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A perennial grass growing in tufts. Leaves glaucous and glabrous, narrowly 

 linear, rigid. Spikelets solitary, irregularly panicled, clothed with long hairs; lower 

 outer glume wanting. 



It occurs in Sindh, and extends through Afghanistan to Arabia and Egypt. I 

 have received no information as to its value for fodder purposes. 



P. tenuiflorum, B. Br. Syn. — Paspalwm Irevifolium, Fliigge. Stems from a 

 much branched creeping base, one foot or more high. Leaves short, flat, and narrow ; 

 sheaths hairy, bearing a scarious jagged ligule. Panicle branches spike-like, digi- 

 tate, filiform, 1-2 inches long ; spikelets ovate, disposed along one side of the rachis ; 

 pedicels short, curved ; outer empty glume wanting. 



Probably common in North-West India, but no doubt often overlooked owing to 

 its resemblance to a Paspalum, under which genus it is sometimes placed. I have 

 specimens from the Siwalik range, and from Bundelkhand. It occurs in the warmer 

 parts of Australia, where it is said to produce a fair amount of feed, and plenty of 

 seed. 



P. triflorum, Edgew. Pound by Mr. Edgeworth among rocks at Banda, and in 

 fields at Rudour in the Sikh States. It is distinguished (Mr. Edgeworth says) from 

 other species of this genus by the number of the florets. 



P. turgidum, Forsk. Perennial, glabrous, glaucous. Root fibres thick and 

 velvety. Stems hard with proliferous fascicles at the swollen joints. Leaves often 

 reduced to the spathe-like sheaths. Panicle terminal, short, narrow, with short erect 

 branches. Spikelets shortly stalked, rather large, ovate, tumid, white. 



A native of Sindh and Central India, extending to Arabia and Egypt. A coarse- 

 looking hard grass, though probably nutritious when young. In Egypt a kind of 

 bread is made from the grain. 



P. vestitum, Nees. Syn. — P. coccospermum, Steud. Js recorded from Pesha- I 

 war. Nutritive value unknown. 



5, OPLISMENUS, Beauv. A small genus of about three or four 

 species inhabiting tropical and sub-tropical countries. It resembles very 

 closely some of the awned species of Panicum, but the awn in this genus 

 is attached to the two lower glumes, of which the outer one in Panicum 

 is never awned. 



O. Burmanni, Retz., {Plate XL VII.) Syn.— -Panicum Burmanni, 

 Linn. Vern. — N.-W. Prov.: Ch usa (Pilibhit) ; Cent. Prov. : Chi?na- 

 Jcdl gadi and utaniya or wataniya (Chanda), ghor-chubba (Seoni), yertva 

 (Balaghat). 



A small grass with the lower portion of the stems branching and pro- 

 cumbent. Leaves and sheaths hairy. Spikelets in a spike-like panicle. 

 Glumes hairy, the two outer ones with long awns. 



Common in the plains and at low elevations on the hills. Usually 



found under the shade of trees. Symonds says that cattle eat it, and 



that it makes good hay. In Oudh it is reported that cattle eat this 



grass with relish. At Balaghat it grows in the shade of hamboos, and 



cattle eat it when young. 



Two other species, O. acuminatus, Nees. and O. cornpositus, R. & S., are not 

 uncommon on the loweF slopes of the Himalaya, extending to the duns at the base 

 of those mountains. 





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