A Handbook Of Some South Indian Grasses Part 27

=Anthistiria tremula, _Nees_=.

This is an annual or perennial. Stems are stout or slender, erect or ascending from a creeping root-stock, simple or branched, 1 to 4 feet.

The _leaf-sheath_ is smooth, compressed. The _ligule_ is a narrow membrane.

The _leaf-blade_ is linear-lanceolate, rigid, erect, ac.u.minate with a setaceous tip, nearly smooth, varying in length from 6 to 20 inches and in breadth from 1/6 to 2/3 inch.

The _inflorescence_ is an elongate panicle, 1 to 2 feet long, consisting of rather distant fascicles of spikes and bracts on capillary, flexuous peduncles; the spikes are sub-flabelliform or sub-globose, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches broad, sometimes reduced to a few spikelets and bracts; the outer bracts are longer than the fascicles, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, glabrous or hairy with ordinary or tubercle-based hairs; proper bracts are lanceolate, acute, compressed, glabrous or hairy with membranous margins.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 165.--Anthistiria tremula.

1. Fascicles of three spikes with the outer bracts and proper bracts; 2.

a spike without its proper bract; 3. the pedicelled and the bis.e.xual spikelets without the involucral spikelets; 4, the first glume of the involucral spikelet with one wing only; 4a. the first glume of the involucral spikelet with wings to both the keels; 5 and 6. the second and the third glume of the involucral spikelet; 7, 8 and 9. the glumes of the bis.e.xual spikelet; 10, 11, 12 and 13. glumes of the bis.e.xual spikelet; 14. ovary.]

The _involucral spikelets_ are the longest, in contiguous superposed pairs, about 1/2 inch long, and the rachis of the spike is produced beyond these spikelets. There are three _glumes_. The _first glume_ is linear-lanceolate, acute, covered with long, often tubercle-based hairs, many-nerved, margins narrowly incurved, and with narrow wings, on both the keels in one of each of the pairs of spikelets and on one keel only in the other of each of these pairs. The _second glume_ is oblong-lanceolate, acute, margins thin and membranous, inflexed, ciliate above the middle, 3-nerved. The _third glume_ is as long as the second, hyaline, very narrowly linear, 1-nerved. _Stamens_ are three and the _lodicules_ are cuneate.

The _pedicelled spikelets_ are usually smaller than the involucral spikelets and similar to them. The _first glume_ is winged on one side in the lowest spikelet and without wings in the others.

The _bis.e.xual or (female) spikelets_ are linear-oblong, obtuse, and the callus with reddish hairs. The _first glume_ is scabrid, deeply channelled at the back, nerveless, narrowly truncate at the tip, and hispid near the apex. The _second glume_ is as long as the first, linear, hyaline, 3-nerved, chartaceous at the back with the sides membranous and incurved. The _third glume_ is small, hyaline, 1-nerved and epaleate. The _fourth glume_ is the narrowed base of the awn which is 1/2 inch long.

This gra.s.s is very common in marshes and in wet low-lying places on the hills and occurs also in the plains in Malabar and South Kanara.

_Distribution._--The Deccan Peninsula, from the Konkan and Central Provinces southward, and Ceylon.

30. Iseilema, _Hack._

These gra.s.ses are either annual or perennial, with slender freely branching stems. The inflorescence is a panicle consisting of groups of dissimilar spikelets with compressed, boat-shaped spathes on peduncles.

Spikelets are of two kinds, sessile and pedicelled. Each peduncle bears 4-pedicelled male or neuter spikelets in a regular whorl forming an involucel around 1 or 2 sessile bis.e.xual spikelets and 2- or 3-pedicelled male spikelets. Involucral spikelets have 3 or 2 glumes, the first two glumes are somewhat similar, the first 3- to 5-nerved and the second 3-nerved, the third glume is one nerved and hyaline.

Lodicules are cuneate and retuse. Anthers yellow dotted or tinged violet. Pedicelled spikelets inside the involucral similar to those of the involucral. Sessile spikelets are bis.e.xual or sometimes female, 4-glumed and awned.

KEY TO THE SPECIES.

Panicle slender, lax; involucral spikelets 1/6 inch; pedicel slender, terete 1. I. laxum.

Panicle crowded, leafy; involucral spikelets 1/6 inch or more, very strongly nerved; pedicel harder, firmer and flattened 2. I. anthephoroides.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 166.--Iseilema laxum.]

=Iseilema laxum, _Hack._=

It is a tufted perennial gra.s.s with a stout, short, creeping root-stock.

Stems are slender, branched, ascending, 6 to 24 inches long.

The _leaf-sheaths_ are somewhat loose, glabrous. The _ligule_ is a shortly ciliate membrane.

The _leaf-blade_ is linear, obtuse, glabrous and ciliate near the base, 2 to 6 inches long. The leaf-blades in the upper portions of the branches are smaller.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 167.--Iseilema laxum.

1. A cl.u.s.ter of spikelets with spathes. 2. a cl.u.s.ter consisting of the involucral spikelets and three inner spikelets; 3. the inner spikelets consisting of one sessile female or bis.e.xual and 2-pedicelled male spikelets; 4, 5 and 6. the first, second and the third glume, respectively, of the involucral spikelet.]

The _inflorescence_ is a narrow long panicle bearing cl.u.s.ters of spikelets with spathes on slender peduncles, the outer spathes are narrow-lanceolate, glabrous or with a few hairs near the margin, 1/4 to 1 inch long; inner spathes are lanceolate, smaller with membranous margins. Each cl.u.s.ter consists of an involucel of 4 pedicelled spikelets forming a true whorl around 2 pedicelled and 1 sessile spikelets or 3 pedicelled and 2 sessile spikelets. The involucral spikelets are male, oblong-lanceolate, acute, with short flattened pedicels, bearded at the base, and have three glumes. The _first glume_ is oblong-lanceolate, acute, 5- to 7-nerved and ciliate. The _second glume_ is oblong-lanceolate, ac.u.minate, equal or slightly shorter than the first, glabrous, 3-nerved and with infolded margins. The _third glume_ is hyaline, linear, short, irregularly toothed at the apex. The inner pedicelled spikelets are similar to the involucral spikelets, but the third glume is very narrow, linear. The sessile spikelets are female, rarely bis.e.xual, narrowly lanceolate, 1/5 inch long, glabrous and have four glumes. The _first glume_ is lanceolate, chartaceous, truncate or 2-fid at the apex, faintly 5-nerved, with a few long hairs or glabrous, and with margins scaberulous towards the tip to about one-third the length of the glume. The _second glume_ is lanceolate, ac.u.minate, glabrous, sub-chartaceous, 3-nerved. The _third glume_ is hyaline, nerveless, apex irregularly cut, short; sometimes this glume is wanting.

The _fourth glume_ is a very slender awn of about 1/2 inch.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 168.--Iseilema laxum.

1. Inner spikelets consisting of 2-pedicelled male and two female or bis.e.xual spikelets; 2, 3, 4 and 5. the first, second, third and the fourth glume, respectively, of the sessile spikelets; 6. ovary; 7, 8 and 9. the first, second and the third glume, respectively, of the inner pedicelled spikelet.]

This is a widely spread common gra.s.s growing in somewhat moist situations. This is the well-known Chengali gaddi of the Telugu districts.

_Distribution._--All over Madras and Bombay presidencies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 169.--Iseilema anthephoroides.]

=Iseilema anthephoroides, _Hack._=

This is a perennial gra.s.s closely resembling _Iseilema laxum_ in its habit, but shorter, stouter and branching more freely. The leaf is similar to that of _I. laxum_ in all its parts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 170.--Iseilema anthephoroides.

1. A cl.u.s.ter of spikelets with spathes; 2. the involucral and the inner spikelets; 3. the inner spikelets; 4 and 5. the glumes of the involucral spikelets; 6, 7, 8 and 9. the four glumes, respectively, of the sessile spikelet; 10. ovary; 11 and 12. glumes of the inner pedicelled spikelets.]

The _pedicelled spikelets_ of the involucel have firmer harder, shorter and broader pedicels, thickly bearded and consist of two glumes only.

The _first glume_ is very strongly 5-nerved, coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate; with scaberulous infolded margins, with long cilia.

The _second glume_ is lanceolate, thin, 3-nerved, glabrous. The inner _pedicelled spikelets_ are similar to the pedicelled spikelets of the involucel. The _sessile spikelet_ has four glumes. The _first glume_ is elliptic-lanceolate, apex drawn into a long narrow strip ending in two teeth or truncate, spa.r.s.ely ciliate at the margins about the middle, faintly 3-nerved. The _second glume_ is shorter than the first, lanceolate, drawn out into an ac.u.minate point at the apex, hairy at the back. The _third glume_ is hyaline, short, oblong, apex broad and irregularly toothed, nerveless. The _fourth glume_ is an awn.

This is very common in the Deccan districts and grows on all kinds of soils. This is a good fodder gra.s.s.

_Distribution._--Very common in the Ceded districts and Nellore.

CHAPTER IX.

Series II--Poaceae.

TRIBES V AND VI--AGROSTIDEae AND CHLORIDEae.

The tribe =Agrostideae= is a very small one. It is represented in South India only by a few genera. The spikelets are usually 1-flowered and the rachilla is jointed at the base just above the empty glumes and it is not produced beyond the flowering glume. There are only three glumes in the spikelet.

Sub. Tribe 1. =Stipeae=.--The spikelets are narrow and long, panicles and the flowering glumes are rigid or hard, and awned.