y 





( 48 ) 



Spach. (8). A. Royleana, Trin. Mr. Edgeworth also records the following in 

 his list of Banda plants — A. capillacea, Lamk., and A. vulgaris. 



Allied to Aristida is the g&m^Siipa containing several Himalayan and Tibetan 

 species, one of which, S. siberiea, Lamk., is said to be poisonous to cattle in Kash- 

 mir and Afghanistan. Mr. A. E. Lowrie has sent specimens of a Stipa gathered 

 near Ajmere, and which Professor Hackel tells me is undescribed. It is called lapra 

 dhaula at Ajmere. It is of no use for fodder. 



48, HELEOCHLOA, Host. Species 7 or 8, chiefly Mediterranean. Two 

 of these occur in the drier parts of the Punjab and Sindh. The spikelets are crowd- 

 ed into dense ovoid or cylindrical spikes. The empty glumes are shorter than the 

 flowering glumes and remain persistent below the joint. This last character distin- 

 guishes this genus from Crypsis, which superficially has a remarkable resemblance to 

 some of the forms of Heleochloa schcenoides. Stamens two. 



H. alopecuroides, Boiss. Syn. — Crypsis plialaroides, M. B. ; Phalaris geni- 

 culates, Sm. 



Annual, glaucous. Stems simple. Leaves narrowly linear, acuminate, margin 

 and upper surface rough ; sheaths not swollen. Spikes oblong, cylindrical, dense, 

 often turning black. 



H. schcenoides, Host.* Syn. — Phleum schcenoides, Linn. ; Crypsis scJicenoi- 

 des, Lamk. Vern — Punjab : Talaplietar (Multan). 



Annual, glaucous. Stems branched, compressed, spreading. Leaves linear, acum- 

 inate ; upper sheaths swollen and open. Spikes ovate oblong dense. Bracts 1-2. 



49. SPOROBOLUS, R. Br. Species upwards of 80, six or more 

 of which are found in the plains of Northern India. The genus is dis- 

 tinguished by its minute awnless florets, which are arranged in a panicle 

 either loose and spreading, or narrow and spikelike. The ripe grain 

 becomes exposed, and readily detaches itself from the glume ; the seed 

 also is usually quite loose within the thin pericarp. 



S. commutatus, Boiss. Syn.— Vilfa commutata, Trin. 



A dwarf annual. Lower part of stems leafy, naked above. Leaves broadly linear, 

 short, many nerved, and flat : margins cartilaginous and aculeate ciliate ; sheaths 

 subauriculate and pilose. Panicle branches in verticels, short, spreading. Florets 

 very minute. 



In sandy and stony localities. Not sufficiently abundant, however, to be considered 

 of much importance for fodder. 



S. coromandeliana, Roxb. Syn. — Agrostis coromandeliana, Linn. Vern. — 

 TELING : Tellika-tungoo-gadi (Roxb.). 



Stems 4-8 inches high. Panicle verticelled ; branches simple, secund. Seeds 

 naked, ovate, rugose. 



This species is included in Edgeworth's list of Banda plants. 



S. diander, Beauv. {Plate LXIII.) Syn. — Agrostis diandra, Linn. 

 Vern. — Punjab : Nonak (Lahore) ; N.-W. Pnov. : Chiriya-ha-ddna 

 (Allahabad) ; Bundelkhand : Galphula ; Bengal : Bena-joni (Roxb.). 



Smooth. Stems erect, 1-3 feet. Leaves very narrow, and tapering to 

 a fine point; mouth of sheaths slightly bearded. Panicle narrow, often 

 a foot long, usually bending over a little. Florets in pairs, diandrous. 



• See Plate E., Fig. 23. 



