118 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Pennisetum cenchroides, Rich. 



This grass is a perennial. It consists of aerial branches and 

 under-ground rhizomiferous stems, bearing thick fibrous roots and 

 numerous buds covered by scarious sheaths. The aerial branches 

 are tufted, erect or decumbent and geniculately ascending when in 

 flower, much branched from the base, 6 to 24 inches long (under 

 favourable conditions may reach even 3 to 4 feet in length). 



The leaf-sheath is slightly compressed, keeled, with scattered 

 long hairs outside, shorter than the internodes. The ligule is a 

 short thin membrane fringed with hairs. 



The leaf-blade is linear, tapering to a very fine point I Y 2 to 6 

 inches (sometimes 18 to 20 inches) by % to l A inch scaberulous 

 with fine long tubercle-based deciduous hairs scattered above, and 

 the lower surface glabrous or with a few distantly scattered fine 

 long hairs, broad at the base and constricted at the point of junc- 

 tion with the sheath. 



The inflorescence is a raceme of spikes, varying from l l / 2 to 3% 

 inches, with the spikes mostly densely arranged, though occasion- 

 ally distant and not close-set, on a long, slender, puberulous or 

 scaberulous peduncle ; rachis is flexuous, flattened, grooved and 

 scaberulous. The spikes have involucels, consisting of two series 

 of bristles, the outer bristles are horizontal or reflexed, numerous, 

 fine, filiform, scabrid and purple above, shorter or longer than the 

 spikelets ; the inner bristles are two to three times longer than 



FlG. 116. — Pennisetum cenchroides. 



1. A portion of a spike ; 2 and 3. spikelets with their involucels ; 4. a bristle ; 5, 6, 7 

 and 8. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively ; 7a and 8a. palea of 

 the third and the fourth glume, respectively ; 9. ovary and stamens. 



the spikelets, flattened and thickened at the base with a strong 

 green nerve, ciliated with long tubercle-based hairs; one of the 

 bristles is longer than the others and the bases of the bristles are 

 connate at the very base into a ring ; the upper portion of the 

 bristles are filiform, scabrid and purple, the lower flattened portion 

 being pale. 



