SporoboluB.'] CLXXiii. geaminej!. (J, D. Hooker.) 253 



otlong or lanceolate, II — III toth ovate-lanceolate acuminate. Dah. & 

 Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 296; Trim. Gat. Ceyl. Pi!. 208; Wall. Oat. n. 3764. S. 

 commutatua, Kunth Enum. i. 214.; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. iii. 376 {easel. Syn. 

 pvlchellus) ; Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 513 ; Aitch. Gat. Panjab PI. 165 ; Bixtkie 

 Grass. N.W. Ind. 29. S. disoosporus, Nees Fl. Afr. Austr. 158. Vilfa 

 commutata, Trin. DUs. i. 156 ; Wight Gat. n. 1743. V. coromandeliana, 

 Beauv. Agrost. 15 ; Trin. 8p. Gram. lo. t. 11 (gl. I omitted) ; Steud, Byn. 

 Grom. 153. Y. discospora, Trin. in Mem. Acad. Petersb. 8er. VI. So. Nat. 

 ii. (1841) 59. V. Koxburghii, Nees ex Trin. I, c. V. Roiburghiana, 

 JVises eiu Wight Oat. n. 1742 ; Steud. Nam. Ed. II. ii. 59. Triachyrum cor- 

 dofanum, Hochst. ■ex Steud. Syn. Oram. 176. T. disoospornm, Steud. I. c. 

 Agrostis coromandeliana, Betz. Obs. iv. 19 ; Vahl Symb. i. 10 ; Roxh. Fl. 

 Jnd. i. 316. A. indica, Forsk. Fl. JEg. Arab. 104. A. Enra, Sb. Sam. ex 

 Wall. I.e. B. 



Plains of Inbia, from the Punjab eastward to Burma, and southward to^ CeyItOn, 

 — DiBTRiB. Affghan. N. and S. Africa. (Texas and Mexico, introd. ?). 



Stems many, 4-12 in., spreading from the root, leafy. Leaves l-31>y i-J in., 

 narrowed from the sabcordate base to the finely acuminate tip, spinulosely toothed 

 especially towards the base ; mouth of sheath villous. Panicle very large for the 

 size of the plant, 2-6 by 1-4 in., branches 4-6 in subseound whorls, i—2 in. long; 

 branchiets drooping 1-2-fld. Spikelets subglobose; glumes hyaline, all 1 -nerved or 

 I nerveless. Stamens 2, anthers very short. Oram obliquely oblong or subglobose. — 

 Nees Fl. Afr. Austr, refers Agrostis pulcAella, Roth., to Sp. commutadus, as var. 

 /3. Trimanus, Axn. et Uees Glum. Ind. Or. ined., with panicle ovate aud gl. I 5-6 

 times shorter than commufaiiis. 



Var. OoZJeWw; panicle narrowly pyramidal or conical 2-3 in. long by 1-1} in^. 

 across the lower branches, spikelets bright red-brown. — Shan Hills, Ooltett. 



DOTTBTFUI. 8PB01E». 

 Tilfa rigidifolia, Trin. in Mem. Acai. Petersb. Ser. vi. 8c. Nat. v. II. (1840) 80. — 

 E. Indies, Herh. Thvuars. — Described by Trinius as having spikelets 2 (French) lines 

 long, which is twice as long as any Indian species known to ine. 



72. AGROSTIS, Linn. 



Perennial, rarely annual grasses. Leaves usually flat. Spikelets small, 

 1-fld., in effuse or contracted panicles with capillary wliorled branches, not 

 jointed on their pedicels; rachilla not produced beyond gl. III. Glumes 

 3, I aud II equal or unequal (sub-awned in A. subaristata), keeled, 1- 

 rarely 3-nerved ; III membranous, S-nerved, truncate, glabrous, awn 

 dorsal or 0, callus glabrous or with few minute hairs ; palea nearly as 

 long as its gl. or shorter or 0, 2-nerved or nerveless. Lodicules 2. Stamens 

 3, anthers long or sbort. Grain free within the gl. — Species about 100, 

 chiefly in N. temp, regions. 



The genera Agrostis, Galamagrostis, and Deyeuteia are, as all authors agree, 

 separated by artificial characters and are not well limited by these. It therefore 

 becomes a question of expediency how to limit them, and the addition of many 

 hitherto andescribed Himalayan species has not tended to aid this operation. Many 

 authors make of Deyeuwia a section of Galamagrostis. Bentham keeps them distinct, 

 but confines Galamagrostis to species with gl. I and II longer than III. After much 

 study, I conclude that for taxonomic purposes, the most practical arrangement is tO' 

 confine Agrostis to species with no elongation of the rachilla, and a naked or almost 

 naked callus of gl. Ill (a character appreciated by most authors) ; to refer to- 

 Calamagrostis those with a villous callus but with no elongation of the rachilla. 



