29* 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



42. Eragrcstis, Beauv. 



These are slender, glabrous, annual or perennial grasses. Stems 

 are usually erect or geniculately ascending, very rarely prostrate. 

 Leaves are narrow. Inflorescences are open or contracted panicles, 

 rarely spikes. Spikelets are usually strongly laterally compressed, 

 2, to many-flowered and not articulate at the base ; rachilla is 

 tough and persistent, jointed above the empty glumes and in some 

 also between the flowering glumes, not produced beyond the last 

 glume. Glumes are many, broad, obtuse, acute or mucronate, 

 never awned, dorsally rounded and keeled ; the first and the second 

 glumes are much shorter than the spikelet, equal or unequal, empty, 

 persistent or separately deciduous, i-nerved or the second 3-nerved, 

 usually membranous. Flowering glumes are imbricating, at 

 length deciduous from the rachilla, 3-nerved, all bisexual or the 

 uppermost and rarely the lowest imperfect, ovate to lanceolate, 

 membranous to chartaceous, usually glabrous, the lateral nerves 

 short not reaching the mid nerve ; palea are broad, membranous, 

 deciduous with its glume or persistant on the rachilla with two 

 ciliate smooth or scabrid keels. Stamens are three rarely two. 

 Ovary is glabrous with two styles ending in plumose stigmas. 

 Grain is minute, globose, obgloboid or obovoid, free in the glume 

 and the palea. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Spikelets panicled. 



B. Rachilla of spikelets more or 

 less jointed and breaking up from 

 above downwards. 



Panicle more or less contracted 

 and margin of flowering 

 glumes not ciliate. 



Spikelets 1/20 to 1/6 inch 

 long ; grain obovoid ; 

 stamens 2 ; panicle narrow 

 interrupted, 6 to 18 inches 



long ... 



BB. Rachilla of spikelets tough, per- 

 sistent ; flowering glumes falling 

 away from base upwards. 



C. Spikelets pedicellate. 

 Spikelets flat, ovate-elliptic 

 or oblong, lateral nerves of 

 flowering glumes very pro- 

 minent and straight, almost 

 percurrent ; palea decidu- 

 ous with their glumes 



1. E. interrupta. 



2. E. amabilis. 



