R. J. D. GRAHAM 225 



of glume III tridentate (Plate II, Fig. 2). These are described 

 by Watt(19) as glandular processes. As stated later by Watt, 

 they are simply excrescences of the lateral veins of the glume. 



Awn. — An awn, if present, is borne on glume II. The awn may 

 or may not be articulated on the glume. The length varies in dif- 

 ferent varieties from J inch to 3| inches. Even within the same 

 variety the length of the awn is by no means constant. The colour 

 may be white, red or black, the first being the most common. The 

 awn is scabrid and in the wild rice was undoubtedly associated with 

 fruit dispersal and fixing the grain in the soil. In the Central Pro- 

 vinces no aversion is met with to awned rices ; in fact, the best and 

 highest quality rice Chinoor has an awn. In Damoh and 

 Jubbulpore awned rices are sought after as the awns protect the 

 crop from the attack of pigs. 



Size. — The spikelets may be roughly divided into four groups. 

 Long spikelets in which the length is more than four times 

 the breadth ; fine in which the length is more than three times 

 the breadth ; coarse in which the length is more than twice the 

 breadth ; round in which the length is less than twice the 

 breadth. Any attempt to give definite measurements of Central 

 Provinces rices has ended in failure. True, an average measure- 

 ment can be made out, but the labour and time required for 

 this is in no way compensated by the results. For practical 

 purposes the above is sufficient. 



Shape. — Kikkawa(20) groups the rices into six classes according 

 to the shape of the grain. No description is given of the classes, 

 and an unlettered photograph does not help to elucidate them. 

 Broadly speaking, there are five distinctive shapes found in the 

 Central Provinces. The shape naturally depends on the curvature 

 of the glume and the palea. The classes are as follows : — 



I. Glume and Palea slightly convex. (Plate I, Fig. 1.) 



II. Glume and palea convex. (Plate I, Fig. 2.) 



III. Glume and palea very convex. (Plate I, Fig. 3.) 



2 



