CHLORIDE. !•: 



279 



Dinehra arabica, Jacq 



This grass is an annual with stems erect or with a geniculate 

 base, tufted, slender or stout ; some of the lower nodes of the 

 geniculate part of the stems bear roots; the internodes are green 

 or purple tinged and glabrous. 



The leaf-sheath is thin, somewhat loose, usually glabrous, rarely 

 sparsely hairy. The ligule is a short membrane irregularly cut at 

 the top. The nodes are glabrous. 



The leaf-blade is linear, very finely acuminate, rough on both 

 the surfaces, thinly and very sparsely hairy ; the base of the blade 

 is contracted and purple tinged towards the margin, midrib is 

 prominent with three or four main veins on each side ; the margins 

 are very finely, closely serrate. 



Fig. 211. — Dinebra arabica. 



1 and 2. The front and back view of a portion of a spike ; 3. spikelet ; 4, 5 and 6. 

 the first, second and third glumes ; 7. palea of the third glume ; S. lodicules, ovary and 

 stamens. 



The inflorescence is a long erect narrow pyramidal panicle 

 varying in length from 2 to 16 inches ; the lower branches some- 

 times bear several spikes and attain 6 inches in length; the 

 peduncles are short or long, purple tinged and the main rachis is 

 smooth except at the top, angular and grooved. The spikes are 

 numerous, greenish or purple tinged, slender, erect or spreading 

 or sometimes defiexed, opposite, alternate or in fascicles of two to 

 four varying in length from Y\ to 2% inches ; the rachis of the spike 

 is trigonous, flattened out ventrally and with a ridge on the ventral 

 side and the margins are scabrid. 



The spikelets are few to many in a spike, alternate, closely 

 imbricating, sessile, about Ye inch long including the awns, usually 

 three flowered, rarely less or four flowered ; the rachilla is very 

 slender, jointed at the base, produced and jointed between the 

 flowering glumes. 



There are usually five glumes in a spikelet and in some four or 

 six. The first and the second glumes are lanceolate narrowed into 



