( 60 ) 



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depressed portions of the saline usar tracts in the Aligarh district. Buf- 

 faloes are said to be very fond of this grass. 



63. ARUNDO, Linn. Contains 6 or 7 species, of which three occur in 

 Northern India. They are tall handsome perennial grasses, with large branching 

 panicles clothed with silky hairs. Flowering glumes pilose on the back. They are 

 of little or no value as fodder for cattle. 



A. Donax, Linn. Syn.- — Donax arundinaceus, Beauv. Vern. — Punjab : Bdnsi 

 (E. Punjab), sukna (Hoshiarpur). This species is commonly met with throughout 

 the Mediterranean region, and is possibly an introduction in Northern India. 



A. madagascariensis, Kuntli. Syn. — Donax Thouarii, Beauv. Hilly parts 

 of Northern India. 



A. mauritanica, Desf. Syn. — A. Pliniana, Turr. This species occurs at the 

 base of the Himalaya in the Punjab, extending from the Mediterranean region. It 

 has narower leaves than A. Donax, and the spikelets are much smaller. 



64. PHRAGMITES, Trin. There are 2 species, both of which occur in 

 Northern India. This genus is closely allied to Arundo, the chief difference being 

 that in Phrag mites the lowest floret of the spikelet is male. They are tall hand- 

 some reeds with large branching panicles clothed with silky hairs on the axis. 



P. Eoxburghii, Xunth. Syn. — Arundo Xarka, Roxb. Vern. — Trans-Indus : 

 Drumbi, dwarena, and gwarga (Stewart) ; Kashmir : Nai (Stewart) ; Punjab : 

 Nal and naria (Stewart), nar (Chenab basin), nalu (Ravi basin), bag-narri (Jhelum 

 basin), narsal (E. Punj.) ; SlNDH : Sar ; N.-W. PROV. : Bansi (Dehra Dun); 

 Oudh : Narknl, narkat, and narsal; Cent. Prov. : Paiha gadi (Chanda) ; 

 Marathi : Deonal or deondl (Dymock) ; Bengal : Nal (Roxb.), karka (Watt) ; 

 Teling : Naga-sara maitantos and patoo-ederoo (Roxb.) ; Hind. : Nuda-nar 

 (Watt). 



Stems erect, 8-12 feet, stout, covered with the leaf sheaths. Leaves flat, broad. 

 Panicle erect or slightly drooping, 1£ feet or more. Spikelets numerous, crowded, 

 each with 3-5 distant florets. Flowering glume of lowest floret, which is usually 

 male, tapering but not awned, the others smaller and more pointed. 



Var. angustifolia. Vern. — Nalli. Leaves narrower. This may possibly be 

 the plant described by Retzius under the name of Arundo bifaria {Syn. — P. nepalen- 

 sis, Nees). 



Common in the plains of Northern India near water. The stems are used for mak- 

 ing chairs, baskets and the pipes of hukahs ; and in Bengal mats are made of the 

 split stems. Watson mentions that this grass has proved poisonous to cattle in 

 Kumaun. In any case it is much too coarse a grass for fodder purposes. 



P. communis, Trin.* Syn. — Arundo Phragmites, Linn. Vern. — Punjab : 

 Dila (Jhelum basin). 



Of smaller stature than the preceding, with loDg creeping root-stock. Panicle 

 somewhat one-sided, often of a purplish tinge. Spikelets at first very narrow, flat 

 and spreading when in seed. The long silky hairs proceeding from the rachis give 

 the panicle a beautiful silvery aspect. 



Plains of North- West India and up to 14,000 feet on the Punjab Himalaya. 

 Eaten by cattle in Ladak, where also sandals are made from the stems. It can only 

 be used as fodder when quite young. 



65. ELYTROPHORUS, Beauv. Contains a single species easily recog- 

 nized by its inflorescence, which is composed of minute many-flowered spikelets crowd- 

 ed together into subglobose fascicles and forming an interrupted spike. Stamen 1. 



• See Plate F., Fig. 30, of present Volume. 



