=Sporobolus diander, _Beauv._=

This is a tufted annual or perennial gra.s.s. Stems are slender with leaves tufted at the base, 1 to 3 feet high.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous and smooth, ribbed, the lower short and the upper very long. _Nodes_ are glabrous. The _ligule_ consists of a fringe of minute hairs.

The _leaf-blades_ are usually flat, glabrous, strongly nerved, with filiform tips, 3 to 10 inches by 1/25 to 1/16 inch.

The _inflorescence_ is an erect narrow pyramidal panicle, varying in length from 4 to 10 inches and about 2 inches in breadth. The branches are very fine, spreading and in scattered fascicles, 1/2 to 2 inches long, with many very small spikelets arranged racemosely along the axis.

_Spikelets_ are small 1/18 to 1/20 inch long, with very short pedicels.

The _first glume_ is very short less than 1/5 inch, broadly oblong, nerveless, hyaline, broadly truncate and erose at the apex. The _second glume_ is a little longer than the first, but shorter than the third, hyaline, broadly elliptic-oblong, nerveless or obscurely 1-nerved. The _third glume_ is broadly ovate-oblong, subacute, 1-nerved, paleate; the _palea_ is plicate in the median line. Stamens are usually two. The grain is obovoid, truncate at the apex, and with a small white swelling in the centre at the apex, rugulose, red-brown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 178.--Sporobolus diander.

1. A portion of a branch; 2. a spikelet; 3, 4 and 5. the first, second and the third glume, respectively; 6. palea of the third glume; 7.

anthers and the ovary.]

This gra.s.s grows usually gregariously in somewhat sheltered situations all over the Presidency on the plains and low hills. This is an excellent fodder gra.s.s. It forms fairly large tufts with plenty of green leaves on rich moist soils. When the leaves are young cattle eat this gra.s.s very eagerly, but do not seem to care for it when the leaves become old. However by frequent grazing it can be made to produce young leaves in succession. This gra.s.s is also an excellent soil binder, as its roots form a perfect matting in any kind of moist soil soon after planting. This is very difficult to eradicate when once established.

_Distribution._--Throughout India and Burma.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 179.--Sporobolus tremulus.]

=Sporobolus tremulus, _Kunth._=

A small tufted perennial gra.s.s.

The plant consists of prostrate stems and stolons, filiform and wiry.

Stems vary in length from 2 to 18 inches, prostrate or erect, rooting at the lower nodes; flowering branches always ascending.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous, finely striate, shorter than the internode. The _ligule_ is a very short ciliated membrane.

The _leaf-blade_ is narrow linear, pungent, somewhat rigid, flat, distichous, base rounded with or without a few long hairs and varies in length from 1/4 to 1 inch and in breadth from 1/20 to 1/16 inch, but in plants growing in rich moist soils the leaves become longer reaching 3-1/2 inches in length.

The _inflorescence_ is a narrow spiciform panicle with appressed branches and spikelets, sometimes interrupted, varying in length from 3/4 to 1-1/4 inch; both the peduncle and the main rachis are glabrous, and the latter wavy.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 180.--Sporobolus tremulus.

1. Spike; 2. spikelet; 3 and 4. first and second glumes; 5 and 6. third glume and its palea; 7. ovary and anthers.]

The _spikelets_ are 1/16 inch long, oblong-lanceolate, pale, crowded, glabrous, shortly pedicelled on thinly scaberulous filiform short branches. There are three glumes in the spikelet, and all the glumes are membranous and thin. The _first glume_ is a little shorter than the second and about two-third the length of the third glume and 1-nerved.

The _second glume_ is a little shorter than the third or equal to but not longer, oblong-lanceolate, subacute or obtuse, 1-nerved and obscurely scaberulous at the back along the nerve. The _third glume_ is broadly oblong, subacute or obtuse, 1-nerved, glabrous, with a palea as long as the glume; the _palea_ is 2-nerved, oblong and truncate at the apex. _Stamens_ are three and anthers are pale greenish yellow.

_Stigmas_ are pale. _Lodicules_ are two, small.

This gra.s.s is an excellent one for binding the soil and may also prove successful as a fodder gra.s.s. It usually flourishes in moist situations, in sandy loams and rich heavy soils.

_Distribution._--Plains throughout India and Ceylon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 181.--Sporobolus coromandelia.n.u.s.]

=Sporobolus coromandelia.n.u.s, _L._=

The plant is a densely tufted annual varying in size with the nature of the soil, small and stunted in hard dry soils and large and spreading in rich loose and moist soils.

The stems are closely spreading on the ground, rooting sometimes at the lower nodes, branching freely, profusely leafy at the base, covered by a few scale leaves, and 2 to 12 inches long.

The _leaf-sheath_ is glabrous, faintly and finely striate, distichously imbricate, compressed, somewhat keeled, outer margin ciliate, and bearded at the mouth. The _ligule_ is a thin short membranous ridge with a fringe of dense fine hairs. The leaf-sheath enclosing the base of the peduncle is rather long, glabrous with a tuft of short hairs at the mouth.

The _leaf-blade_ is green without any glaucousness about it, 1/2 to 6 inches long, 3/16 to 1/4 inch broad, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, flat, ac.u.minate, slightly coriaceous, many-nerved with a prominent midrib, scaberulous throughout, with a few long scattered deciduous, tubercle-based hairs towards the base, base subcordate, margin cartilaginous, scabrid and finely serrulate.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 182.--Sporobolus coromandelia.n.u.s.

1. Portion of a spike showing the verticillate arrangement of the branches and the glands; 2. spikelet; 3. first glume; 4 and 5. second and third glumes; 6. palea of the third glume; 7. anthers and ovary; 8.

grain.]

The _inflorescence_ is a pyramidal panicle 1-1/2 to 4 inches long, erect on a terete glabrous peduncle 1-1/2 to 6 inches long, the main rachis is slender, erect, striate, glabrous and has glandular streaks just above the insertion of the branches of the lowest verticil. Branches are capillary, stiff and spreading, horizontally verticillate or subverticillate, the lowest whorl consisting of five to sixteen or seventeen branches and the others from three to nine, s.h.i.+ning, swollen at the point of insertion and provided with a glandular scar a little above the point of insertion; branchlets are very close, appressed to the rachis of the branch never drooping or spreading, each bearing two to five spikelets.

The _spikelets_ are small, 1/20 to 1/16 inch subsessile or pedicelled, always appressed to the rachis solitary in the upper portions of the branches, and two to five on the branchlets in the lower portion, pale, green or rarely copper coloured, oblong or lanceolate, acute or ac.u.minate, caducous or glumes one and two persistent.

There are three _glumes_. The _first glume_ is very small, hyaline, ovate, obtuse, occasionally truncate or acute, about one-fifth of the third glume or less. The _second glume_ is membranous, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or ac.u.minate, thinly scaberulous and 1-nerved.

The _third glume_ is as long as or a little shorter than the second glume, 1-nerved and paleate. The _palea_ is as long as the glume, oblong, 2-nerved, splitting in two portions between the nerves as soon as the grain is formed. _Stamens_ are three with reddish purple anthers; _stigmas_ are white at first, but turning brown while withering.

_Lodicules_ are two, minute. The grain is oblong, pale, brown and obtuse at both ends, embryo about 1/3 of the grain.

This gra.s.s flourishes in all kinds of soils all over the Presidency.

_Distribution._--Throughout the plains of India and Ceylon. Also in Afghanistan and South Africa.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 183.--Sporobolus commutatus.]

=Sporobolus commutatus, _Kunth._=

This is an annual and usually grows in loose tufts. Stems are slender, always erect or ascending, leafy and branching, 2 to 15 inches long.

The _leaf-sheath_ is shorter than the internode, slightly compressed, finely striate, glabrous and occasionally with a few scattered tubercle-based hairs, margin ciliate; the uppermost sheath is cylindric somewhat long and embraces the greater portion of the peduncle and has a bunch of short hairs at the top.

The _leaf-blade_ is narrow linear-lanceolate, ac.u.minate scaberulous throughout, with long tubercle-based hairs scattered all over, but more of them near the base; margins spinulosely distantly serrulate or scabrid, base rounded or subcordate, 1/2 to 4-1/2 inches long and 1/16 to 3/16 inch wide.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 184.--Sporobolus commutatus.

1. A portion of a branch; 2. spikelet; 3, 4 and 5. first, second and the third glume; 6. palea of the third glume; 7. ovary and anthers; 8 and 9.

grain.]

The _inflorescence_ is diffuse, pyramidal, 1 to 3 inches by 3/4 to 2 inches, on a slender glabrous peduncle 1 to 6 inches long, main rachis is slender and angled, with a glandular streak or without it. Branches are effuse, fine, capillary (more so than in S. coromandelia.n.u.s), obliquely ascending, never stiff and horizontal, verticillate or irregularly subverticillate, the lowest whorl of five to twelve and the others three to seven branches; the rachis of the branches is obscurely scaberulous, slightly swollen at the point of insertion; branchlets are never appressed to the branch, always drooping and spreading on all sides, and bearing two to four spikelets.

The _spikelets_ are about 1/16 inch long, ovate-lanceolate, acute or ac.u.minate dark or pale green, sometimes purplish, solitary or two to four on long slender pedicels, drooping, never appressed, and with glandular streaks. There are three _glumes_. The _first glume_ is minute, hyaline, ovate, obtuse or acute, nerveless. The _second glume_ is five or six times as long as the first, ovate lanceolate, 1-nerved, ac.u.minate. The _third glume_ is equal to or a little shorter than the second, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 1-nerved paleate; _palea_ is equal to the third glume, 2-nerved splitting into two halves between the nerves.

_Anthers_ are three and purple in colour. _Stigmas_ are white and feathery. Grain as in _S. coromandelia.n.u.s_.