OplismenusJ] CLXXIII. QRAMINE^. (J. D. Hooker.) 67 



Ed. II ii. 220. 0. 'pratensis, Schult. Mant. ii. 597. O. sylvaticus, 

 Roem. 8f Ssk. I.e. 481; Kunth Revis. i. 44, Enum. i. 139, Suppl. 101. 

 Orthopogon compositus, Br. Prodr. 194 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii. 

 Orth. Junghuhnii, Nees ex Miq. I.e. 444. Orth. longeracemosiis & sylvaticus, 

 Miq. I. c. Orth. pratensis, & loliaceus, Spreng. Sy*t..i. 306. Orth. rernotus, 

 Trin. Fund. Agrost. 181. Panicum aristatum, Retz. Obs. v. 17. P. biden- 

 tatnm & certificandum; Steud. 1. c. 44, 45. P. compositum, Linn. Sp. PI. 57 ; 

 Trin. Sp. Gram. Ic. t. 187 ; Steud. 1. c. 44 ; Thw. Enum. PL Zeyl. 379 ; 

 Benth. Fl. Hongk. 411 ; Baker _7. Maurit. 439. " P. composito-proximum, 

 Rottl. Ges. Naturf. Fr. Neue Schrift. iv. (1804) 224. P. elatius, JJnn.f. 

 Suppl. 107. P. lanceolatum, Retz. Obs. v. 17; Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 294.; 

 Steud. I.e. 48. P. longeracemosum, Steud. I.e. 45. P. peninsulaimm, 

 Steud. 1. c. 44. P. sylvaticum, Lamk. Encycl. iv. 733 ; Trin. Sp. Gram. Ic. 

 t. 190 A.; Steud. I.e. 45. P. undatum, Steud. Norn. Ed. II. ii. 264. P. 

 unguinosum, Serb. Banks ex Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 294. Echiuochloa lanceolata, 

 Roem. & Sch. I.e. 476. ?E. fcirta, Schult. Mant. ii. 270. Hekaterosachne 

 elatior, Steud. 1. c. 118. Digitaria composite, Willd. Enum. Berol. i. 91. 

 Andropogon undatus, Jacq. Goll. iii. 237, t. 631. Orthopogon sp. Griff. 

 Notul. iii. 43. 



Throughout INDIA, from Kashmir to Upper Assam, Munnepore, and Burma 

 (up to 8'JOO ft. in Sikkim) and southward to the Andaman and Nicobar Islds., 

 Penang and CEYLON. DISTEIB. most trop. regions (except Australia). 



Stem 1-3 ft., stout or slender, branched from the base and sometimes upward?. 

 Leaves very variable, l^-li in. broad; sheaths glabrous, pilose or hirsute. Racemes 

 2-6 in., stout or slender ; rachis glabrous, pilose or hispid ; spikes ^-3 in. long, 

 erect or spreading, green or purplish. Spikelets ^- *" (excl. awns) solitary or in 

 rather distant pairs or fascicles, appressod to the rachis or spreading, glabrous or 

 with few or many bristles longer than the glumes at the base, rarely softly hairy ; 

 gls. pale green or reddish purple, I short, 3-nerved, ciliate, awn in. to nearly f in., 

 slender flexuous, pale yellowish or dark stouter and stiff; II longer or shorter 

 than I, 5-7-nerved, acute, awn much shorter than of I or ; III longer and broader 

 than II; III acute or obtuse, 7-9-nerved, tip hispid, palea narrow or 0; 

 IV lanceolate, terete, acuminate, and its hardened palea yellowish shining. I am 

 unable to group the Indian form of this most variable grass under practicable varieties. 

 The following are indications of prevalent states, of which 6 is very aberrant. 



1. Tall, stout, leaves 4-6 in., sheaths glabrous or hirsiite, spikes and stout rachis 

 of panicle more or less hirsute with long cilia, stout dark purplish awns often black. 

 Wall. Cat. 8676 D. G. A. (left-hand specimen). Pan. elatius, Heyne fy P. decompo- 

 situs, Nees, in Herb. Wight n. 222, 1651. Andropogon undatus, Jacq. Sikkim, 

 Assam, Silhet, Burma and the Deccan. 



2. Dwarf, branches short stout decumbent, leaves f-1 in. ovate green or purplish^ 

 sheaths hirsute, panicle erect, spikes erect stout glabrous or pubescent, and spikelets 

 green or purple, awns short ^- in. stout. Oudh forests, Assam, Chittagong. 



3. Slender, leaves 2-3 in., ovate-lanceolate, sheaths hirsute, panicle long very 

 slender drooping rachis and very slender spikes finely pubescent, spikelets distant 

 subsilky, awns very slender. Sik'kim alt. 1-3000 ft. Munnepore 4750 ft. 



4. Tall, stout and much branched, or slender, leaves 4-7 in. lanceolate, sheaths 

 glabrous, -spikes many long stout or slender erect or drooping, rarely dark-colrd., 

 spikelets rather distant very many glabrous or sparingly setose at the base, awn 

 stout or slender. 0. lanceolatus, Kunth, Wall. Cat. 8676 A. B. C. H. L. O. com- 

 positus, Kunth, &c. The commonest form. 



5. Same as 4, but always slender, with glabrous sheaths and rachis of panicle, 

 fewer very slender smooth spikes, with few distant quite glabrous spikelets, awns 

 slender pale. 0. indicus, Wight Herb. n. 63, 1652 and lanceolatus, n. 2332. O. 

 lauceolatus, Wall. Cat. 8676 E. F. M. A reduced form of 4, and quite as 

 common. 



F 2' 



