171 
1, Elytrophorus articulatus, Beauy. 
Botanical name.—Hlytrophoruws—Greek, eleutron, a covering ; phoreo, 
IT bear, in allusion to the large outerglume; artic iberthass Tain jointed, 
referring to the interrupted (joimted) spike-like panicle. 
Where figured.—Duthie. 
Botanical description (B. Fl., vii, 638).—An erect glabrous annual, 
from under 6 inches to rather above 1 foot high, including the 
inflorescence. 
Leaves flat, often longer than the stem, with loose sheaths. 
Spikelets small and very numerous, the globular clusters sessile in a cylindrical spike 
3 to 4 lines diameter, and often occupying the greater part of the plant, either 
Boone throughout or interrupted and shortly branched at the base. 
Glumes rarely 1 line long without the points, the awns of the flowering ones about 
as long as or rarely ‘longer than the glume. 
Dorsal wings of the palea entire or denticulate, either both or one only rather broad. 
Value as a fodder—A handsome grass of little importance to the 
erazier. 
Habitat and range.—¥ound in all the Colonies except Western Aus- 
tralia and Tasmania. It is an interior species with us. It is found 
on the plains of Northern India on damp clay soils; also in other 
countries of tropical Asia and in Africa. 
91. ERAGROSTIS. 
Spikelets several- usually many-flowered, pedicellate or sessile, in a 
loose and spreading or narrow and clustered panicle, the rhachis of the 
spikelet usually glabrous and articulate under the flowermg glumes, 
but often very tardily so, and sometimes inarticulate. 
Outer empty glumes unequal and rather shorter than the flowering 
ones, keeled, without any or only faint lateral nerves. 
Flowering glumes obtuse or acute, unawned, three-nerved, the keel 
prominent, the lateral nerves in a few species very faint. 
Palea shorter than the glume, with two prominent nerves or keels, 
often persisting after the glume and grain have fallen away. 
Grain free, ovoid or oblong, not furrowed. 
Suction I.—CHAUNOSTACHYA. 
Spikelets somewhat flattened, the glumes rather distant, loosely imbricate, overlapping 
the rhachis at the base, so as not to leave a longitudinal furrow, usually 
very thin, with the lateral nerve on each side faint or marginal. 
Spikelets usually three- or four-flowered, pedicellate, in a spreading 
panicle. 
Spikelets very numerous and minute, 4 to . line long. Grain 
ovoid, smooth : aoe ; 1. ZH. tenella. 
Spikelets on long capillary pedicels, 1 to 2 lines long. | Grain 
globular, tuberculate .. 2. H. nigra. 
Spikelets | a more than six-flowered. Glumes acute or * rarely 
obtuse 
Spikelets numerous, pale-coloured, shining, shortly pedicellate 
and crowded on the long br anches of anarrow panicle. Grain 
broadly obovoid ... 6. H. megalosperma, 
Spikelets numerous, very narrow- linear, shortly ‘pedicellate and 
distant along the capillary erect branches of the panicle ... 7. HZ. pilosa. 
Spikelets not very numerous, linear-lanceolate, pedicellate, in a 
spreading panicle ... ae =p he abt ode . 8. H. leptostachya. 
