72 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Panicnm f luitans, Retz. 



This is a perennial grass with prostrate branches which after- 

 wards become erect towards the free ends. The young branches 

 are covered with scale-leaves. Stems are stout, glabrous, smooth 

 and hollow, rooting at the lower nodes. 



The leaf-sheath is loose, glabrous, striate, margins not ciliate. 

 The ligule, is a ridge with a row of erect long hairs. Nodes are 

 glabrous. 



The leaf-blade is firm, linear, finely acuminate, base rounded, 

 rather narrower than the sheath at the white band, very thinly 

 scaberulous above and glabrous below, veins prominent above, 3 to 

 9 inches long, Y\ to 7/*6 inch broad; margins are slightly incurved 

 and the midrib is conspicuous only at the lower portion of the 

 blade. The scale-leaves persist at the base of the stems. 



Fig. 85. — Panicum fluitans. 



I and 2. Front and back view of a spike ; la. and 2a. front and back view of a 

 spikelet ; 3, 4 and 5. first, second and third glume respectively ; 5a. palea of the third 

 glume and stamens in it ; 6 and 6a. fourth glume and its palea ; 7. stamens and ovary. 



The inflorescence is a compound spike varying in length from 4 

 to 10 inches, erect ; the main rachis is triquetrous, dorsally rounded, 

 glabrous and very thinly scaberulous at the edges. Spikes are 

 many (fifteen and more), sessile, secund, generally longer than the 

 internodes, and appressed to the rachis, V\ to 1% inches long ; the 

 rachis of the spike is angular, edges scaberulous and with very 

 fine short hairs. 



The spikclets are pale, ovoid, acute, biseriate, imbricate, very 

 shortly pedicellate, glabrous, 1/16 to V% inch, pedicels are hairy with 

 a few long hairs towards the base. 



There are four glumes. The first glume is white, thin, membra- 

 nous, truncate and wavy at the apex, nerveless or sometimes with 

 one to three short nerves, less than one-third of the third glume, 

 broader than long and clasping at the base. The second glume is 

 ovate, obtuse or subacute, concave, submembranous, slightly shorter 



