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strong  turf  vvhicK  will  prevent  slipping  or  the  clay  to  a very  large 
extent:  in  damp  soil  among  b-jshes  and  in  hedges  it  becomes  scan- 
dent  climbing  for  some  height,  the  leaves  and  flower  spikes  be- 
coming much  larger.  It  will  grow  any  where  except  in  very  wet 
soil,  and  is  common  on  the  sea-shore.  Where  it  grows  rank  it 
makes  a good  fodder. 
There  are  several  other  Ischosmums  in  the  Peninsula  but  they  are 
mostly  coarse  tufted  grasses  of  no  value.  /.  timorense  which  re- 
sembles /.  ciliatum  but  is  more  tall  and  slender  and  does  not  creep 
so  much,  though  unsuitable  for  turfing  forms  a very  good  fodder. 
It  is  common  on  roadsides. 
Paspahun  conjugatum  is  a very  far-creeping  grass  with  bright 
green  rather  broad  leaves,  fairly  long  and  wide.  Its  inflorescence 
is  tall  and  slender,  of  two  very  slender  widely  spreading  spikes  with 
small  round  yellow  spikelets  all  arrangei  on  one  side  of  the  spike. 
It  is  almost  certainly  an  introduction  from  Brazil,  but  is  now  very 
widely  spread  over  the  tropics.  It  is  of  very  rapid  growth,  very 
quickly  covering  bare  ground  with  its  long  creeping  stems  so  that 
it  is  verv  suitable  for  covering  steep  banks,  as  well  as  ordinary  flat 
clay  land.  The  spikelets  which  adhere  to  animals  fur,  and  to  cloth- 
ing are  readily  carried  about  so  that  the  plant  is  very  abundant 
everywhere.  Like  Ischosmum  ciliare,  it  can  defeat  Lalang  under 
good  circumstances.  The  leaves  are  rather  too  broad  to  be  recom- 
mended for  tennis  lawns  but  for  ordinary  turf  it  is  very  good. 
Paspalum  plaiycaule  is  a broad  leaved  grass  of  rapid  growth, 
somewhat  similar,  but  the  bright  green  shining  leaves  are  wavy 
and  broader,  the  flower  spikes  more  numerous.  It  is  a nativ^e  of 
the  West  Indies,  and  has  lately  established  itself  in  Singapore. 
The  leaves  are  too  broad  for  a good  turfing  grass  but  it  makes  neat 
grass  edges  for  beds,  etc. 
P.  scrobiculatum  is  one  of  the  most  widely  distributed  and  varia- 
ble grasses  of  the  tropics,  and  is  very  abundant  in  the  Straits.  Like 
the  other  species  of  the  genus  the  rachis  of  the  spikes,  of  which  there 
are  usually  three  or  four,  is  flattened  with  the  small  round  spikelets 
in  rows  on  one  side.  It  is  very  common  in  grass  plots,  roadsides, 
and  in  many  wet  or  dry  spots.  The  stem  however,  creeps  but  little 
or  not  at  all  so  that  it  forms  tufts  with  erect  narrow  leaves,  and  is 
therefore  less  suitable  for  turfing  though  it  does  very  well  for  filling 
up  spots  in  stiff  clay  soils  where  it  is  difficult  to  get  anything  to 
grow.  It  comes  in  very  well  also  as  fodder  grass. 
Paspalum  sangufnale  var  debile  is  a slender  creeping  grass  with 
very  narrow  grey  leaves,  very  conspicuous  from  its  colour.  The 
flowering  stem  is  slender,  with  three  terminal  spreading  spikes, 
very  slender,  with  minute  s[)ikelets.  This  is  an  excellent  grass  for 
tennis  lawns,  creeping  well  and  forming  a good  mat  with  its  very 
line  leaves.  It  is  not  so  rapid  a grower  as  P.  conjugatuin  and 
seems  to  require  rather  better  soil. 
Zoysia  pungens  is  rather  a si  iff  little  grass  with  short  erect  or 
(Tceping  stems  and  very  narrow  almost  needle-like  leaves,  It  usual- 
