489 Jour., Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc, Vol. XXXIit, No. 3 [May 31, 1929. 



4. Eragrostis tenella, P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult. Syst. ii (1817), 576 ; Stapl in 

 Hook. f. F. B. I. vii, 315 ; Cke. ii, 1023.— Poa amabilis, Linn. Sp. PI. ed. 

 i (1753), 68.— Poa tenella, Linn. Sp. PI. ed. i (1753), 69. 



A. Camus in Lecomte's Flore General del'Indo-Chine has adopted the 

 name Eragrostis amabilis for this species. Mr. Hubbard of Kew has informed 

 us that, according to the Vienna Rules of nomenclature (Art. 46) this does not 

 seem to be correct. Poa amabilis, Linn, is the same as Poa tenella, Linn., and 

 Eragrostis tenella, P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult. is based on Poa tenella, Linn. 

 Apparently Stapf (in Hook. f. F. B. I. vii, 315) was the first to unite the two 

 species; as the name first used when the species were united takes precedence 

 over the other, we have to retain the name E. tenella, P. Beauv. 



Description : Usually a small, very elegant and slender annual grass, very 

 variable, rarely 45 cm. high. Stems many, slender, densely tufted. Leaves 

 slender, narrow, acuminate, attaining 12 cm. by 5 mm., usually much less ; 

 sheaths long-ciliate near the mouth. Panicles decompound, excessively branch- 

 ed 2-8 in, long, contracted or spreading, pale green or purplish, oblong-ovate 

 or cylindric, never with the long interrupted rhachis and pseudo-verticillate 

 branches of E. interrupta. Spikelets innumerable, minute to small on 

 capillary brrnchlets and pedicels, 1-4 mm. by 1 mm. or less, not strongly 

 compressed, 3-9-flowered . Involucral glumes subequal or unequal. Flowering 

 glumes oblique, not mucronate, lateral nerves remote from the margins ; keels 

 of pale usually obscurely ciliate. Stamens 3. Grain broadly ovoid, pale brown, 

 polished. 



Var. plumosa, Stapf in Hook. f. F.B.L vii, 315 ; Cke. ii, 1024 ; Haines Bot. 

 Bihar & Orissa (1922) 957 '.— Eragrostis plumosa, Link. Enum. Hort. Berol. 

 i. (1827), 192 (non Boiss.) ; Duthie Grass. N. W. Ind. 38, Fodd. Grass. N. Ind. 

 64, t. 38, 77 ; Aitchis. Cat. Panjab PI. 170 ; Lisboa in Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. 

 Soc. vi (1893), 385.— Poa plumosa, Retz. Obs. iv, 20 ; Kunth Enum. PI. 

 i, 338; Roxb. Fl. Ind. i, 337.— P. tenella, Linn. Sp. PL ed. i, (1753), 69 : Burm. 

 Fl. Zeyl. t. 47, f. 3 ; Retz. Obs. V, 19.— Eragrostis tenella, P. Beauv. 1. c— 

 P. despiciens, Link. Enum. Hort. Berol. i, 88.— Eragrostis despiciens, Schult. 

 Mant. ii, 318. 



Description : Stems tufted, sometimes reaching 40 cm. high and more, and 

 as well as the panicle eglandular. Panicle delicate, open, often . flexuous ; 

 branches capillary, rhachis bearded at the nodes ; pedicels distinct, often long. 

 Spikelets 1*2-4 mm. long, 3-9-flowered, rhachllla subarticulate. Involucral 

 glumes unequal, the lower distinctly shorter than the upper. Floral glumes 

 less than 1 ram. long. Keels of the pale pectinately ciliate with long hairs. 

 Anthers minute. Grain ovoid, less than 0*5 mm. long. 



Locality : Sind : Mirpurkhas, on banks of dry watercourse ^Sabnii B1023!),— 

 Gujarat : Surat (Bhide !, Woodrow),— Khandesh : Bor, Tapti Island, sandy 

 mud (Blotter & Hallberg 4395!) ; Umalla, Tapti bank (Blatter & Hallberg 

 5230 !) ; Chanseli (McCann 9978 \).—Konkan : Common (Lisboa) ; Byculla, 

 common in Bombay Island (McCann Al ; Uran (Hallberg & McCann 5131!, 

 5124 \).-Deccan : Sholapur (D'Almeida 9977 !) ; Poona (Cooke, Woodrow).— 

 S.M. Country: Dharwar, 2,400 ft., rainfall 34 inches (Sedgwick 2830!); 

 Yelvigi, 1,800 ft., rainfall 30 inches (Sedgwick 2035 !) ; Badami (Bhide !) ; 

 Gokak (Shevade \),-Kanara : Halyal (Talbot 2383 !). 



Distribution : Throughout India and Ceylon. 



Var. riparia, Stapf in Hook. f. F.B I. vii, 315 ; Cke. i, 1024. 



Cooke included this variety on the authority of Graham (Cat. Bomb. PI. p. 

 236, under Poa tenella). Graham does not give any locality ; Cooke has not 

 seen any specimen from the Presidency and we have not found it anywhere in 

 our area. We, therefore, drop this variety. 



5. Eragrostis viscosa, Trin. in Mem. Acad. Petersb. ser. 6. i (1831), 397; 

 Dalz, &Gibs. 298; Lisboa in Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. vii (1893), 386 ; 

 Haines Bot. Bihar & Orissa (1922), 957. -Poa viscosa, Retz. Obs. iv (1786), 20; 

 Roxb. Fl. Ind. i, 336 ; Grah. Cat. Bomb. PI. 236 ; Kunth Enum. PI. i, 

 336.— Eragrostis tenella var. viscosa, Stapf in Hook. f. F.B.I, vii, 315 ! Cke. 

 ii, 1024. 



Description : A tufted, sweet-scented-grass, 15-40 cm high, the panicles 

 occupying the greater part of the plant. Stem and rhachis of panicle, pedicels 

 and glumes with scattered microscopic glands. Leaves mostly convolute, 



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