R/J 



625 Jour., Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc, Vol. XXXI I, No. 4 [May 31, 1928. 



2. Lower involucral glume of pedicelled 

 spikelet densely hairy with tubercle- 

 based persistent hairs all over the back ; 

 hairs in lower part shorter than in 

 upper ... ... ... (5) var. genuinus, subv. 



hispidissimus. 



(a) var- genuinus, subv. typicus, Patwardhan and Hedge I.e.; Hack, in 

 Monogr. An drop. 586 (sub Androp.). 



Description: Perennial. Stems densely tufted, 45 cm* to 1*2 m., subereet 

 or decumbent, about 3 mm. thick at the ha.- e and much flattened, glabrous, 

 simple or subfastigi«tely branched from the nodes of the upper half ; inter- 

 nodes not much logger than the leaf-sheaths. Leaves crowded at the base; 

 sheaths smooth, compressed, keeled, shortly auricTed at the mouth ; ligule 

 short, truncate, eiliolate ; lamina 5-35 cm. long, acuminate or abruptly so, at 

 first folded inward, afterwards flat, rigid, subereet, eiliolate or sparingly hairy 

 on the upper surface, with tubercle- based hairs towards the base, rough to 

 the touch on both surfaces. In semi-dry or dry specimens the leaves may be 

 vinaceous to deep vinaceous in colour. Spike solitary, terminal, 2'5-7'5 cm, 

 long excluding the awn, with closely imbricating pairs of sessile and pedicelled 

 spikelets. Spikelets subseevmd, pedicelled ones all male or neuter ; of the ses- 

 sile spikelets the lower 2 to 8 male or neuter awnless, the upper awned, female ; 

 the lower awnless spikelets persistent, the upper awned ones deciduous. 

 Sessile spikelet : Lower involucral glume narrow, linear-oblong, truncate 

 or rounded, brownish, many-nerved, hispid with short sparse hairs, 

 margin incurved, tip membranous ; upper involucral glume linear, obtuse, 

 coriaceous dark brown, hispidulous, 3-nerved, margins incurved. Lower 

 floral glume oblong, hyaline, thin, nerveless, short, truncate, paleate ; upper 

 empty, reduced to an awn about 7*5 cm. long, column slightly hairy, eallus 

 long, pointed, with a tuft of reddish brown hairs. Ovary linear, stigmatic 

 branches from 6-8 mm. long, with thick-set hairs, carmine in colour, fading 

 towards the tips. Pedicelled spikelet : Lower involucral glume lanceolate, 

 obliquely twisted, sparsely hairy with long, tubercle-based, deciduous hairs on 

 the back in the upper part and towards the margins, lower part glabrous, mar- 

 gins unequally winged ; upper involucral glume oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 5-nerved, ciliate towards the tip, margins hyaline. Lower floral glume oblong- 

 hyaline, 1-nerved, ciliate, epaleate, containing stamens ; upper empty, obovate, 

 lanceolate, hyaline, ciliate, nerveless. Stamens 3, filaments 3 mm. long ; anthers 

 oblong=lanceolate, cordate at base, pale yellow when young, light purplish 

 vinaceous ; pollen grains round, not sculptured, dull grey. The sessile male 

 spikelets in the lower part are similar to the pedicelled spikelets above. Fruit 

 5-8 mm. long, thinly hispid, dark brown with 2 deep furrows on the ventral 

 side, armed with a pointed callus below and a long lash-like awn above. 



Locality : Tegur (ex Burns and others) . 



Distribution : Tropics and subtropics generally, N. W. Himalaya, Afgha- 

 nistan (ex Haekel), 



{b) var. genuinus, subv. hispidissimus- Patwardhan and Hedge I.e. ; Hack, 

 in Monogr. Androp. 587 (sub Androp.).— Andropogon hispidissimus, Hochstett. 

 in Scbimper PI. Abyss, un. it. no. 1219. — A. besukiensis, Steud. in Zoll. 

 Syst. Verz. 59. 



Description : Annual. Stems little tufted, 15-60 cm. high, erect or slightly 

 decumbent below, slender and slightly compressed near the base, glabrous, 

 simple or subfastigiately branched from the upper 2 or 3 nodes; internodes 

 much longer than the leaf-sheaths. Leaves little crowded at the base ; sheaths 

 smooth, slightly keeled, shortly auricled at the mouth ; ligule short, truncate 

 and eiliolate ; lamina 2*5-20 cm. by 2*5-5 mm. wide, linear, acuminate or 

 abruptly so, ciliate or hairy on the upper surface up to nearly half its length 

 from the base with tubercle-based hairs, rough to the touch on both surfaces, 

 in semi-dry or dry specimens straw to very light purple in colour. Spike solitary, 

 terminal, 1-5 cm. long excluding the awns, with closely imbricating pairs of 

 sessile (lower) and pedicelled spikelets. Spikelets subsecund, pedicelled, all 

 male or neuter ; of sessile the lower 2-5 male or neuter, awnless, upper 4-12 

 female, awned. Those which are male or neuter persistent, the upper 4-12 

 pairs which include both males and females deciduous. Sessile spikelet : 

 Lower involucral glume narrow, linear-oblong, truncate or rounded, brownish, 



M 





