ig6 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



base are longer, and varying in length from 12 to 18 inches and in 

 breadth from % to % inch. 



The panicle is somewhat narrow, 7 to 8 inches long, branches 

 are very slender, whorled, usually with only one spike consisting 

 of a sessile and two pedicelled spikelets. 



The sessile spikelets are Y\ inch long, laterally compressed, with 

 a long callus villous all round, and bisexual. The first glume is 

 coriaceous, linear-oblong, strongly compressed above and with a 

 few stiff short bristles beneath the tip. The second glume is, linear, 

 oblong, coriaceous, with an awn as long as itself or shorter, keeled 

 and with short stiff bristles on the keel and on the sides above the 

 middle. The third glume is hyaline, narrow, obtuse, shorter than 



the second, 2-nerved, ciliate. 

 The fourth glume is the linear, 

 hyaline, 3-nerved base of the 

 awn ; the awn is 1% to 2% 

 inches and bent at about the 

 middle. 



The pedicelled spikelets are 

 about Ys inch, narrowly lanceo- 

 late, male or neuter and with 

 short rusty hairs on both the 

 margins of the pedicel and a 

 semi-circular tip. The first 

 glume is thin, 2 _ toothed or not at 

 the tip, awned, awn being as 

 long as itself or longer, 7-nerv- 

 ed, ciliate at the sides from 

 base to tip ; the nerves are 

 either equidistant or the lateral 

 nerves nearer the margin. The 

 second glume is lanceolate- 

 acuminate, not awned, 3-nerv- 

 ed, margins hyaline, and 

 ciliolate. The third glume is 

 hyaline, linear-oblong, 2-nerv- 

 ed, ciliolate. The fourth glume 

 is linear or linear-lanceolate, 



Andropogon asper. 



1. Spike ; 2, 3,4 and 5. the first, second, 

 third and the fourth glume, respectively, of 



the sessile spikeiet ; 6. the ovary, lodicules hyaline, nerveless or I -nerved. 



and stamens ; 7 t S, 9 and 10. the first, second This grass grows abundant- 



third and the fourth glume, respectively, of , ., ° . , ° r ,, T7 - , , 



the pedicelled s P ikeiet ; u. callus of the W on the sides of the Kambak- 

 spike. kam Drug, Chingleput district, 



and in Penchalkonda, Nellore 

 district, and seems to be an endemic species. It is usually confined 

 to the hill sides and not found in the plains. This grass is very 

 closely allied to Andropogon Wightianus and it differs from it only 

 in the general habit of the plant and in having bristles on the 

 leafsheaths. On the whole this is a coarser and larger plant than 

 A- Wightianus. 



Distribution. — Kambakkam Drug in the Chingleput district and 

 Penchalkonda in Nellore district. 



