

( 38 ) 



sandy soil in the Central Provinces. It is considered to be a good fodder 

 grass for cattle, but not for horses. 



A. pertusus, Willd. (Plate XXV.)* Syn. — Lepeocercis pertusus, 

 Hassk. ; Holcus pertusus, Linn. Vern, — General: Palwa; Punjab: 

 Palwal and parwal (S.-E. Punjab), palwdn (E. Punjab), girji (Hissar); 

 Rajputana : Chirrya (Ajmere), chapruro (Jeypur) ; N.-W. Prov. : 

 Janewa (Allahabad); Bundelkhand : Rukah (Banda) and tikriya ; 

 Cent. Prov. : Ghota piya and vida-gueha gadi (Chanda), gohhaya (Nag- 

 pur), malhar (Balaghat) ; Berar : Killa, 



Perennial. Stems creeping at the base, erect above, bearded at the 

 nodes. Leaves narrow, tapering to a fine point, hairy at the mouth of 

 the sheath. Spikes 5-9, fascicled. Rachis and pedicels of male spikelets 

 clothed with white hairs. Outer glume of hermaphrodite spikelet hard, 

 acute, clothed with long silky hairs below, and a little above the middle 

 there is a round or ovate pit. Flowering glume reduced to a bent and 

 twisted awn considerably longer than the spikelet. 



This grass, which is met with all over the plains of Northern India, 

 is universally esteemed as a good fodder grass, both for grazing and 

 stacking. In Australia also it is highly valued, being regarded as one of 

 the best grasses to stand long droughts, while it will bear any amount of 

 feeding. It is useful also as a winter grass if the weather is not too 

 severe. 



A. Schoenanthus, Linn. {Plate XXVI.) Syn. — A. Martini, Roxb.; 

 A. pachnodes, Trim ; A. Calamus-aromaticus, Royle. Vern. — Punjab : 

 Dang rhauhs and mirchia gaud (Outer Simla Hills), makora (Kangra), 

 gandi (N.-E. Punjab), rosa (Rawal Pindi,) rauhs (Hissar), panni (S.-W. 

 Punjab), rhausa (S.-E. Punjab); Rajputana: Rhauhsa and roihsa (Aj- 

 mere), rauhs (Mount Abu) ; Bundelkhand : Mircha, mirchua, chipara, 

 rauhs, mirchia, and bhor (Banda) ; Cent. Prov. : Rosa and thikari (Bala- 

 ghat), tikadi-moti (Nagpur); Berar: Tikhari; Marathi : Roshegavat 

 and rohish (Dymock) ; Bengal : Gundha-bena, iwarankusha, ibharan- 

 kusha and kurankusha (Roxb.). 



Perennial. Stems many, erect, 3-6 feet high, terete and finely striate ; 

 joints swollen; sheaths loose, smooth, shorter than the joints; ligule 

 very short. Leaves broa$3. rounded and ^-amplexicaul at the base, 

 smooth except the hispid margins. Panicle 1^ feet or more, contracted, 

 composed of numerous fascicles of slender pedicelled spikes which are 

 surrounded at the base and sometimes concealed within boat-shaped bracts. 

 The bracts turn to a brilliant reddish colour when mature. Rachis and 



• See also Plate C, Fig. 16, of present Volume. 



