no 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Setaria glauca, Beauv. 



This is a tufted annual grass. Stems are slender, simple or 

 branched, erect or ascending. 



The leaf-sheaths are glabrous. Nodes are giabrous and some- 

 times the lower are rooting. The ligule is a fringe of long hairs. 



The leaf-blades are lanceolate-linear, fiat, finely acuminate, with 

 a rounded base and very finely and minutely serrate margin, glab- 

 rous on both the surfaces or occasionally sparsely hairy on the 

 upper surface and varying in length from 4 to 12 inches or more, 

 and in breadth from % to % inch. 



The inflorescence is a cylindric, densely flowered, spike-like 

 raceme, I to 4 inches long, usually yellow, rarely purplish or pale 

 green, the bristles of involucels vary from six to twelve and are pale 

 or reddish brown, % to ^3 inch long with fine erect or spreading 

 barbs. 



The spikelets are numerous and are very closely set along the 

 rachis of the inflorescence, % inch long, glabrous and ellipsoidal. 



There are four glumes in the spikelet. The first glume is less than 

 half the length of the third glume, broadly ovate, hyaline, 3-nerved. 

 The second glume is a little longer than the first but shorter than the 



Fig. 109. — Setaria glauca. 



A and B spikelels , C a bristle i, 2 ami 3. The first, second and the third glume, res- 

 pectively ; 4. palea of the third glume ; 5. the fourth glume ; b. palea of the fourth 

 glume ; 7. ovary, anthers and lodicules. 



third, broadly ovate or suborbicular, hyaline, 5-nerved. The third 

 glume is longer than the second as long as the fourth, membranous 

 and 5-nerved, paleate, empty or with stamens. The fourth glume is 

 coriaceous, broadly elliptic, obtuse, dorsally convex, transversely 

 rugose, pale. The anthers are orange and the styles purple. 



This is a fairly common grass especially in cultivated ground 

 all over the Presidency, but not very widely distributed. Cattle 

 are fond of this grass. 



Distrdnitiou. — Throughout In d i a . 



