221 CLASSltlCATiON OP RlCE 



Broadly speaking, there are two types of rachilla, viz., comma- 

 shaped and elbow-shaped (Plate II). — The comma-shaped rachilla 

 has an enlarged thickened portion immediately under glume III, 

 and the palea with a more slender curved stalk (Plate II, 

 Figs. 1, 4). The elbow-shaped rachilla is uniformly thickened and 

 does not show the distinction into head and stalk (Plate II, 

 Figs. 2, 3). 



Winged Spikelets{l8). — The outer glume in 'Lai Panklia' 

 (Chanda), ' Panklia' (Chanda), and ' Pakharija' (Chanda) are large, 

 equalling or exceeding the spikelets. Such rices have a characteristic 

 winged appearance. This phenomenon, though interesting from 

 a systematic standpoint, is limited to only a few rices and is not 

 of much importance in the present scheme of classification. 



Inner Glume and Palea. — The inner glume and palea are boat- 

 shaped, nearly equal, longer than the grain and enclose it com- 

 pletely. Glume III is strongly 5-nerved, spinescently hairy on the 

 nerves. The palea is narrower than the glume, 3-nerved, the nerves 

 being spmescently hairy. The commonest colour is a pale yellowish 

 white, but all colours from this to black, through red, occur. The 

 colours are constant within limits, and are useful as diagnostic 

 characters. Frequently the colours are confined to the furrows be- 

 tween the nerves, the nerves being themselves pale, while in a few 

 rices the upper position of the glume and palea are one colour — com- 

 monly red, while the lower portion is another, usually pale yellow, 

 the spikelet thus having a piebald appearance. 



Apiculiis. — The portions of glume 111 and palea are solid 

 and project in a larger or smaller terminal point or apiculus. 

 The apiculus and tip of the glume may be uniformly coloured 

 with the rest of the spikelet or may be differently coloured, 

 usually dark brown. At the time of floweiing the tip of the 

 glume is either concolourous with the rest of the glume, red 

 or black. These two latter give the dark brown apiculus and 

 tip of the ripe spikelet. As already pointed out, this colour is 

 normally associated with a coloured leaf sheath. On either side 

 of the apiculus are two smaller projections which make the tip 



