154 Gramiuece. [Panicum*. 



The well-known Guinea Grass was introduced from W. Trop. Africa, 

 into Jamaica about 1774, by Mr. John Ellis, as food for some birds which 

 he had imported. The birds died, and the seed, being thrown away as- 

 useless, yielded a magnificent gtass greedily eaten by cattle and horses. 

 It was introduced into India in 1802 by Sir John Sinclair, and must have 

 been rapidly disseminated, for I find a specimen in Rottler's Herbarium 

 (named P. meneri, miliacra, var. (?) P. nodosum, nob.) received from Heyne, 

 with the date, June 3, 1808. There is no record of its introduction into 

 Ceylon, but it is included in Moon's Catalogue, published in 1824. 

 Ferguson says of it that it grows in almost every soil and situation, and 

 forms with P. mtiticum the two mobt valuable fodder-plants grown in- 

 Ceylon. 



Glume III is empty in the only Ceylon specimen that I have 

 examined. 



33. P. repens, Linn. Sp. PL Ed. 2, i. 87 (1762). Etora, S. 

 Thw. Enum. 360 (part) (excl. syn. P. paladosiim) . Moon, Cat. 8^ 

 P. ischaemoides, Retz. Obs. iv. 17. C. P. 883. 

 Fl. B. Ind. vii. 49. Sibth. Fl. Graec. t. 61. 



Perennial; stem 1-3 ft., stout, ascending from a stout often 

 woody branched creeping rootstock, leafy, internodes short or 

 long, nodes glabrous, lower rooting; 1. 3-6 by \-\ in., sub- 

 distichous, narrowly linear-lanceolate, acuminate, strict, rather 

 coriaceous, flat or sides involute, glabrous or hairy above, 

 glabrous often glaucous beneath, base rounded or cordate,., 

 margins nearly smooth, sheaths with ciliate margins, especially 

 near the mouth, ligule a coriaceous ridge; panicle shortly 

 exserted from the upper sheath, 3-8 in. long, contracted^ 

 branches very many, strict, erect, naked below, slender,,, 

 angular, nearly smooth, lower 2-3 in. long, not divaricate 

 after fig.; spikelets yu~s m -> sessile or shortly pedicelled, ovoid- 

 or oblong-lanceolate, acute, glabrous; glume I about one- 

 sixth of III., orbicular or transversely oblong, white, hyaline,., 

 veins 3, faint, or o, II and III subequal, ovate, acute, II 7- 

 (rarely 5-) veined, III 9-veined, paleate or not, empty or 

 male, palea nearly as long as the glume, IV sessile, oblongs 

 acute, thinly coriaceous, dorsally convex, smooth, nearly white > 

 margins rather broadly involute. 



Very common in dry sandy or wet marshy soils, ascending to Nuwara 

 Eliya. 



S. Europe, Asia, Africa, America. 



A troublesome weed in gardens, but a good fodder-grass. Thwaites. 

 gives Attora as the Sinhalese name; Ferguson, ^Etora-tawa; Trimen v 

 Etora\ For differences between this and P. prolifertim, see remarks- 

 under the latter. Of the two C. P. numbers cited under this species in.. 

 Thwaites's ' Enumeratio,' 3049 is P . proliferum. 



Ferguson says of this grass, ' One of the most common in the Island,, 

 and highly valued as fodder for cattle ; large quantities brought into and. 

 sold in Colombo. Grows equally well in dry sandy soil as it does in. 

 marshes or water.' 



