204 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Andropogon annulatus, Forsk 



This is a densely tufted perennial grass. 



The main stem is underground, rhizomiferous, and covered with 

 scale leaves ; branches are many arising in tufts, leafy, procum- 

 bent at base and afterwards geniculately ascending and ending in 

 inflorescence, occasionally rooting at the nodes and varying in 

 length from 2 to 3 feet. The internodes vary from lY 2 to 4 inches, 

 pale or purplish, slightly flattened, smooth and glabrous. 



The leaf-sheath is terete, glabrous, shining, green or purplish, 

 closed, with margins where separate ciliated and profusely so at 

 the tip especially the outer or both. The Ugule is membranous 

 truncate, glabrous, about i/t6 inch in height. Nodes are purple 

 and softly villous. 



I'k;. 161. — Andropogon annulatus. 



1. Front and back views of a portion of the spike: 2. a sessile and a pedicelled 

 spikelet ; 3, 4, 5 and 6. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively, of 

 the sessile spikelet ; 7. the ovary, stamens and loclicules ; 8, 9 and 10. the glumes of 

 the pedicelled spikelet. 



The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate, acuminate, scabrid, sparsely 

 hairy, becoming glabrous except at the base and with tubercle- 

 based hairs on the upper surface. 



The spikes vary in number from two to nine, erect or slightly 

 spreading, subdigitately fascicled, pale when young and pinkish or 

 brown when old, varying in length from I to 2% inches. The stalk 

 of the whole inflorescence is long, slender, smooth and glabrous. 

 The peduncle of the spikes is from ~% to 1/6 of an inch long, thin, 

 slender, glabrous with swollen bases and with a ring of hairs at 

 the node. Joints of the rachis and the pedicels are slightly flattened, 

 ciliated along the narrow edges; the pedicels of the stalked 

 spikelets are half as long as the sessile spikelets. The spikelets 

 are one sessile and one pedicelled and imbricating on the rachis. 



