panice^ 



75 



Panicum Crus-galli, L. 



It is a tufted annual with many erect branches growing to a 

 height, varying from 2 to 3 or 4 feet and the whole plant is glab- 

 rous. Stem is stout or slender, simple or branched. 



The leaf-sheath is smooth, glabrous and loose, varying in length 

 from 2 to 6 inches, keeled. The ligule is only a smooth semilunar 

 line without hairs. Nodes are glabrous and the lower nodes bear 

 adventitious roots. 



The leaf-blade is narrowly linear-lanceolate, flat, finely acumin- 

 ate, glabrous or very minutely scabrid with a stout midrib; margin 

 is minutely serrate and with tubercle-based hairs near the base. 

 The blades of the lower leaves are longer than those in the upper 

 and at the junction with the sheath the blade is narrow, just as 

 broad or less than the sheath, and becomes broader about the 

 middle ; the length varies from 6 to 10 inches generally, also to 14 

 inches, and breadth at base Y\ inch and at the middle 5/16 inch; 

 the upper leaf-blade is generally shorter, varying from 5 to 10 

 inches and very broad at the base near the sheath, about 7/16 inch 

 and gets gradually narrow upwards. It is convolute when young. 



The inflorescence is a compound spike varying in length from 4 

 to 8 inches contracted and pyramidal and always erect ; the main 

 rachis is stout, angled with very minute hairs on the ridges and 

 with a tuft of bristly hairs and also tubercle-based hairs at the 



Fig. 87. — Panicum Crus-galli. 



I and 2. Front and back views of spike ; 3. spikelet ; 4 and 5. first and second 

 glumes; 6 and 7. third glume and its palea ; S. fourth glume, front and back view; 

 9. ovary, anthers and iodicules. 



place of insertions of the spikes. Spikes are many (up to 16 or 

 rarely more), simple or branched, the lower ones longer, but 

 getting gradually shorter upwards, and varying in length from 

 Yz to 2 inches. The rachis of the spike is angular, with scattered 

 tubercle-based bristly/ hairs. 



The spikelets are turgid, densely packed on one side of the rachis 

 in three to five rows, sessile or sub-sessile, sub-globose or ovoid, 



