Paspaium.] Graminece. 123 



slender, striate, divaricate, rhachis narrow, strongly keeled 

 ventrally down the middle, glabrous ; spikelets T V in., orbi- 

 cular-oval, apiculate, strongly compressed, biseriately imbricate, 

 very shortly pedicelled, pale green or white; glumes I and II 

 equal and similar, hyaline, mid vein o, I with marginal long- 

 ciliate veins, II veinless, III thinly coriaceous, slightly convex, 

 margins narrowly incurved, palea as large as III; fil. very 

 short, anth. short, oblong ; styles short, stigmas pale. 



Moist places, introduced from the W. Indies to trop. and subtrop. 

 regions of the old world. 



The sour grass of Barbados, spreads rapidly, frequently taking the 

 place of other grasses and killing them (Ferguson). 



3. P. sangruinale, Lamk. Illustr. i. 176 (177 1). Gurwal, S. 



Panicum sanguinale, Linn.; Thw. Enum. 358. Digitaria sanguinalis, 

 Scop. 



Fl. B. Ind. vii. 13. Host, Gram. Austriac. ii. t. 17 and Lamk. Encycl. 

 t. 849 (Panicum). 



Perennial; stems 6-18 in., tufted, erect or decumbent or 

 creeping and branched below, leafy ; 1. 3-10 in., linear or linear- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, flat, usually flaccid, glabrous or sparsely 

 hairy, especially towards the base, and on the rather long 

 sheath, ligule short, broad, truncate, rather coriaceous; infl. 

 long-peduncled, spikes 3 or more, sessile or stipitate, 1-6 in., 

 subdigitate, alternate, or if panicled whorled or fascicled, 

 rhachis slender, flattened, trigonous, striate or subflexuous, 

 scaberulous ; spikelets secund, ts~s m -> solitary or binate, sub- 

 sessile or pedicelled, if binate pedicels unequal, lanceolate or 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, pale; glumes 3, 1 and II 

 ciliate or hairy, empty, I at the back of the fl. gl. as long 

 as II or shorter or very short, 5 -veined, II as long as the 

 fig. gl., lanceolate, acuminate, 5-7-veined, marginal veins 

 villously ciliate, fig. gl. plano-convex, lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, coriaceous, veinless, margins strongly incurved, palea 

 ovate -lanceolate, acuminate, coriaceous; fil. short; stigmas 

 short. 



One of the most common and variable of grasses, the forms of which 

 are so connected by intermediates that I find it impossible to limit or 

 group them satisfactorily. The following varieties are contained in the 

 Peradeniya Herbarium, and may be supposed to include the prevalent 

 Sinhalese ones ; but others common in India may be presumed to occur. 

 None of these Sinhalese specimens have the minute glume at the base 

 •of gl. II which is found in many Indian ones. 

 Gl. 1 1 with one dorsal median vein, and 2-3 submarginal. 



Gl. I very short ; spikes few, 4-6 in., subcorymbose ; spikelets £ in., 



gl. II shortly villously ciliate. C. P. 861. 

 Gl. I half as long to nearly as long as II, stem tall, stout ; 1. 4-5 by 

 £-5 in.; hairy; spikelets corymbose or panicled, the lower in 



