212 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Anthistiria tremula, Nees. 



This is an annual or perennial. Stems are stout or slender, 

 erect or ascending from a creeping root-stock, simple or branched, 

 I to 4 feet. 



The leaf-sheath is smooth, compressed. The ligule is a narrow 

 membrane. 



The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate, rigid, erect, acuminate with a 

 setaceous tip, nearly smooth, varying in length from b to 20 inches 

 and in breadth from % to % inch. 



The inflorescence is an elongate panicle, I to 2 feet long, consist- 

 ing of rather distant fascicles of spikes and bracts on capillary, 

 flexuous peduncles ; the spikes are sub-flabelliform or sub-globose, 

 Vi to I y 2 inches broad, sometimes reduced to a few spikelets and 

 bracts; the outer bracts are longer than the fascicles I to L l /> 

 inches long, glabrous or hairy with ordinary or tubercle-based hairs ; 

 proper bracts are lanceolate, acute, compressed, glabrous or hairy 

 with membranous margins. 





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Fig, [6g. — Anthistiria tremula. 



I. Fascicles of three spikes with the outer bracts and proper bracts; 2. a spikt* 

 without its proper brart ; 3. the pedicelled and the bisexual spikelets without the 

 involucral spikelets ; 4. the first glume of the involucral spikelet with one wing only ; 

 4<7. the first glume of the invol.icral spikelet with wings to both the keels ; 5 and 6. the 

 second and the third glume of the involucral spikelet : 7, 8 and 9. the glunes of the 

 bisexual spikelet; 10. II, 12 and 13. flumes of the bisexual spikelet ; 14. ovary. 



The involucral spikelets are the longest, in contiguous superposed 

 pairs, about l / 2 inch long, and the rachis of the spike is produced 

 beyond these spikelets. There are three glumes. The first glume is 

 linear-lanceolate, acute, covered with long often tubercle-based 

 hairs, many-nerved, margins narrowly incurved, and with narrow 

 wings, on both the keels in one of each of the pairs of spikelets and 

 on one keel only in the other of each of these pairs. The second 

 illume is oblong-lanceolate, acute, margins thin and membranous, 

 inflexed, ciliate above the middle, 3-nerved. The third glume is as 

 long as the second, hyaline, very narrowly linear, I-nerved. 

 Stamens are three and the lodicules are cuneate. 



The pedicelled spikelets are usually smaller than the involucral 

 spikelets and similar to them. The first glume is winged on one 

 side in the lowest spikelet and without wings in the others 



