GLUMIFER^ 



303 



flowering 



glume. 



less adherent to the palea and 

 Seeds possess a minute slanting embryo at the base 

 of the mealy or farinaceous endosperm, to which the 

 SCUTELLUM (cotyledon) is closely applied (fig. 9). 

 The small notch found near one end of cleaned rice 

 is caused by the falling off of the embryo during the 

 husking of the paddy. 



This is one of the largest and most important families 

 of plants, universally distri- 

 buted. Of the large-grained 

 Cereals or Grain - grasses, 

 Rice and Maize are exten- 

 sively grown in the tropics 

 generally, and India espe- 

 cially, while Wheat, Barley, 

 Oats, and Rye are the chief 

 food -crops of the northern 

 countries. The small-grained 

 cereals known as Millets are 

 largely grown in India, and 

 form the staple food-grain of 

 the poorer classes. 



The common plants that are 

 under cultivation or otherwise 

 useful are dhan or Paddy or 

 Rice {Otysa sattva) ; gahm or Wheat {Triticum viil- 

 gare (fig. 273), jab or Barley (Hordeum vulgare), jai 

 or Oat {Avena sativa), bhutta or janar or makai or 

 Maize or Indian Corn {Zea Mays)—a.\\ large-grained 

 cereals; juar or dedhan {Andropogmi Sorghum), bajra 

 {Petmtsetum fyplioideum), shama-dhan {Panicuvi 

 Crus-galli, var. frumentacewn), cheena or bhura 

 (Panicum mi/Mceiim), gondii (Panicum miltare), kodo 

 {Paspalum scrobictilatiim), marhua {Eleusine Cora- 

 cana)—a.\\ small-grained cereals commonly known as 



V\g. 2Tj— ^\^leat Spikelet dis- 

 sected (after Dr. Oliver) 



e".^.. e.ff.. Two empty g^lumes. 

 /l^., Floweringr g^lume. p, Palea. 

 /, Lodicules. s, Stamens, o. Ovary. 



