Page:The Journal of Indian Botany.djvu/632

190 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. elliptic, minutely 2-lobed at the apex with a minute mucro between, I-nerved with a scabrid keel. The third glume is as long as the second, awned, pale or purple, ovate or obovate, narrowed at the base and clasping the rachilla at its base ; apex shortly 2-fid with a purple dorsal awn, 3-nerved, paleate, the two marginal nerves are densely bearded with long white or purple tinged hairs from near the base to almost the apex and the mid-nerve also similarly bearded with long hairs on both sides, and the base with a tuft of long hairs ; the palea as long as the glume, coriaceous, obovately cuneate, obtuse, minutely bifid, purple-tipped, with folded hyaline margins, 2-keeled, keels shortly ciliate. Stamens three with yellow or purple anthers ; ovary with two feathery stigmas and two lodicules. Grain is oblong, shining, light reddish brown, narrowed at both ends and somewhat trigonous. The remaining glumes, fourth to seventh, are borne by the rachilla, thinly chartaceous, broadly obcordate or obovate, gradually diminishing in size, purple-tinged, 3 to 5-nerved, scaberulous. The fourth and the fifth glumes are empty and epaleate when the spikelets are 5-glumed. If there are six glumes, the fourth bears both stamens and the ovary, the fifth and the sixth glumes are empty, and in spikelets of seven glumes, the third, the fourth and the fifth glumes are flower-bearing and contain grains, and the remaining two glumes are empty.

This species is a tall-growing robust one resembling Chloris barbata in its inflorescence, but with longer spikes and larger spikelets, as large as those of C. tenella. No doubt, it is closely allied to C. barbata, but differs from it by having larger spikelets that are 3 to 5-awned and 1 to 3-flowered, and the nerves being bearded throughout their length with long hairs.

This grass was found growing in abundance in the fields Nos. 13, 37 and 62 of the Agricultural College and in the grounds around the Forest College, Coimbatore, and was also collected in Bellary District and Samalkota.

Specimens of this grass were sent to Dr. O. Stapf of Kew and he writes as follows : — ■

" We have not been able to match it with any of the described species of Chloris, and Mr. Eangachariar will be fully justified in des- cribing it as a new species. We have it apart from Wight's specimen from the following collection : —

(1) Sattur, November 19, 1795 sub " Andropogon barbata Var.?" Herb. Rottler.

(2) Ahmednagar, Madras Presidency, Miss Shattuck (U. S. Dep. Agric. reed 1914).

(3) Tornagallu, Bellary District 11th August, 1901 (Ex. herb. Rangachariar in Herb. Bourne No. 3594).