( io ) 



oval with longitudinal streaks. (For figures, see " Field and Garden 

 Crops, N.-W. Provinces and Oudh," Part II., Plate XXIII., and 

 Church's " Food Grains of India," Fig. 2). 



A native of Egypt and Arabia. It is cultivated in various parts of 

 N.-W. India on the plains as a hot weather crop ; and on the Himalaya 

 it is grown to some extent during the rainy season as a village crop at 

 various elevations up to 1 1 ,000 feet. In this country it is cultivated al- 

 most entirely for the sake of its grain, a preparation of which constitutes 

 a favourite kind of food at marriage ceremonies ; it is therefore seldom 

 used as fodder, although of excellent quality in the green state. 



P. miliare, Lamk.* (Plate XL VI.) Syn. — P. psilopodium, Trin.? 

 Vern, — Punjab : Kutki (Stewart), chin (Hissar) ; N.-W. Prov. : Mijhri; 

 Bundelkhand: Kutki ; Cent. Prov. : Kutki (Chanda), ban kutki and 

 bagad (Balaghat), badi bhurbhuri (Nagpur) ; Berar: Gomej ko kutki ; 

 Santal: Gundhi; Teling : Nella-shama (Roxb.). 



Annual, stems many, erect, 2-3 feet high. Leaves smooth, narrow 

 and tapering to a fine point. Panicle slender, oblong, with many capil- 

 lary hispid^ branches, ultimately bending over with the weight of the 

 grain. Flowers in pairs, pedicels unequal, grain ovate, smooth, striated, 

 becoming dark brown when ripe. 



Not uncommon in the plains and up to moderate elevations on the 

 Himalayas. It is cultivated locally for its grain by the poorer classes 

 in Northern India and in the Central Provinces. Cattle are fond of the 

 straw, and Mr. Coldstream states that it is good for grazing, and will 

 stack. It is reckoned to be a good fodder grass in Bundelkhand. 



P, myosuroides, B . Br. Syn. — P. angustum, Trin. Vern. — Cent. Prov. : 

 Dhidhina (Chanda), musapunehi (Balaghat), supedftar (Seoni). 



A smooth slender erect annual with long narrow leaves. Spikelets ovoid, obtuse, 

 crowded into dense cylindrical spikes 1-4 inches long, often dark coloured. 



Common in wet ground in the plains, and at low elevations on the hills,. It is of 

 little or no importance for fodder purposes. It extends to Queensland in Aus- 

 tralia. 



P. Myurus, Lamk.\ Syn. — P. interruptumi, Willd ; P. serrulatum, Boxb.; 

 Hymenachne Myurus, Beauv. Vern. — JDhamsiria (Rohilkhand). 



A tall smooth grass growing in water. Stems 2-4. feet high, lower portions thick 

 and rooting at the nodes. Leaves flat, broad. Spikelets crowded on the short branch- 

 es of a dense cylindrical spike-like panicle which is sometimes lobed and interrupt- 

 ed at the base. Outer glume thin, transparent, 1-nerved, usually inserted at some 

 distance below the others ; second and third tapering to a fine point ; flowering glume 

 shorter, thin, transparent, stiff but not hardening round the grain. 



It occurs in marshy ground and by water-courses in the plains of Northern India, 



• I am unable to distinguish this species from P. psilopodium, Trin., under which name it is 

 figured in Part II. of "Field and Garden Crops, N.-W. Provinces and Oudh," Plate XXVI. See 

 also Church's "Food Grains of India," Fig. 2. 



t See Plate A., Fig. 3, of present Volume. 



-. 



Virr.-irvr. 





