Lepturus^ Graminece. 307 



broad at the middle, thence tapering to a very fine point and 

 below to the narrow base, flat, flaccid, smooth or slightly 

 scaberulous, sheaths slender, longer or shorter than the 

 internodes, glabrous, ligule short, broad, obtuse, membranous; 

 spike 2-6 in. long, nodding, rhachis compressed or semi-terete, 

 smooth or subscaberulous; spikelets about \ in. apart, sessile 

 or very shortly pedicelled, \-\ in. long, green, scaberulous, 

 veins strong; glume I subulate, II one-third or more longer, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute acuminate or shortly awned, fig. 

 glumes \-\ in. long, 7-veined, awn shorter than the glume. 



Montane zone, up to 8000 ft. Elk plains, &c. Spikelets green. 

 Europe, N. Asia, Himalaya, Nilgiri Hills. 



In Indian specimens hairy leaves occur, and sometimes pubescent, 

 long-pedicelled spikelets. 



76. LEPTURUS, Br. 

 Slender, glabrous grasses ; 1. flat or convolute, very narrow, 

 spikelets (in the Ceylon species) i-rld., semi-immersed in 

 cavities of the rhachis of a simple articulate terete fragile 

 spike, sessile, not articulate at the base, rhachilla articulate at 

 the base, produced beyond the fig. glume, and bearing an 

 imperfect glume; glumes 3 (and an imperfect terminal), I a 

 very minute membranous scale concealed at the base of the 

 cavity, II herbaceous, much longer than the fig. glumes, broad 

 at the base with narrowly inflexed margins, narrowed above 

 into a rigid awn longer than the internode, fig. glume concealed 

 by glume II (which closes the cavity in the spike), chartaceous, 

 lanceolate, 1 -veined, callus minute, naked, palea chartaceous, 

 oblong-lanceolate, keels obscure ; lodicules 2, cuneiform ; 

 stam. 3, anth. linear; styles distant at the base, short, stigmas 

 plumose, laterally exserted ; grain oval-oblong, dorsally com- 

 pressed, top bicuspidate, hilum small. — Sp. (?) ; 1 in Fl. 

 B. Ind. 



The relative positions of the empty glumes is at first sight deceptive, 

 the very minute I being apparently inserted higher up than the com- 

 paratively very large II, which is continuous with the rhachis of the spike 

 below the spikelet. The true position of I is evidenced by its margins 

 overlapping the inflexed margins of II, and by its position, which faces 

 the back of glume III. A study of the development of these two glumes 

 would be interesting. Oroftetium (p. 271) shows the same deceptive 

 insertions of glumes I and II. 



Xi. repens, Br. Prod. 207 (1810). 



Trim. Cat. Ceyl. PI. no. 



Fl. B. Ind. vii. 365. Duperr. Voy. Bot. t. 16. 



