122 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Cenchrus catharticus, Delile. 



A tufted annual grass with geniculately ascending stems, 

 branching at the base. 



The leaf-sheath is glabrous and somewhat inflated. The ligule 

 is a fringe of hairs. Nodes are glabrous. 



The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate, finely acuminate, I to 4 inches 

 long and % to l A inch broad. 



The inflorescence is usually enclosed in the leaf-sheath, I to 6 

 inches long ; the rachis is flexuous, angular and glabrous. The 

 involucels are Y\ to ^2 inch across, turbinate or truncate at base 

 with an outer, shorter and inner longer series of hard, sharp, pun- 

 gent spines ; the inner subulate, dorsally deeply grooved, very 

 much longer than the spikelets ; margins ciliate to about half the 

 distance from the base, and the upper half covered with'very short, 

 sharp and stiff, reflexed hairs ; the outer are shorter than the 

 spikelets, spreading or erect, glabrous or nearly so and covered 

 with reflexed hairs. 



The spikelets are usually one to two and rarely three in an 



involucel and 

 each one has 

 four g/umes. The 

 first glume is 

 lanceolate and 

 nerveless or 



ovate - lanceolate 

 and I-nerved, 

 half as long as 

 the third glume, 

 hyaline and 



acute. The 



second glume is 

 about Ye inch 

 long, ovate, acute, 

 membranous, 

 5- nerved. The 



Fig. u8.- Cenchrus catharticus. f/ ! ird , S lume is 



t x. -i i ! -.u . •. similar to the 



I. A portion of the spike; 2. an involucel with two spike- , It. 



lets : 3, 4, 5 and 7. the first, second, third and the fourth glume second, paleate ; 

 respectively ; 6 and 8. palea of the third and the fourth glume palea is lanceolate 

 respectively ; 9. the ovary and stamens : to. grain. and short. The 



fourth glume is as 

 long as the third, cuspidately acuminate, membranous, 5-nerved 

 and paleate ; palea is ovate, as long as the glume. Stamens are 

 three. Styles are free and long with plumose stigmas. The grain 

 is ovoid-oblong, brown and compressed. 



This grass is more common than C. biflorus and is found on the 

 East Coast districts in open sandy places. 



Distribution. — Nellore, Bellary, the Punjab and the Gangetic 

 Plains. 



