294 SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Eragrostis interrupta, Beauv. 



{Var. Koenigii, Stapf.) 



This is a tall grass, annual or perennial, with erect stems I to 3 

 feet or more. 



The leaf-sheath is glabrous and close. The ligule is a short, 

 fimbriate membrane. Nodes are glabrous. 



The leaf-blade is narrow, flat, acuminate, glabrous on both sides, 

 3 to 10 inches long. 



The panicle is erect, narrow, contracted, with branches in 

 pseudo-whorls and varying in length from 6 to 18 inches, branches 

 are slender, filiform, two or more arising from the same level, I to 

 3 inches long. 



The spikelets are small, pedicellate, smooth, usually 6 to 14- 

 flowered, pale but often tinged with red, the rachilla is jointed 

 between the flowering glumes, and breaks away from above down- 

 wards. The empty glumes are very small, subequal, ovate-oblong, 



Fig. 217. — Eragrostis interrupta. Var. kcenigii. 

 1. Two spikelets ; 2 and 3. empty glumes ; 4. empty glumes with two flowering 

 glumes and their palea ; 5. flowering glumes and palea ; 6. ovary and two stamens ; 

 7. grain. 



hyaline, obtuse and i-nerved. Floral glumes also are small but 

 slightly longer than the empty ones, ovate-oblong, obtuse and 

 paleate, palea is linear-oblong with smooth or scabrid keels. 

 Stamens are two with small anthers. Grain is obovoid. 



This grass is a very variable plant and has a tew varieties. The 

 one described above is Var. Kanigii Stapf., and this is the one that 

 occurs very widely. The other two varieties which occur very 

 rarely are (i) diarrhena Stapf. and (2) tenuissima Stapf. The former 

 is a tall plant with very narrow panicle and spikelets and the latter 

 either tall or short and with a panicle bearing very slender 

 divaricate branches. 



This grass usually occurs in clayey soils especially on the bunds 

 and in the paddy fields. 



Distribution. — Throughout India, Burma and Ceylon. Also in 

 tropical Asia and Africa. 



