( 58 ) 



and often with one or two spikes added below. Spikelets 3-5-flowered. 

 Glumes obtuse or shortly mucronate. Seeds oblong, 3-sided, rugose; 

 pericarp loose. 



Common in the plains of Northern India, and up to moderate eleva- 

 tions on the Himalaya. It is a somewhat coarser grass than the preced- 

 ing It is eaten by horses and cattle, and in some districts is considered 

 to be a good fodder grass, though Roxburgh says that cattle are not fond 

 of it; this remark may, however, apply chiefly to the Bengal form, which 

 the nature of the climate would render more rank and unpalatable. It is 

 considered to be a good pasture grass in Australia. It is also much 

 valued in United States, where it is known under the following names : — 

 Yard grass. Crow's foot, Crab grass, and Wire grass. Prof. Phares, 

 quoted by Dr. Vasey in his " Report on the Agricultural Grasses of the 

 United States," writes — 



M It grows in rich cultivated ground and produces an immense quantity of seeds. 

 It is a very nutritious grass, and good for grazing, soiling and hay. The succulent 

 lower part of the stems, covered with the sheaths of the leaves, renders it difficult to 

 cure well, for which several days are required. It may be cut two or three times, and 

 yields a large quantity of hay." 



E. scindica, Duthie {Plate XXXVI.) Syn. — Dactyloctenium scin- 

 dicum, Boiss. Vern. — Sindh: Mandjiro ; Punjab: Bhobra (Hissar), 

 bobriya (S. Punjab); Rajput ana: Ganthya,ganti ghds &ud jangli malicha 

 (Ajmere), kharo makro (Jeypur). 



Perennial. Stems branching from a short bent and prostrate rhizome. 

 Flowering stems elongate, erect, slender, almost naked. Leaves short, 

 linear acuminate, flat, their edges near the base clothed with a few bul- 

 bous-based hairs ; ligule truncate, ciliate. Spikes 3-5, very short, ovate 

 and slightly curved ; rachis mucronate. Lower glume oblong, acute ; 

 upper larger, ovate, and ending abruptly and obliquely in a short awn. 

 Flowering glume oblong, lanceolate, obtuse, its keel scabrid and end- 

 ing in a short point, lateral nerves prominent. 



Sandy ground in the plains of N.-W. India extending west to Aden. 

 It is considered to be a good fodder grass. It bears a slight resemblance 

 to malcra, but is altogether a much more slender grass. 



E. verticillata, Boxb. {Plate LXX.) Syn.— Cynosurusverticillatus, 

 Wight ; Leptochloa verticillata, Kunth ; Acrachne eleusinoides, Nees. 

 Vern. — Punjab : Jharna (Hissar) ; Rajputana : Chhinke or huri chinke 

 (Ajmere), kangsi (Merwara). 



Erect, smooth, 1-4 feet. Leaves bifarious. Panicle erect, oblong, 

 composed of many verticels of sessile spreading linear spikes like those 

 of E. indica. Spikelets numerous, panicled, 8-12-flowered. Glumes 

 jagged. Seeds oblong, rugose. 



