152 



Flowering glume produced into a fine straight awn, entire or with a 

 tooth, lobe or short awn on each side of the terminal awn. 



Palea folded or with two prominent nerves. 



Rhachis of the spikelet produced behind the palea and bearing one 

 or more empty glumes, all awned, and usually with their ends on a 

 level with that of the flowering* glume. 



Spikes digitate, slender. Spikelets acute. Flowering glume usually 



with a tooth, lobe or short awn on each side of the terminal 



one. 

 Spikes six to twelve or more, 3 to 6' inches long. Spikelets distant, 



3 lines long. Flowering glumes tapering into the awn, or 



very minutely toothed... ... ... ... ... ... 5. C acicularis. 



Spikes digitate, slender, 3 to 6 inches long. Spikelets very obtuse 



or truncate. 

 Spikelets cuneate, truncate, 1 to 1| lines long. Flowering 



glume, oblong, obtuse. Upper empty one broad, truncate 6. G. truncata. 

 Spikelets very obtuse, 1| to 2 lines. Flowering glume very 



broad, embracing the narrower empty one .. . ... ... 7. C. ventricosa. 



Spikes digitate, dense, 1 to 2 inches long. 



Flowering glume broad, rigidly scarious, ciliate. Upper empty 



glumes several. Broad, scarious, very spreading... ... 9. C. scariosa. 



5. Chloris acicularis, Lindl. 



Botanical name. — Chloris, the Greek word for pale green, in allusion 

 to the colour of some of these grasses ; acicularis, from the Latin 

 needle-shaped or acicular, in allusion to the shape of the spikelets. 

 Vernacular name. — cc Lesser Star Grass/' 

 Where figured. — Agricultural Gazette. 



Botanical description. (B. Fl. vii, 612). — A glabrous erect grass of 

 1 to 2 feet. 



Leaves flat, the lower sheaths broad and flattened. 



Spikes six to twelve or even more, at first erect, but at length horizontally spreading 



as in C. divaricata, 3 to 4 inches long, slender, and often purplish. 

 Spikelets rather distant. 

 Outer glumes narrow, keeled, tapering to fine points, the lowest 1£ to 2 lines, the 



second 3 lines long. 

 Flowering glume about 2 lines, narrow, three-nerved, tapering into an awn of about 



\ inch, with sometimes, but not always, a short point on each side at the base. 

 Palea long, narrow, prominently two-nerved. 



Terminal empty glume with an awn sometimes as long as that of the flowering glume, 

 but usually shorter. 



Value as a fodder. — The very closely allied G. Roxburghiana, Edgew., 

 is not uncommon in Northern India, and often grows amongst bushes, 

 where its stems attain a considerable height. It is stated to be a 

 good fodder grass in Ajmere. (Duthie.) 



Habitat and range. — Found in all the colonies except Tasmania. 

 In New South "Wales it extends from the table-land to the interior. 



6. Chloris truncata, H.Br. 



Botanical name. — Truncata, Latin, maimed or mangled, hence 

 " cut off " (truncate), which the glumes appear to be. 



Vernacular names. — " Windmill Grass " or " Star Grass." 

 Where figured. — Agricultural Gazette. 



