24 Jour., Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc, Vol, XXXIII, No. 1 [Sept 30, 1928. 



Ahmedabad (Saxton 1065!); Bhuj Hill, Cutch (Blatter 3767 !); Rajkot, Kathi- 

 awar (Woodrow).—K/iandesh: Tapti bank, Muravad (Blatter & Hallberg 

 51651 !); Uraalla, Tapti bank (Blatter & Hallberg 5208 \).—Deccan : (Lisboa !). 

 —S.M. Country. Gokak (Shevade!). 



Distribution : India (Kashmir, Upper Gangetic Plain, W. Peninsula, 

 Deccan), throughout Africa, Sicily, Canaries. 



7. Pennisetum spicatum, Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. ii (18.17), 499.— Panicum 

 spicatum. Roxb. Fi. Ind. i, 283. — Penicillaria spicata, Willd. Emim. Hort. 

 Berol. 1037 ; Aitchis. Cat. Punjab PI. 163.— Holcus spicatus, Linn. Syst. ed, x, 

 1305; Grah. Cat. Bomb. PI. 238; Dalz. & Gibs. Suppl. 99.— Pennisetum 

 typhoideum, Rich, in Pers. Syn. i (1805), 72; Boiss. Fl. Or. v, 447 ; Duthie 

 Grass. N.W. Ind. 11, Field and Gard. Crops 30, t. 71, Fodd. Grass. N. Ind. 

 18; Lisboa in Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. v (1890), 339; Hook. f. F B.I. 

 vii, 82 ; Pram Beng. PI. 1169 ; Cke. ii, 917 ; Haines Bot. Bihar & Orissa 

 985.— Panicum americanutn, Linn. Sp. PI. i, 56.— Pennisetum americanum , 

 K. Schum. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost.— Afr. B. (1895), 51; Hitchc. in Bailey 

 Cyclop. Hortic. 2537.— Holcus racemosus, Forsk. Fl. Aegypt.— Arab. (1775), 

 175.— Alopecurus indica, Burm. Fl. Ind. 27. 



In order to explain the above synonymy and the final adoption of the speci- 

 fic name P. spicatum we reproduce a MS. note kindly sent to us by 

 Mr. Hubbard : 



"Pennisetum typhoideum L. Rich, in Pers. Syn. i. 72 (1805) has been changed 

 to Pennisetum americanum by K. Schum. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost. -Afr. B. 51 

 (1895), based on Panicum americanum L. Sp. PI. ed. i. 56, (1753) Panicum 

 americanum L. in turn, is based on Panicum americanum Clusius Hist., ccxv 

 (1601). Hitchcock in Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. xxii. 218 (1921) suggests that the 

 figure (in Clusius) is that of the ' common millet ' (Setaria italica) and that the 

 description is based on more than one species. I do not think the figure is that 

 of the ' common millet ', it is however very similar to a form of ' pearl millet ' 

 cultivated in Spain ; in addition Clusius says that his Panicum americanum 

 grows as tall as a man and has stouter, thicker stems than the common millet 

 which he calls Panicum vulgare and figures on the same page. In the second 

 edition of the Species Plantarum, 1484 (1763), Linnseus quotes Panicum ameri- 

 canum in synonomy under Holcus spicatus L. (first published in Syst, Nat. ed. 

 x. ii. 1305 (1759); this is the basis of Pennisetum spicatum Roem. et Schult. 

 Syst. Veg. ii. 499 (1817). It appears advisable to use this name in preference to 

 Pennisetum americanum K. Schum., owing to the uncertainty as to what 

 Panicum americanum Clusius really is and also the name 4 americanum ' is 

 misleading." 



Vern Names : Bajri, bulrush millet, cat-tail millet, pearl millet. 



Description : Annual. Culms tall, erect, stout, terete, 0*9— 1*8 m. high, rooting 

 at the lower nodes, sometimes woolly, pubescent below the inflorescence. 

 Leaves 30-90 cm. by 6-50 mm., linear to linear-lanceolate from a rounded base, 

 acute, flat, more or less rough, glabrous, rarely hirsute ; sheath terete, rather 

 inflated, glabrous except the bearded nodes and the often villous junction with 

 the blade, rarely hirsute, usually slightly rough, rather shorter than the inter- 

 nodes, ligule a narrow, long and densely ciliate rim. Panicle spike-like, cylin- 

 dric, very dense, 10-20 cm. long, often purplish ; rhachis stout, villous ; 

 branchlets reduced to a peduncled involucrate cluster of 1-8 spikelets ; pedun- 

 cles villous, straight, 2*5—5 cm. long, often horizontally spreading or partly 

 deflexed ; involucre of very numerous ciliate often purplish bristles about as 

 long as the spikelets. Spikelets sessile, or shortly pedicelled within the in- 

 volucre, readily deciduous when ripe, oblong, 5-6 mm. long, pale or purplish 

 upwards. Lower involucral glurne minute or 0, half-orbicular or subquadrate, 

 1-3-nerved ; upper variable in length, sometimes absent, usually %-% the 

 length of the upper floral glume, subquadrate, truncate, obtuse or retuse, 

 3-nerved, very rarely as long as the upper floral glume and coriaceous. Lower 

 floral glume ovate-oblong, obtuse or truncate and apiculate, 5-nerved, epaleate 

 or paleate, male or neuter, rarely bisexual ; upper coriaceous or herbaceous, 

 ovate, acute, 5-7-nerved, pale very broad, truncate, ciliate at the tip and 

 dorsally, nerves 2, approximate, excurrent. Lodicules 0. Anthers linear, 2*5 

 -3 mm. long, tips bearded. Styles connate. Grain oblong, obovoid, or pyri- 

 form, smooth, free, top exposed. 



Locality : Cultivated throughout the Presidency. 



[18] 



