BOMBAY GRASSES. 373 



Leaves linear, flat, scabrous, produced into a point. Panicle one 

 foot long or longer, very ramous. Branches numerous, slender, 

 simple, scattered or clustered along the rachis, 2-4 inches long. 

 Spikelets alternate, sessile, shortly pedicelled, distant or approxi- 

 mated, narrow, 1-2 lines long, 4-6 flowered. The two outer glumes 

 empty, somewhat unequal, lanceolate, acute or subulate. Flowering 

 glumes broader and obtuse, hyaline at the apex. 



Seen specimens collected in Parel (Island of Bombay) and Guzerat. 

 Said to be common in the plains of Northern India, where it is used 

 more or less for fodder. Also in Bengal, Ceylon, and Australia. 



Leptochloa calycina (Roxb.), described in the Bomb. FL, is Dinebra 

 arabica, Beauv., above described. 



Eleusine, Gaertn. Fruct. 



E. corocana, Gaert. Carp., 1 ; Roxb., Flor. Lid., I., 342 j Dalz. 

 and Gibs., Bomb., Fl., Suppl., 97 ; Cynosunis corocenus, Linn., 

 Sp. PI. ; Tsjeth 'pullu, Rheed,, Hort. Mai., XII., t. 78. 



Ver. Hind, and Mah. Natchni) Nagli-Raggi, Mandha, Mandhua, 

 Mariiya ; Beng., Marua, Modua ; Punjab, Mandol, Cholodra ; 

 Himalaya, Hoda ; Kurakan. 



Culm erect, 2-4 ft. high, compressed, simple, smooth. Sheath 

 bearded at the mouth. Ligula short, fimbriate, pilose. Leaves 

 bifarious, large, 1 ft. long or longer than the culm. Spikes 4-7, 

 digitate, usually in-curved, sometimes straight, thick, secund, 1-3 

 in. long. Spikelets sessile, densely imbricate, in two rows, 3-6 

 , flowered. The two outer glumes empty (the lowermost longer), 

 keeled, obtuse. Flowering glume ovate, concave, obtuse, glabrous, 

 minutely denticulate. Fruit globular, dark brown, rugose. Peri- 

 carp loose over the fruit or seed. 



It is extensively cultivated over our ghats and in the plains and 

 lower districts more than 20 miles inland. It is transplanted and 

 weeded like rice. It may be grown almost over stones and gravel, 

 but when sown over a rich soil, the return is enormous in proportion 

 to the area. It yields from 5-6 maunds of seed per acre upon the 

 hills, 12-14 maunds in the plains. Dr. Roxburgh describes a luxuri- 

 ant variety, E. stricta. For this variety Dr. Roxburgh gives '' an 

 increase equal to 120 fold, and for another 500, whilst on two tufts, 

 the produce of one seed, 50 culms grew, and no less than 8100 fold 



