Aug. 1, 1927.] Revision of the Flora of the Bombay Presidency 26 



12. Apluda, Linn. (Cke. ii, 956) 



1. Apltsda varia, Hack, in Monogr. Androp. 196, var. aristata, Hack. 

 1. c. 199 ; Hook. f, in F.B.I,, vii, 150 ; Cke, ii, 956, comprekendens etiam alias 

 varhiates ; Stapf. in Fl. Trop. Afr. is, 40 ; Haines pt. v, 1057 .—Apluda aris- 

 tata, Linn. Oent. ii, 71 ; Schreber Beschr. d. Gr. 93, t. 42 ; Beauv. Agrost 133 ; 

 Duthie Fodd. Grass, of N. Ind. 44, t. 29.— Apluda G?yllus, Beauv. Agrost. 

 Explie. planches, 15, t. 25, fig. 5 (6 per •erroreni) . 



As our Bombay specimens must be referred to the var. aristata and as 

 Cooke's description comprises also other varieties we give in the following Stapf 's 

 diagnosis of the variety aristata. This must not prevent botanists from 

 paying attention to the possible occurrence of other varieties in the Presidency, 



Description : Mostly annual, blanched from the base. Stems densely 

 tufted, erect, 30-180 cm. high, or g-enicu lately ascending and "often rooting 

 from the nodes, many-noded, terete, smooth and polished. Leaves 10-45 cm, 

 by 4-15 mm., linear-lanceolate, long-attenuated towards the base, almost 

 petioled, tapering upwards to a fine setaceous point, convolute in bud, then 

 flat, somewhat rigid or flaccid, glaucous below, glabrous or very rarely 

 sparingly hairy, slightly rough above, scabrid along the margins, midrib white 

 above, stouter towards the base, primary lateral nerves, 5-8 on each side, fine ; 

 sheaths terete, tight and glabrous or very rarely sparingly hairy, those sup- 

 porting the flowering branches wider and shorter with reduced blades ; 

 ligules short, rounded off, glabrous or ciliate. Panicle upto 60 cm. long, much 

 compound, primary branches long, those of the following orders gradually 

 shorter, bearing clusters of trios of spikelets \ spathe at the base of the trios 

 ovate to ovate-oblong, mucronate or bearing rudimentary blades, glabrous, 

 green ot tinged with purple, 4-4*5 mm. long ; bulbous basal joint up to 1*5 mm, 

 long, whitish. Sessile spikelets lanceolate-oblong, acute, up to 4*5 mm. long. 

 Lower involucral glume chartaceous, firmer below, many-nerved ; upper 

 involucral glume somewhat gibbous on the back, scaberulous on the keel. 

 Lower floret : Valve oblong-lanceolate, acute, slightly shorter than the glumes, 

 3-nerved, glabrous ; valvule linear-lanceolate, almost as long as the valve, 

 2-nerved. Upper floret : valve 3*1 mm. long, 2-fid to beyond the middle, awn 

 up to 9" 3 mm. long, very fine, with or without a distinct twisted column ; 

 valvule generally much shorter, oblong or broad-ovate, nerveless. Antheis 

 2*3-3* 1 mm, long. Stigmas purple, up to 4*5 mm. long. Grain about 1 mm. 

 long, Pedicels 2*3-3*1 mm. long, sparingly ciliate. Lateral pedicelled spike- 

 let 4-5 mm. long. Glumes similar, subherbaceous, lanceolate, acute, many- 

 nerved ; lower glume rather flat on the back, upper not or obscurely keeled 

 and not gibbous. Florets as in the sessile spikelet but the upper not awned, 

 both are male more or less reduced. Terminal spikelet reduced to a short 

 striate glume, continuing the pedicel. 



Locality: Gujarat: Broach (Chibber !); Nadiad Farm (Herb. Econ. Bot. 

 Poona !) ; Surat (Gammie 16467 !, Cooke) ; Karu Roa, Cutch (Blatter 3776 !) ; 

 Kala Pacham Island (Blatter 3735 !) ; Garvi Dangs (Sedgwick !) ; Ahmedabad 

 (Cooke).— Khan desk: Muravat, Tapti bank (Blatter and^ Ha) 1 berg 4434 ,') ; N. 

 slope of Chanseli Hill (McCann A83 1) ; Toranmal (McCann A84 J) ; Munmad, 

 Ankai Hill (Blatter A146 !).— Konkan : Dhapli forest (Roan!); extremely 

 common throughout the islands of Bombay and Salsette (McCann !) ; Bassein 

 (McCann 4480'); Alibag. margin of water-works ( Ezekiel !) . — Deocan : 

 Purandhar (McCann 5008 !, Bhide !) ; Khandala, very common (McCann 5294 !) ; 

 Diva Ghat(McCann A86!); Sholapur (D'Almeida A87!); Igatpuri, very 

 common '(McCann 4325 !, 4324 !); Panchgani (Blatter 53-85!, Bhide!, Blatter 

 and Hallberg B1322!).— S. M. Country: Dharwar (Sedgwick and Bell 4489, 

 2400 ft., rain 34 inches ; Londa (Gammie 158511); Belgaum (Ritchie 824).— 

 Kanara : Halyal (Talbot 2495!); Juggleput (Talbot!); Kawarwad ^Talbot 

 2246!). 



Distribution: Socotra, India. Ceylon, E. Tropical Asia, Malaya, Australia, 

 Pacific Islands. 



Uses : A fairly good fodder grass, and readily eaten by cattle when young 

 (Duthie). 



13. Hemarthria, R. Br. (Stapf in Fl. Trop. Afr. ix, 54) 



Decumbent or ascending perennial grasses with branched, many-noded stems. 

 Leaves linear, conduplicate in bud, then flat. Ligules very short, membranous. 



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