OpUsmenus.'] clxxiii. gramine^. (J. D. Hooker.) 67 



^d. II ii. 220. O. pratensis, Schult. Manf. ii. 597. O. sylvatious, 

 Boem. Sf 8ch. I. c. 481 ; Kunth Bevis. i. 44, Enum. i. 139, Suppl. 101. 

 Orthopogon compositus, Br. Prodr. 194 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii. 

 Orth. Junghuhnii, Nees ex Miq. I.e. 444. Orth. longeraoemosus & sylvatious, 

 Miq. I. c. Orth. pratensis, & loliaeeus, Bpreng. 8yst. i. 306. Orth. remotus, 

 Trin. Fund. Agrost. 181. Panioum aristatum, Betz. Ohs. v. 17. P. biden- 

 tatam & certiflcandum, Steud. I. c. 44, 45. P. oompositum, Linn. Sp. PL 57 ; 

 Trin. Sp. Gram. lo. t. 187 ; Steud. I. o. 44 ; Thw. Enum. PI. Zeyl. 379 ; 

 Benth. Fl. Songk. 411 ; Baker Fl. Maurit. 439. P. composito-proximum, 

 BottL Ges. Naturf. Fr. Neue Schriff. iv. (1804) 224. P. elatius, Linn.f. 

 Suppl. 107. P. lanoeolatum, Betz. Obs. v. 17; Boxb. Fl. Ind. i. 294; 

 Steud. I.e. 48. P. longeraoemasnm, Steud. I.e. 45. P. peninaulanum, 

 Steud. I. c. 44. P. sylvatioum, Lamk. Fnoycl. iv. 733 ; Trin. Sp. Gram. Ic. 

 t. 190 A. ; Steud. I.e. 4.^. P. undatnm, Stevd. Norn. Ed. II. ii. 264. P. 

 unguinosum. Herb. Banks ex Boxb. Fl. Ind. i. 294. EohinocHoa lanceolata, 

 Boem. & Sch. I.e. 476. ?B. hirta, Schult. Mant. ii. 270. Hekateroaachne 

 elatior, Steud. I. c. 118. Digitaria oomposita, Willd. Enum. Berol. i. 91. 

 Andropogon undatus, Jacq. Goll. iii. 237, t. 631. — Orthopogon sp. Qriff. 

 Notul. iii. 43. 



Throughout India, from Kashmir to Upper Assam, Munnepore, and Burma 

 (up to 8U00 fb. in Sikkim) and southward to the Andaman and Nicobar Islds., 

 Penang and Ceylon. — Distbib. moat trop. regions (except Australia). 



Stem 1-3 ft., stout or slender, branched from the base and sometimes upwards. 

 Leaves very variable, l^lj in. broad; sheaths glabrous, pilose or hirsute. Saoemes 

 2-6 in., stout or slender ; rachis glabrous, pilose or hispid ; spikes ^-3 in. long, 

 erect or spreading, green or purplish. Spikelets ^J in. (excl. awns) solitary or in 

 rather distant pairs or fascicles, appressod to the rachis or spreading, glabrous or 

 with few or many bristles longer than the glumes at the base, rarely softly hairy ; 

 gls. pale green or reddish purple, I short, 3-nerved, ciliate, awn J in. to nearly J in., 

 slender flexuous, pale yellowish or dark stouter and stiff; II longer or shorter 

 than I, 5— 7-nerved, acute, awn much shorter than of I or ; III longer and broader 

 than II ; III acute or obtuse, 7-9-nerved, tip hispid, palea narrow or ; 

 IV lanceolate, terete, acuminate, and its hardened palea yellowish shining. — I am 

 unable to group the Indian form, of this most variable grass under practicable varieties. 

 The following are indications of prevalent states, of which 6 is very aberrant. 



1. Tall, stout, leaves 4-6 in., sheaths glabrous or hirsute, spikes and stout rachis 

 of panicle more or less hirsute with long cilia, stout dark purplish awns often black. 

 Wall. Cat. 8676 D. G. A. (left-hand specimen). Pan. elatius, Heyne ^P. decompo- 

 situs, Nees, in Serb. Wight a. 222, 1651. Andropogon undatus, Jacq. — Sikkim, 

 Assam, Silhet, ^urma and the Beccan. 



2. Dwarf, branches short stout decumbent, leaves J-1 in. ovate green or purplish, 

 sheaths hirsute, panicle erect, spikes erect stout glabrous or pubescent, and spikelets 

 green or purple, awns short \-k in. stout.— Oudh forests, Assam, Cbittagoug. 



3. Slender, leaves 2-3 in., ovate-lanceolate, sheaths hirsute, panicle long very 

 slender drooping rachis and very slender spikes finely pubescent, spikelets distant 

 subsilky, awns very slender. — Sikkim alt. 1-3000 ft. Muniiepore 4750 ft. 



4. Tall, stout and much branched, or slender, leaves 4-7 in. lanceolate, sheaths 

 glabrous, spikes many long stout or slender erect or drooping, rarely dark-colrd., 

 spikelets rather distant very many glabrous or Sparingly setose at the base, awn 

 stout or slender. 0. lanceolatus, Kunth, Wall. Oat. 8676 A. B. C. H. L. 0. com- 

 positus, Kunthi &c. — The commonest form. 



5. Same as 4, but always slender, with glabrous sheaths and rachis of panicle, 

 fewer very slender smooth spikes, with few distant quite glabrous spikelets, awns 

 slender pale. 0. indicus, Wight Serb. n. 63, 1652 and lanceolatus, n. 2332. 0. 

 lanceolatus. Wall. Cat. 8676 B. F. M. — A reduced form of 4, and quite as 

 common. 



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