Pennisetum.'] olxxiii. geamine^. (J. D. Hooker.) 83 



Annnal. Stem 3-6 ft., erect, simple, or branched from the root, slender or stout, 

 sometimes as thick as the middle finger at the base, solid, leafy, upper nodes 

 glabrous or woolly, lower rooting. Leaves 1-3 ft. by i-2 in., lanceolate, spreading 

 and drooping, flat, more or less hairy ; midrib stout or slender ; sheath rather 

 inflated] ligule of hairs. Peduncle more or less woolly below the spike. Spike 

 6-12 in. by J-li in. diam., erect, cylindric, dense-fld, ; rachis hairy or woolly, 

 branohlets 1-8-fld., concealed by the densely packed spikelets ; bristles of involucel 

 more or less unilateral, as long as the spikelets or longer, scabrid and ciliate, white 

 nr colrd. Spikelets -J-|- in., usually solitary in the involucel, oblong ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, pedicelled, pedicel ciliate ; gl. I minute or 0, ^-orbicular or subquadrate, 

 1-3-nerved; XI very variable in length, sometimes absent, usually ^—4 IV. sub- 

 quadrate, truncate, obtuse or retuse 3-nerved, very rarely as long as IV and 

 coriaceous ; III ovate-oblong, obtuse or truncate and apiculate, S-nerved, epaleate or 

 paleate, and male or neuter, rarely bisexnal j IV coriaceous or herbaceous, ovate, 

 acute, 5-7 -nerved ; palea very broad, tnjncate, ciliate at the tip and dorsally, 

 nerves 2 approximate excorrent. Lodiculis 0. Anthers linear. Qrmn oblong, 

 obovoid, or pyriform, smooth, free, and top exposed. — Only known in cultivation or 

 as an escape, and it is difficult to say whether the many known forms originated in 

 one or more species. Alph. De CandoUe unfortunately does not include it in his 

 " Origine des Plantes Cultiv^es." Its abundance throughout Africa would point to 

 that continent as its source. There are very great differences in the number, sizes, 

 and shapes of the glumes, of I and II especially, which are not unfrequently both 

 absent. The materials are not sufficient to enable me to attempt a classification of 

 the numerous forms cultivated or growing as escapes in India. To do this would 

 require an exhaustive examination of the African forms, of which there are legions. 



I can only refer to Schlechtendahl's paper in the Linnsea, xxv. (1852) 530, to 

 Kornicke & Werner's Handb. der Getreidebaues (i. 291), and toBraun's descriptions 

 of 22 cultivated forms, chiefly African, in Walp. Ann. vi. 961. Roxburgh alludes to 

 five varieties as cultivated in India, but does not distinguish them. The following 

 five are selected as noteworthy. 



1. Tall, very stout, leaves broad, spike very stout (Typha-like), 8-12 by 1-li in. 

 diam., involucels on long ciliate pedicels with sometimes a superposed one, bristles 

 much longer than the spikelets, dark brown ; spikelets clustered in the involucels or 

 chiefly in the upper involucel if present, ovoid or oblong, gl. I minute semilunar or 0, 



II or like I or larger and quadrate truncate 3-lobed 3-nerved, III = IV S-nerved, 

 paleate, palea very broad quadrate entire or 2-fid. 2-nerved dorsally villous, IV 

 7-nerved emarginate apiculate, palea as in III. — The largest ciilt. form. Wall. 

 Gat. n. 8644. 



2. Spike cylindric 7 by f in., involucels shortly pedicelled, bristles shorter than the 

 spikelet pale, spikelets 1-3 ^ in., gl. I and II minute semilunar. III broadly oblong 

 paleate and 3-nerved, palea dorsally villous, IV 7-nerved nerves and margins ciliate, 

 palea as in HI. — N.W. India, Soyle. 



3. Tall, erect, spike 4-5 in., stem densely villous towards the top, involucels 

 shortly pedicelled, bristles longer than the spikelets pale or purplish, spikelets 

 subsolitary J in. elliptic-lanceolate, gls. 3, 10, II = ^ IV oblong truncate 

 5-nerved paleate. III ovate cuspidate 5-nerved. — A very common cult. form. Lahore, 

 Stewart. — Alopecurus indicus, HI. Heyne. 



4. Stem slender 12-18 in., leaves very narrow, spike 1 in. rather slender, 

 involucels shortly pedicelled, bristles longer than the spikelet, pale, spikelets 

 subsolitary ovate, gls. 3, I minute semilunar, II = ^ III subquadrate 3-neryed, III 

 ovate tip truncate and mucronate strongly 5-nerved, nerves and tip ciliate.— 

 Monghyr. 



5. Spike 4-7 in., involucels shortly pedicelled, bristles much longer than the 

 spikelets very pale, spikelets ^ in. narrowly lanceolate, glumes 3 all membranous, 

 I minute, II = J III oblong truncate 3-nerved, III elliptic-lanceolate strongly 

 3-nerved tip emarginate mucronate, palea narrow oblong-lanceolate smooth, anther 

 cells most minutely bearded, ovary produced into a flexuous compressed twisted 



G 2 



