258 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Chloris incompleta, Roth 



This is a perennial grass. Stems are procumbent when growing 

 in open places, but erect if growing amidst bushes, often branched, 

 ending in long naked peduncles, varying in length from 1% to 4 

 feet. In some cases prostrate stems produce roots at the nodes. 



The leaf-sheaths are long, glabrous, the mouth being generally 

 hairy. The ligule consists of long hairs. Nodes are glabrous. 



The leaf-blades are linear, flat, finely acuminate and narrowed into 

 very long points at the apex ; glabrous or slightly hairy at the base 

 and contracted, 4 to 10 inches long and % to l A inch broad. 



The inflorescence consists of two to five rarely six, very slender 

 spikes, 3 to 8 inches long, forming a terminal whorl. The rachis is 

 fine and scabrid. 



Spikelets are narrowly lanceolate, closely appressed and imbri- 

 cate, V<o inch long excluding the awn and very variable. There 



FlG. 196. -Chloris incompleta. 



I. A portion of the rachis with two spikelets ; 2. the third glume and its palea with 

 the rudimentary fourth glume; 3 and 4. the first and the second glumes; 5 and 6 the 

 third glume and its palea ; 7. trie ovary, anthers and lodicules. 



are four glumes in the spikelet. The first glume is very small 

 linear-lanceolate, acute, about I/IO inch or less. The second glume 

 is lanceolate, membranous, three times the length of the first glume, 

 2-toothed at the apex and the midnerve produced into a very 

 short awn. The third glume is oblong-lanceolate as long as the 

 second glume or longer, 2-toothed at the apex, awned, the awn 

 being about % inch long ; the callus is bearded at the base. The 

 palea is as long as the glume, 2-toothed or not at the apex. The 

 fourth glume is very minute, awned and is borne by a rachilla 

 produced to half the length of the third glume. 



This grass is fairly common and grows in all situations and in 

 all sorts of soils. 



Distribution. — This occurs all over the Presidency in the plains. 



