margin tightly 

 clasping rhachis of the spike. Male spkt. -35" long, gl, i oblong obtuse 9-nerved, 

 margins inflexed keeled ciliate ; ii lanceolate, white, margin inflexed, 7-nerved ; 

 iii lanceolate hyaline 3-nerved, staminate ; iv similar but rather narrower, palea of 

 both as long as glume. 



It is said to be a bad fodder. 



2. P. bracteata, Br. ? 



A stout grass 3-5 ft. high with villous nodes. Leaves 18"-2 ft. 

 long by -7-1" broad caudate-acuminate, somewhat narrowed towards 

 the base, margins spinulose-serrulate. Inflorescence ultimately on 

 slender peduncles, very fragile, mostly compound, some wholly male, 

 others female below and male above, tightly enclosed in a convolute 

 spathe with linear acuminate bracts at its base, which together with 

 another rhachis, peduncle or axis is again enclosed in a spathe and so 

 on indefinitely. Proper spathe of inflorescence 2-5-6" long, with the 

 margins above hirsute and bearing a filiform blade •3--75" or more 

 long. Female sessile spkts. oblong, -35" in flower to -42" in fruit, 

 appearing 3-toothed from the 2 teeth of the glume i and the inter- 



1062 



