286 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Pommereulla Cornucopiae, Linn. f. 



This is a short, stout perennial grass with stems rooting at the 

 nodes ; branches are flat, short, densely leafy, 2 to 6 inches long. 



The leaf-sheaths are smooth, equitant with thinly membranous 

 margins. The ligule is a ciliated ridge. 



The leaf-blade is flat, linear, distichous, coriace6us, rounded at 

 the tip, margins sparsely ciliate, I to 2% inches long. 



The inflorescence is a terminal raceme, % to 2 inches long, half 

 hidden by the uppermost leaf-sheath, the peduncle is flattened and 

 I to 2% inches long; rachis is also flattened with a tuft of long 

 silky hairs at the base. 



FlG. 214. — Pommereulla Cornucopia. 



1. A leaf; 2. inflorescence ; 3. spikelet ; 4 and 5. the second and the firsc glume ; 

 6 and 7. the third and the fourth glume; S and 9. the fifth flowering glume and its 

 palea ; IO and II. grain. 



The spikelets are shortly pedicelled or sessile, dorsally compress- 

 ed, cuneiform, about }/$ inch, glistening, villous, not articulate at 

 the base, 2- to 3-flowered, rachilla is narrowed downwards, resem- 

 bling a callus and villous, jointed at the acute base above the 

 empty glumes, and crowned with broad obconic empty awned 

 glumes. The spikelets have usually seven, rarely eight glumes. 

 The first and the second glumes are narrow, membranous, glistening, 

 empty and persistent and the others are coriaceous with mem- 

 branous margins. The first glume is linear or linear-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, i-nerved, scaberulous along the nerve. The second glume 

 is longer than the first, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed 

 towards the base, inserted much above the first glume and embrac- 

 ing the rachilla, 3-nerved, scaberulous along the mid-nerve at the 

 base only. The third and fourth glumes are half-amplexicaul, 

 empty, epaleate, flabelliform, 4-lobed, 7-nerved, shortly awned at 



