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uEgylops, which is now classed as a section of Triticum. Many varieties 

 are in cultivation both in the plains and on the Himalaya. The most 

 obvious variations are those which affect the consistency of the grain 

 (hard or soft), or its colour (white or red) ; also the presence or absence 

 of awns on the flowering glumes (bearded or beardless). On the Hima- 

 laya wheat is grown at various elevations, and in Tibet it has been ob- 

 served as high as 16,000 feet above the sea. A variety called "oi" 

 is cultivated in Byans (N. E. Kumaun), from which a strong spirit is 

 manufactured. For fodder purposes wheat is used both green and dry ; 

 the latter composed of the chaff and chopped-up straw, and commonly 

 known as bhusa, is a valuable and largely used form of fodder in all wheat- 

 growing districts. For further information see Church's " Food Grains of 

 India " ; " Field and Garden Crops, N.-W. Provinces and Oudh," Part 

 I. ; Bentley and Trimen's " Medicinal Plants " ; Royle's " Illustrations 

 of Himalayan Plants"; DeCandolle's " Origin of Cultivated Plants." 



74. OROPETIUM, Trin. Contains a single diminutive species confined to 

 India. The spikes are solitary, cylindrical, and with the spikelets completely im- 

 mersed in the axis as in Rottbeellia and 0_phiu?'us, but the outer persistent glumes 

 compel its retention amongst the Hordea. 



O. Thomseum, Trin. Syn. — Rottbeellia Thomaa^ Linn. 



Open ground in the plains of the Punjab, also in Rajputana and in the ravine 

 country about Agra and Etawah. It is too small to be considered of much account 

 for fodder purposes. 



75. HORDEUM, Linn. Species about 12, confined to temperate 

 regions. The spikelets are in threes at each node, and 1 -flowered. 

 The empty glumes are subulate and rigid, often resembling an involucre. 



H. vnlgare, Linn.* (Barley). Vern. — General : Jau ; Ladak : 

 Jhotaky spiroka, shruh, soa, yangma, and tro (Stewart) ; Kashmir : 

 Jawa, nai, and thazatt (Stewart) ; Punjab : Ne (Stewart), chdk (Upper 

 Sutlej basin), chung (Upper Chenab basin) ; Marathi : Jav and yava 

 (Dymock) ; Bengal : Jab (W'dtt),juba (Roxb.). 



Annual. Stems many, 2-3 feet, smooth. Leaves few, the upper one 

 close to the spike ; sheaths smooth, striate ; ligule very short ; blade 

 rounded at the base, and tapering gradually to the apex, glaucous green. 

 Spikes oblong, compressed, 2-2^ inches long (without the awns.) Spike- 

 lets sessile, arranged in threes on either side of a flattened rachis, the 

 lateral ones occasionally barren or rudimentary (in 2-rowed barley). 

 Outer glumes small, setiform. Flowering glumes firm, 5-ribbed, rounded 

 on the back, and ending in a long stiff awn rough with forward prickles. 

 Grain usually adhering to the pale. 



Barley is supposed by DeCandolle to have originated in Western 



* See Plate F, Fig. 32, of present Volume. 



