K. O. CRAMINE^C. 
1359 
N. 0. GRAMINEiE. 
Erect decumbent or creeping herbs, or in Tribe Bambuseoe 
shrubs or trees. Stem terete or compressed, jointed ; internodes 
solid o. hollow. Leaves simple, usually long and narrow, 
entire, parallel-nerved, with a sheathing base distinct from the 
blade ; sheath split to the base (very rarely entire) with often 
a transverse hyaline erect appendage (ligula) at the union with 
the blade, facing the latter. Inflorescence terminal, rarely also 
from the upper sheaths, consisting of spicate racemed capitate 
or panicled spikelets. Spikelets of three or more alternate 
distichous bracts (glumes), of which the two lowest are normally 
empty, and the succeeding, if more than one, are arranged on 
an axis (rachilla\ and are all or some of them flowering ; within 
each flowering glume and opposite to it is an erect narrow 
2-nerved scale (palea), the margins of which are infolded 
towards the glume and enclose at the base the true flower. 
Flowers uni-or bisexual, consisting of 2, rarely 3 or 6 microsco- 
pic scales (lodicules) representing a perianth, and stamens or a 
pistil, or both. Stamens 3, rarely 1, 2, 6, or very rarely many, 
hypogynous ; filaments capillary ; anthers versatile, fugacious, 
of two parallel cells, with no apparent connective ; pollen glo- 
bose. Ovary entire, 1-cel led ; styles 2, rarely 3, free or united 
at the base, usually elongate, and exserted from the sides or top 
of the spikelets clothed with simple or branched stigmatic 
hairs; ovule errect, anatropous. Fruit a seed-like utricle (grain) 
free within the fig. glume and palea, or adherent to either or 
both ; pericarp very thin, rarely thick or separable from the seed. 
Seed erect ; albumen copious, mealy ; embryo minute, at the 
base of and outside the albumen ; cotyledon scutelliform, bear- 
ing on its face an erect conical plumule, and descending conical 
radicle. (Hooker.) 
1331. Oryza Sativa, Linn., h.f.b.i. vii., 92 ; 
Roxb. 306. 
Sans : — Anna, dhanya, Tandula, vrihi ; nivara. 
Vern:— Ch&val (H) ; Dhan, Chaul (B) ; Bhat (M; ; Arisi 
