268 SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



keel. The second glume is hyaline, about one and half times as long 

 as the first, oblong elliptic, minutely 2-lobed at the apex, with a 

 minute mucro between, I-nerved with a scabrid keel. The third 

 glume is as long as the second, awned, pale or purple, ovate or 

 obovate, narrowed at the base and clasping the rachilla at its base, 

 apex shortly 2-fid with a purple dorsal awn, 3-nerved paleate ; the 

 two marginal nerves are densely bearded with long white or purple 

 tinged hairs from near the base to almost the apex and the mid- 

 nerve also similarly bearded with long hairs on both sides, and 

 the base with a tuft of long hairs ; the palea is as long as the glume, 

 coriaceous obovately-cuneate, obtuse, minutely bifid, purple-tipped, 

 with folded hyaline margins, 2-keeled ; keels shortly ciliate. Sta- 

 mens three with yellow or purple anthers, ovary with two feathery 

 stigmas and two lodicules. Grain is oblong shining light reddish 

 brown, narrowed at both ends and somewhat trigonous. The 

 remaining glumes fourth to seventh are borne by the rachilla, thinly 

 chartaceous, broadly obcordateor obovate, gradually diminish- 

 ing in size, purple-tinged, 3- to ^-nerved, scaberulous. The fourth 

 and fifth glumes are empty and epaleate when the spikelets are five 

 glumed. If there are six glumes, the fourth bears stamens and the 

 ovary, the fifth and sixth glumes are empty, and in spikelets of 

 seven glumes, the third, fourth, and the fifth glumes are flower- 

 bearing and contain grains, and the remaining two glumes are 

 empty. 



This species is a tall robust one resembling Chloris barbata in 

 its inflorescence, but with larger spikelets— as large as those of 

 Chloris tenella. No doubt it is closely allied to Chloris barbata, but 

 differs from it by having larger spikelets that are 3- to 5-awned 

 and I- to 3-flowered, and the nerves being bearded throughout 

 their length with long hairs. 



Specimens of this grass were sent to Kew and Calcutta herb- 

 ariums for identification and they were named C. montana, with 

 which I could not agree. 



So again 1 sent these specimens along with specimens of what 

 I considered C. montana to Dr. Stapf at Kew through Mr. Gamble 

 and Dr. Stapf wrote about these thus : — " We have not been able 

 to match it with any of the described species of Chloris and Mr. 

 Ranga Acharya will be fully justified in describing it as a new 

 species. We have had it apart from Wight's specimen from the 

 following collections : — (I) Sattur, November 19, 1795, sub-Andro- 

 pogon barbata, Var. ? Herb Rottler. (2) Ahmednagar — Miss 

 Shattock (U.S. Dept. Agri.— received 1914). (3)Tornagallu, Bellary 

 district, nth August 1901 (Ex herb Ranga Acharya in Herb, 

 Bourne No. 3594)- 



Distribution. — This grass was found growing in abundance in the 

 fields Nos. 13, 37 and 62 of the Agricultural College and in the 

 grounds around the Forest College, Coimbatore, and was also 

 collected in Hagari and Samalkota. 



This grass grows well and is likely to prove useful, as cattle 

 seem to like it. 



