192 SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



and contains a complete flower and the callus is short and bearded 

 with long hairs. The first glume is coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute, truncate or emarginate, slightly hairy, or glabrous with a deep 

 pit above the middle (sometimes with two or three pits also) 7- to 9- 

 nerved with a few long hairs below the middle and with margins in- 

 folded and shortly ciliate. The second glume is lanceolate-acuminate 

 and finely pointed at the tip and the point projecting slightly 

 beyond the first glume, 3-nerved or 3- to 5-nerved, membranous, 

 slightly hairy or glabrous, obscurely keeled. The third glume 

 is thin, membranous, shorter than the second glume, linear-oblong, 

 subobtuse or acute at the tip and nerveless. The fourth glume 

 is the base of the awn and the awn is not twisted, bent at about 

 the middle, Y 2 to Yz inch long ; there is no palea. Anthers are three 

 and yellow; stigmas purple. The grain is oblong-obovate, slightly 

 transparent. 



The pedicelled spikelets are slightly narrower than the sessile, 

 generally not pitted (though pitted in some plants), and not awned, 

 and each one consists of three glumes only ; the pedicel is more 

 than half as long as the sessile spikelets. The first glu me is slightly 

 hairy, oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, ciliate at the margins, 

 7 -to 9-, or 1 3-nerved, generally without pits, but occasionally with 

 one, two or three pits; the keels are ciliolate throughout the 

 length. The second glume is membranous, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 

 with incurved margins, 5-nerved. The third glume is hyaline, 

 linear-oblong, glabrous and thinly ciliate at the tip or not with 

 or without stamens. 



This is an excellent fodder grass and it grows quickly and 

 stands cutting very well. Cattle eat this grass very well. 



Distribution. — This grass is found all over India in the plains or 

 lower elevations of hills. 



