300 



SOUTH INDIAN GRASSES 



Eragrostis major, Host. 



This is an annual tufted grass. Stems are erect or geniculately 

 ascending, usally short, leafy and branched below, glabrous and 

 shining, % to 2 feet long. 



The leaf-sheath is glabrous, striate, shorter than the internodes, 

 keeled with tubercles or glands on the keel and also on some of 

 the smaller nerves on the sides, and bearded with long white hairs 

 externally at the mouth. The nodes are glabrous purple, shining 

 and with a glandular ring below. The ligule is a ridge of long 

 hairs. 



The leaf-blade is linear-lanceolate or linear, tapering to a fine 

 point, glabrous, flaccid, margins finely serrulate and glandular, 

 base rounded, varying in length from l /2 to I0 inches and in breadth 

 3/16 to 7 l6 inch ; the midrib is prominent and with a row of glands 

 beneath and there are 3 to 5 lateral nerves on each side of the 

 mid-nerve. 



FlG. 222. — Eragrostis major. 



1. A branch with spikel&ts ; 2 and 3. empty glumes ; 4 and 5. (lowering glume and 



its palea ; 6. grain. 



The panicle is ovate or ovate-oblong, on a short, smooth, 

 peduncle, usually open and stiff; branches are usually many, sub- 

 solitary or fascicled, spreading or suberect, capillary, stiff, again 

 branching from near the base and about 3 inches long ; rachis 

 is angular, with glands and tufts of sparse white hairs at the angles 

 of branches and branchlets. 



Spikelets are linear to ovate-oblong, compressed, pale or green, 

 sometimes purple tinged at the base, few to 40-fiowered and occa- 

 sionally up to 70-flowers, 1 '8 to 1 inch. 



The empty glumes are subequal or the first is a little shorter, 

 ovate, acute, membranous, keeled, and sometimes the keels with 

 glands ; the first glume is usually one-nerved (rarely obscurely one- 

 to three-nerved) and the second glume is three-nerved. 



